The laundry room might be the last place you’d think about decorating, but the trend now is to take this utilitarian space and turn it into something beautiful. You don’t need an expensive front-load laundry set, either as we'll show you with these laundry room ideas. If your washer and dryer leave something to be desired appearance-wise, you can always freshen them up using appliance paint or colorful, appliance-grade epoxy paints.
A note about painting appliances. You'll need to scuff the surface lightly using superfine-grit sandpaper, then apply appliance paint primer, and then paint. Stencils let you add designs such as flowers or polka dots.
Brighten Up a Dark Laundry Room
Not everyone has the luxury of a laundry room with large windows. If your laundry room is located in a basement or another area that gets little or no natural light, you can still brighten the room and make it appear more open.
This room, with its small footprint and tiny windows, could have been dark and shadowy. But pale yellow-green walls, white cabinets, and good lighting create a roomy-looking, fresh and bright laundry room. Also notice the laundry sink. That's a trend that's really catching on. Think of how many uses it has, such as scrubbing stains, soaking and hand-washing delicate clothing.
Laundry Room Ideas to Avoid Bending
If you’re have front-load washer and dryers, you might find that bending down can make laundry a bit more difficult than with a top-load washer. You can buy or build platforms for the washer and dryer to raise them up for better access.
If you decide to build, you must take into consideration the weight of the machines. You can get this information from the manufacturer. Be sure a custom built platform won't void your warranty, though. If so, it's best to go with the platforms that were made for your machines.
Notice how in this room, both the washer and dryer openings are almost centered with the level of the countertop. This adjustment, from using platforms, lets you set a laundry basket on the counter to load and unload the machines without bending to reach.
Simple Laundry Room Ideas: Folding Table & Work Station
If you don’t have ample countertops, a folding table is a great laundry room addition. No more carrying baskets to another room or sitting on the floor to fold. A folding table is also a good idea for mending loose buttons and pre-treating stains. A stainless steel or laminate top makes cleanup easy.
A chair at the table lets you get off our feet for a while.
If you don’t have space for a big, square folding table in the middle of the room, think about a half-size table, or a small counter against the wall on one side of the washer and dryer.
Old Fashion Laundry Room Ideas
You don’t necessarily want to toss everything into the dryer. Some clothes should only be drip dried. But if you don’t have a yard for a clothesline and there’s no floor space for drying racks, look up.
Ceiling-mounted drying racks have been used for generations. Build or buy one that doesn't need two sets of hands to lower and raise. There are many small racks that tuck neatly at the ceiling or flush on the wall when not in use. You simply lower or open them when it's time to hang clothes, then store them out of your way when done.
Don't forget when using a drying rack, you may need a drain in the floor or another way to catch drips, such as absorbent towels.
Laundry rooms are enjoying a renaissance, of sorts. No longer just a room to get dirty clothes clean, these spaces have all sorts of options to customize, make more functional, and dress up enough to put them on par with the rest of the house.
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