Creative Laundry Room Ideas

September 30, 2020

The laundry room is a must-have in any modern home. Some laundry rooms serve their functions and that’s great. But why not expect more from your laundry room? Why not make it a showplace of beauty and functionality so you actually enjoy being there?

Laundry rooms don’t have to look like utility rooms anymore!

Laundry room necessities

There are some absolute essentials you’ll want to be sure to include that will make your life a whole lot easier as you plan out your laundry room. Don’t forget these must-haves!

The perfect washer and dryer situation

Space for a separate washer and dryer.
Two washers and two dryers, if you have a big family.
Stackable washer and dryer.
Two-in-one washer and dryer.

Adequate storage and hanging space

Storage for multiple laundry hampers for dirty clothes.
A place for one-two clean clothes laundry baskets.
Room to hang clean clothes.
Storage for detergent, fabric softener, and cleaning supplies.
An area for delicates to hang to dry or lay flat to dry.

Creative laundry room design

Laundry rooms are getting larger and more glorious as people want more options, luxury, and convenience from these rooms. Instead of just a small space that barely fits the washer and dryer, many people are devoting larger space, about the size of a kitchen. Today, homeowners desire plenty of cabinets and space for storage, a large sink, the washer and dryer, and places for hanging and air-drying clothes.

If you have a lot of cabinets, the room could double as a butler’s pantry or an extra kitchen pantry. If the room looks sophisticated enough and has enough space, you could even have your home office or kids’ learning space there, as well. It may be a great place to add a few more cabinets, built-in desks, and work stations.

Laundry room wall inspiration

People are getting a lot more adventurous with bright colors and bold patterns in their laundry rooms to make them more fun and welcoming.

Laundry room wallpaper

Some of the most glamorous laundry rooms sport a combination of brightly colored cabinets and bold wallpaper. Wallpaper is back in a big way. Bold, bright patterns are very popular, providing a much-needed air of whimsy and cheerfulness that chases away any hum-drum ideas of a boring utilitarian space.

Laundry room wall tile

If you have a countertop over cabinets in your laundry room, you may want to do subway tile or another type of tile backsplash between the upper and lower cabinets. This gives your laundry room practicality, sophistication, and polish.

Some people decide to do an entire wall or all four walls with wall-tile. It’s easy to clean, no maintenance, and beautiful. Today, there are many patterned tiles, as well as solid colors from which to choose.

Shiplap laundry room

For a crisp, refreshing look, consider covering the walls of your laundry room with shiplap. You can do an accent wall or two, or just finish out the entire room. The most popular color for shiplap is white, providing a nostalgic coastal feel. But you can also paint shiplap other colors, especially lighter colors, to provide texture and dimension to your room.

Laundry room curtains

If you choose not to go with cabinets, hanging colorful curtains over your machines or over the other storage spaces can help make your laundry room look more tidy and put-together. Plus you have the ability to change out curtains to suit your fancy in a year or two without any hassle.

Laundry room decor

Laundry rooms have countless decor options now. There are wall stickers about laundry that are precious. You can even find stickers that go on the glass of your front-loading machines with sweet little sayings or graphics.

Create a farmhouse decor, country garden, Parisian, or go modern. Whatever style you choose, make it your own and make it unique. Something you and your family will enjoy. Many people decorate the laundry room with artwork on the walls, fun sayings about laundry, and matching baskets. A laundry room can look as gorgeous and presentable as any other room in your home.

Laundry room colors

Gray and white were the go-to for a long time, but now laundry room paint colors are going vibrant.

For cabinets, people are painting them in various shades of muted, mint, or even forest green or various shades of blue like dusty blue, baby blue, or navy blue. Or consider a deep gray, pewter, or taupe.

For walls, consider something bright and cheerful if you have white cabinets. Especially if there is no window in the room. Sea glass, pigeon, or a hand-painted pattern with multiple colors would look amazing.

If your cabinets have quite a pop of color already, consider something more subdued for the walls like white, cream, ivory, or light earth tones.

Or think about chalkboard paint on one wall or above a chair rail. You can practice your artwork skills or write a to-do list there. The kids may enjoy drawing their own beautiful masterpieces, as well, while you work on the clothes. Write down your kids’ chore list, inspirational quotes, or use it as a message center.

Foldable laundry storage/ironing station

With many options for laundry storage that can fold away or stow away, you can choose which methods you prefer most. You can do a fold-away hanging rack. Mount it at 6ft to hang long dresses or gowns. Some look like thin cabinets so when you fold the rack away, you don’t even see it, only the cabinet doors.

A fold-away table makes a great surface for folding clothes, especially if you are short on space or don’t have room for a counter. Another fold-away option that saves a lot of space and aggravation is a wall-mounted foldaway ironing board.

If you need extra space for hanging clean clothes, retractable wall-mounted hangers can be an attractive solution. They fold flat against the wall, but prop open to provide a bar to hang clothes on.

