You may use your laundry room once or twice a week, but it’s one of the spaces that should be addressed during a home renovation. If a major laundry renovation is on your wishlist right now, continue reading this guide. It will assist you to create a highly functional laundry room that works well, looks nice, reflects your style and makes your laundry a more enjoyable space to be in.
Basics of planning your laundry renovation
The laundry room or area is one of those purely utilitarian spaces at home. It’s the spot where you get your chores done, therefore it’s only right to give this space an update.
Updating your laundry room involves more than just buying a new washer and dryer. There are lots of things to consider. Start with the four most important factors: the size, shape, location, style, and your appliance needs.
Size of your laundry
The size of your new laundry depends on the space available in your home. With the help of a skilled designer, you can maximise the space at home and squeeze a laundry zone where it is needed.
If your family has outgrown your current laundry and you need a larger one, consider changing the location of your laundry or demolish a few interior walls to create a bigger space.
Shape and layout of your laundry
The shape of your new laundry also depends on the space available in your home.
Straight laundry rooms are the most common. In this featured home, the straight laundry room features a single benchtop with side by side washer and dryer underneath, storage above and below, and a washing sink at one end.
If you have a bigger space available, you’ll have room for an L-shaped or U-shaped laundry. A layout and shape like this provides you with extra storage, workspace, and room to move around.
It is crucial to give your new laundry area an ergonomic design and logical workflow. When your new laundry is easy to use, it’s easy to find domestic happiness doing the laundry.
Location of your laundry
When space is limited, you need to think outside the box and think of clever ways to create a laundry zone. Here are a few genius ways to squeeze one in your home:
Bathroom + Laundry
A laundry can exist as part of the bathroom. Both are wet areas, therefore combining them will save you a lot of space and money on plumbing. A set-up like this is easier to clean too!
Kitchen + Laundry
Another two-in-one concept squeezes the laundry in the kitchen. Most designs hide the washer and dryer behind the cupboards. For a better visual, match or compliment the colours of the appliances with the colour scheme of the kitchen.
Some station the washer and dryer inside the scullery. A scullery is a hidden extension of a kitchen where you can do most of the clean up. It’s often out of people’s sight, which is great because you can run a quick load of laundry while you clean up.
Mudroom + Laundry
Like the laundry, the mudroom is also an utilitarian space. Renovating to create this two-in-one space is one of the most sought-after construction projects lately. Homeowners today find it convenient because they can do laundry before they go out and come home with clean clothes. It’s also nice to have a drop zone of the dirty clothes you used outside.
Euro laundry
Euro laundry or the laundry hidden in a cupboard is one of the most convenient ways to squeeze laundry areas in a small space. It is practical; just close the doors to hide the laundry area when not in use.
Garage + Laundry
Need a bigger laundry area? Move yours in your garage. Many homes nowadays have a laundry in the garage. It is bigger, giving you more room for design flexibility. You also don’t mind wetting the garage floors, making this move more practical.
These five laundry zone ideas prove that it is possible to incorporate a laundry even in the most compact of spaces. Always choose a practical spot. Combine it with another wet area or utility room to make installation and work easy.
Laundry style
It is crucial that the style of your laundry is similar with the other rooms of the house. Identical and complimentary styles through multiple rooms ensure a harmonious flow.
When you combine the laundry with another space (e.g. kitchen, bathroom, or mudroom), make sure that the two spaces have similar matching finishes, benchtop, cabinets, tapware, tones, colour scheme, and material palette.
Appliances to use
Many invest in new appliances when renovating the laundry room. These are the workhorses of the room and these take up most of the space, so consider them before finalising the new laundry design.
There are three popular laundry room appliance layouts:
- Stacked – Washer and dryers can be stacked. A layout like this saves floor space and is ideal for small spaces or if you want to hide appliances behind the cabinets.
- Side by side – This placement is popular for homeowners who prefer top-load washers and dryers. Front-load washers and dryers can be placed side by side under the bench too.
- One compact machine – Lucky for us, there are washer+dryer models which are perfect for smaller households or spaces. It’s also convenient because you don’t need to transfer the clothes from one machine to another.
When purchasing new appliances, choose the energy-efficient options. Go for the Energy Star certified washer and dryer. These are a bit more expensive but you will offset the upfront costs with lower power bills and water consumption in the future.
Practical features to have in a laundry room
Now that you know the basics of laundry design for your upcoming renovation project, it’s time to prepare a checklist of the things you need to build the new laundry. Refer to the checklist below:
Laundry room flooring
Here are the qualities to look for when choosing the floor of your new laundry room:
- Aesthetically pleasing and suits the style of the laundry room
- Extremely durable, can withstand high foot traffic, scratch and scuff resistant
- Water resistant or easy to waterproof, can withstand high moisture
- Easy to clean and maintain
- A floor surface with a little insulation or bounce to prevent vibrations from the washer and dryer from resonating through the floor
Some of our laundry flooring suggestions include:
- Vinyl
- Concrete
- Tiles
Practical suggestions:
- Tile skirting – Instead of wooden skirting boards, lay tiles in the corner of a wall and floor junction. Wooden skirting boards are likely to get damaged or rot in the laundry area. Tiles, on the other hand, can withstand high-moisture conditions. Any non-slip tile for indoor use is suitable for this, and you can either match the skirting to the tiles used on the floor or walls.
- Underfloor heating – Underfloor heating systems are great when you have a laundry room with concrete, tiled floors. It is an expensive luxury, but you can’t beat the extra level of comfort it provides. It is also one of those lovely upgrades that add value to your home.
