After the kitchen, the laundry room is one of the most functional spaces of a home. Spending time doing laundry can get dull at times. However, a properly planned and designed laundry room can make this tedious chore easier and more enjoyable.
So, the question is: when was the last time you gave your laundry room a meaningful upgrade? We’re not talking about replacing the washer and dryer, but about giving this space a real upgrade for improved aesthetics and functionality. Well, there’s a high chance that it’s been a while since your last laundry room remodel.
If that’s the case, then this might be a wake-up call for you to spruce up your laundry room by adding a few essential features to make this chore fun and your life a whole lot easier.
What are Some Important Laundry Room Design Features?
Since it’s a laundry room, installing an energy-efficient washer and dryer is a given. Besides these appliances, there are many other features that you must include in your laundry room to improve its convenience, ease, functionality, and aesthetics. Some of these features include cabinetry, counter space, ironing board, hanging racks, laundry hampers, and proper lighting.
In this article, we will discuss these important laundry room features in detail.
Essential Laundry Room Features
Here’s what every laundry room needs for improved efficiency:
1. Customized Cabinets
Customized cabinets are one of the most essential laundry room design features. The purpose of installing custom cabinetry is to maximize storage space without sacrificing the aesthetic standards of your particular space.
The size of a laundry room varies from home to home, which is why finely crafted custom cabinetry is the only way to tackle any space and storage concerns.
Custom cabinets serve as the perfect storage tool for laundry supplies and other belongings that must be stored out-of-sight to make the room look more organized. Open shelves are also becoming rapidly popular due to their illusion of space and convenience.
Read Also: 7 Must-Have Laundry Room Accessories
2. Adequate Counter Space
Doing laundry isn’t as tricky as folding and putting it away. Having adequate counter space in your laundry room gives you a place to fold clothes right out of the dryer and set down the laundry supplies you’re using for more convenience. Generally, a little extra counter space never hurt anyone; in fact, it takes the stress out of laundry!.
3. Hanging Racks
Hanging racks are essential tools to keep your laundry room looking organized. Installing a foldable rack helps save space while allowing you to air-dry or hang your ironed or dried clothes. If you have cabinets or shelves right above your washer or dryer, you have the perfect spot to install a foldable hanging rack.
4. Drawers
Drawers are another practical space-saving option that will make your laundry experience more efficient. Installing drawers under your wall-mounted cabinets will provide you with great additional space to store supplies, socks, spray bottles, and many other things.
5. Good Lighting
If you’re wondering how to make a laundry room look good, the answer is – lighting! Improving the lighting of your laundry room is a budget-friendly option that will make a world of difference. Laundry rooms generally lack decent lighting, which makes a monotonous task, such as laundry, even more arduous.
Consider installing task, ambient, and accent lighting to change the atmosphere and make your laundry room more appealing and organized. Task lighting includes using under-cabinet strips to illuminate specific work zones, while ambient lighting use comprises natural lights or ceiling fixtures to brighten up the room and set the mood.
Read Also: Laundry Room Paint Color Ideas
6. Pull-Out Ironing Board
Iron boards take up a lot of space, which is why you probably haven’t considered adding one to your small laundry room. Even counter-top or travel-sized ironing boards need a decent amount of counter space for use. So, instead of opting for these space-consuming options, you should settle for a pull-out or foldable iron board that can be discretely hidden and quickly pulled out when required.
7. Built-In Laundry Hampers
Built-in laundry hampers are perhaps one of the smartest and most space-saving features to include in your laundry room. Instead of using non-durable plastic or cane baskets, you can have a laundry hamper incorporated into your custom cabinetry to maximize space and organize your dirty clothes.
8. Laundry Sink
Regardless of the popular way to do things, a laundry sink is an essential laundry room feature to include during your remodel. Many people don’t install sinks in their laundry room and use the ones in the kitchen or bathrooms instead, which isn’t the best idea. Installing a stainless steel sink in your laundry room can save you from a whole lot of hassle of scrubbing out cloth stains in the bathroom or kitchen. Moreover, this sink can also be used to bathe a pet or fill up a mop bucket.
How to Decorate My Laundry Room?
Generally, the essential features above will take up a lot of your laundry room space, which means that there won’t be a need for any decorations. However, if you have a spacious laundry room, you can set up a comfy chair to relax while the clothes are in the washer or dryer. You can also hang up cane baskets for some additional storage space and added aesthetics. Picture frames, wall clocks, and paintings are other good options too.
Bottom Line
All the features listed above work impeccably for both small and spacious laundry rooms. Sure, you can add lot more features to a spacious laundry room, but adding the above-listed features to a small laundry room can help make it more organized. Laundry rooms are utilitarian rooms, but they must not be neglected when it comes to remodeling and upgrading them.
We hope that this article makes your life a whole lot easier by helping your wash, dry, fold, hang, and organize your laundry in a more efficient manner.