Laundry room drawers

Drawers have come a long way in laundry rooms. You can get huge drawers that go under your washer and dryer as built-ins to set your machines up higher off the ground. Then you don’t have to bend down to reach the laundry basket. You can even choose to have a drawer right below the machines that provides a flat table/shelf surface for folding clothes or setting your laundry basket on.

Custom drawers with built-in hampers are available. You can choose from cloth hampers, net hampers, or basket hampers.

Consider a built-in dresser with multiple thin drawers with drying racks so you can lay delicate items flat to dry then slide them back into place. They have space above and below them so that your clothes can dry while all the drawers are slid back in place.

Laundry room lighting

One creative idea we love is to install an Indoor motion sensor light so you don’t have to set the laundry hamper down to turn the light on or off. And you don’t have to get the lightswitch dirty after you have been handling dirty clothes. For those who are especially microbe-conscious, this can be a big help.

If you are creating a glamorous laundry room, consider a chandelier or elegant lighting fixture for your space. Of course, if you go with a farmhouse theme or other particular theme, you can select a light to match.

Be sure you have plenty of bright light to make it easy to see what you are doing. And, if possible, consider a large window to let in plenty of natural light, as well.

Mudroom/laundry room

If you can combine your laundry room with a mudroom, that would be ideal! Then you can have a custom bench with cubbies or drawers underneath for shoes and boots. Include some storage hooks for each child’s coat. You can have built-in cubbies, cabinets, and shelves for school and sports equipment storage. And you can have a closet right there for coats.

It’s easy to have everyone put really dirty clothes right into the washing machine or into the laundry sink to soak without having to drag mud all over the house when your laundry room and mudroom are a combo. Every parent would love that!

Laundry room shelving ideas/Laundry room cabinets

Some people like to have a laundry room that has as many cabinets as a kitchen with a counter for folding clothes and a big sink to handle delicates, muddy shoes, or small-medium sized pet baths. Built-in laundry room cabinets are a stately way to store all your essentials out of sight.

Or, consider built-in cubbies with matching straw or cloth baskets for a uniform, put-together look. Custom cabinets can surround your machines, go under a beautiful countertop, and hang above your work area, as well.

Floating shelves look lovely in a modern laundry room. Or you could have a custom closet with built-in shelves and racks for hanging clothes.

The laundry room may have enough space to create a gift wrapping station, as well. Add some custom cabinets that will hold the large rolls of wrapping paper, drawers for tissue paper and ribbons, and pegs on the wall for spools of ribbon.

Laundry room countertops

Laundry rooms are getting fancy with granite, marble, butcherblock, laminate, or quartz countertops. People are using laundry rooms for art projects, offices, and hobby rooms. So having extra counter space and cabinets can be very helpful.

If you have a very large space, you may be able to design your own custom laundry room island with a massive square countertop and custom cabinets below. It can be a wonderful gift-wrapping area, or place for working on art projects, cutting out patterns for sewing, or other hobbies. You could even have seating below the counter, if you like.

Laundry room flooring

Laundry room floors can be creative and glorious but they also need to be practical and easy-to-clean. Carpet probably isn’t the best option. And, although laminate floors, hardwoods, or engineered wood floors can be easy to keep clean, they don’t always do well when exposed to water. Just in case there is a spill or the washing machine hose leaks, for some reason, having a waterproof floor can be a really great idea.

Some of our favorite laundry room floors include tile (check out the new patterned tile available now), concrete, or luxury vinyl plank (waterproof).

A flood sensor

This is especially important if your laundry room is on the main floor or second floor of your home. A simple sensor can alert you if your laundry room is beginning to flood so you can get home right away or have someone else go to your house to turn off the water and prevent the situation from becoming a catastrophe.

Utility sink

What is the purpose of a utility sink? You can use it to wash out muddy or really dirty clothes or shoes. If it is big enough, it may be a great place for a baby’s or toddler’s bath where you don’t have to get on your knees but can stand up straight. It may also be a good place for a smaller pet’s bathtime.

A utility sink or laundry room sink is also a wonderful place for hand washing delicates in a bucket or for rinsing out dirty mop water.

A laundry room farmhouse sink could make for a great finishing touch if you are doing the farmhouse look. Or you can go with a more modern stainless steel kitchen sink. You may want to hang a foldable drying rack over the sink to catch the water as the damp clothes dry.

Dog washing station (a mini shower)

If you have a larger dog, consider adding a dog shower to your laundry room. The tile only needs to go up to about 36-40 inches, unless you have a very large dog. Then add a handheld showerhead, a tiled (waterproof) shower floor, and a drain. You can catch your dog as soon as he comes inside and wash him off before he tracks mud into the rest of the house.

Laundry room door

Laundry room doors have been getting some attention lately. Instead of a regular door, how about a sliding laundry room barn door? Or a glass laundry room door with a special laundry decal on the window? It could even be frosted glass so that if there did happen to be a mess in the laundry room, guests wouldn’t have to see it.

Instead of a laundry room makeover, how about creating your own custom laundry room from scratch for your dream home?