- Flush floor drain – A nice floor waste, grate, or drain that sits flush with your floor tiles is a nice feature to have in your laundry room as well.
- Rugs or runners – Laundries can often feel so cold and sterile; a forgotten zone you just dump clothes in. But by putting down a rug or runner, you take the first step in warming up this zone. Which, in winter, is very much required! Putting a rug down in your laundry room not only warms it up, but it makes the zone feel less utilitarian.
Laundry room walls
Cover the walls of your laundry room so it looks hip and fab! Here are our most recommended wall covering materials:
- Tiles – These are the crowd favourite because these are durable, easy to clean, and they come in a wide variety of designs. There are wood-look tiles that give off the beauty of timber, minus the upkeep. There are faux marble tiles that never fail to make any laundry look fancy. Of course, the subway tiles will never go out of style.
- Paint – This option is widely available and comes in so many colours and varieties. When choosing paint for your laundry, go for colours that make the space feel clean and pleasant. Don’t be afraid to use bold colours in your laundry room too!
- Easy-to-remove waterproof wallpaper – Peel-on-peel-off waterproof wallpaper is a popular alternative to paint and tile wall coverings. It is relatively inexpensive and won’t damage the wall underneath.
Workspace essentials
These are the things that make a laundry room a more pleasant place to do your chores:
- Good quality, energy-efficient appliances; ideally an Energy Star rated matching washer/dryer set so the laundry area looks cohesive and tidy. Smart, WiFi enabled appliances are also a nice addition to your laundry.
- Good-quality benchtop material where you can fold clothing and do other important household tasks. The most popular benchtop materials used in laundry areas nowadays are: laminate, solid surface, Quartz/engineered stone, and timber/butcher block.
- Foldable ironing boards which you can snuck inside one of the cabinets when not in use. Pull-out ironing boards are also a nice alternative.
- Deep, durable, heat and stain-resistant basin so you can hand wash a few pieces of clothes easily without making a slippery mess. Farmhouse sinks are the most convenient choice here, but any kind of sink with the same features will do.
- High-quality tapware that matches the style of your laundry.
- Handy stool or ladder to help you reach the top shelves, and to to save you from back pain when bending down to throw clothes into the washer.
- Functional laundry chute so it’s easier to transfer dirty clothes, towels, and beddings from the upper floors down to the laundry area. If you are planning to have one at home, create access points in the upstairs bedrooms, bathrooms, and near the stairs.
Storage and organisation
These are the storage solutions that help you manage clutter and organise the items stored in your laundry.
- Custom made cabinetry – Have a combination of wall and base cabinets. Don’t forget to build a tall cabinet for the mops, brooms and ironing boards.
- Cabinet pull-outs – These help organise the contents of the cupboards.
- Open shelves – These are ideal for storing items that you need to access regularly and easily. These are great for displaying nice laundry decorations as well.
- Floating shelves – These are great alternatives to wall cabinets. These open up the space and make a laundry room appear more spacious.
- Creative storage such as hooks, matching baskets, and identical containers.
- Hanging racks, rails, hoists, and a clothes bar for hanging hand-washed clothes to air dry.
- Pull-out or rolling laundry hampers – These keep all the dirty laundry in one place and help you sort the laundry before washing them. Have two laundry hampers: one for whites, the other for coloured fabrics.
- Concealed rubbish bin – It’s important to dispose of the waste products from cleaning products immediately. A rubbish bin hidden from plain sight is the safest way to dispose of them before you take out the trash.
Laundry design for pet loving households
The laundry area is a flexible utilitarian space. If your family has a furry member, you’ll like these design recommendations for sure!
- A pet wash station – A doggie shower is a cute addition to a mudroom and laundry combination. Customise the size of your dog shower depending on the size of your pet.
- Built-in pet feeding station – Add this to your custom cabinetry design. This feature makes feeding your family pet a breeze!
Tips for renovating to get a laundry
Here at Dreamspace, we want our users to be able to plan and coordinate their renovation project with the design and construction professionals they need.
More than that, we want to inform our customers about the project that they plan to undertake. If you are interested in renovating to get a laundry, here are a few tips to remember:
- Maximise the space available. The new laundry area must fit like a puzzle in your floor plan. Create a spot for everything, increase bench space, and build as much storage space as you can.
- Relocate your laundry farther from the bedrooms and living spaces. The noise and vibration from the washer and dryer might disturb your activities. To minimise the noise, make use of materials with good acoustic insulation on the walls and floor of your laundry.
- Keep the laundry organised at all times. It’s frustrating to clean up the laundry one day, only for it to get messed up the very next day. Put things back where they should be stored after use. Also, establish a ‘drop zone’ or a ‘dumping and pick-up spot’ in the laundry room to maintain orderliness and cleanliness.
- Add operable windows in your laundry for natural lighting and ventilation. Do this to brighten the space and to help circulate the air inside the laundry. You want the smell of cleaning products to flow out of the house.
- Use living plants as a decoration. A touch of greenery, an indoor plant or two, can make a difference in a plain, utilitarian space. Choose plants that thrive on the humid air (e.g. ferns). Place them on the spot with the best light and ventilation.
Use Dreamspace to manage your laundry renovation
Renovating your home to build a laundry is easier and better with Dreamspace. Use our project dashboard to plan and coordinate your laundry renovation, then start building your dream laundry piece-by-piece. From one simple dashboard we make it super easy to:
- Plan a successful outdoor renovation
- Find inspiration
- Monitor the progress of your project
- Coordinate with the professionals onboard
- Get quotes
- Manage your project from design through to build.
