15 Laundry Room Ideas for Maximizing a Small Space

Looking for laundry room ideas? Overlooking laundry room design is easy to do. It’s not the place where you eat, watch TV, or sleep.

The laundry room is the small space in your house that you may visit once a week for a few minutes at a time between shows you’re binge-watching.

It’s all about practicality. Wash. Dry. Repeat. Not very sexy is it? But it can be a charming little area if given the right attention.

There’s no need to sacrifice style for function. You can have them both.

After all, even neglected, tiny rooms need love. The challenge is coming up with a beautiful laundry room design that makes you beam with pride using a limited amount of space.

Don’t despair, it’s easy to do with the right materials on hand. Making the most of chic storage solutions, vibrant colors, and beautiful flooring can take your laundry room to another level.

You may not even recognize it when you’re done. Dare we say that you might even start looking forward to laundry day?

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself getting sucked in by the hypnotic pull of your amazing, updated laundry room design. Forget about fighting off the urge.

It’s in your nature. A moth must go to the flame as you must go to your newly tricked out laundry room design.

What You Need to Consider First

How do you make a small laundry room work for you? First, you must assess your space. You want it to be efficient, super-organized, and functional.

It should also be a well-designed area since you’ll do a good bit of bending, lifting, and turning in this space. Consider the size of your family as well.

1. Thinking Woman

Take a moment to look at your space and really think about what you need to do to make it as easy to maneuver in as possible. Consider the amount of laundry you have, the amount of space you can utilize, and what supplies you will need to store in your room. Give it some time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

A large family may require a few more trips than a small size one. It will make the difference between handling those loads of socks, underwear, and jeans daily or weekly.

A well-equipped laundry room will simplify the process for you. You will need to consider how to fit in the laundry essentials you keep on deck.

Think about where you’d like to store your supplies. Most likely you will do your folding and sorting in this space.

Perhaps you need an area set aside to dry wet clothes or to iron the wrinkles out of your favorite shirt. Think about the kinds of racks and rods you’ll use to dry delicates and hang items that have been pulled from the dryer.

These 15 laundry room ideas for maximizing a small space will show you some of the best storage ideas, organization solutions, and decorating tricks to transform your lackluster laundry space into a serene oasis of jaw-dropping beauty.

Laundry Room Ideas 1: Hide Your Washer and Dryer

Maybe you don’t have the fanciest washer and dryer and you’d rather not cast your eyes on them every time you get ready to do a load in the laundry room. Or what if you like your washing machines but you simply don’t want them out in the open for the world to see?

2. Washer and dryer
If you don’t care for seeing your washing machines exposed like this there are creative ways to cover them. Not everyone wants a washer or dryer within their line of sight.

Remedy this by hiding them. Use a simple tension rod and curtain to conceal your equipment. It gives you the added benefit of being able to infuse your space with more color, texture, and personality.

Adding a sliding door in your laundry room is another great option for keeping your laundry machines tucked neatly away in a closet-sized space in the laundry room.

Laundry Room Ideas 2: Make the Most of Color

Go With Neutral Colors

Neutrals are great for adding a touch of class to your laundry room. Various shades of white, gray, and earth tones are a safe bet because they go well with a ton of style options.

Plus, you can always throw in a dash of color to brighten things up without worrying about the color being too overwhelming.

Get Cheerful with Pops of Color

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, why not try out different colors? You can experiment with different designs. Paint the walls, the floors, and cabinets to suit your style.

3. Woman painting
Look who’s getting fancy with the brushwork. Add a bold pop of vibrant color to a drab laundry room by painting on some cool designs. The great thing about paint is that you can always paint over the design if you’re not happy with it. Take a closer look and you’ll see that the artist drew a stencil first before adding that very bright yellow to the wall. You may want to do the same to avoid unnecessary mistakes so you’ll end up with a paint job you can be proud to show off.

Using chalk paint in the laundry room is a great option if you’re short on time because you won’t have to prime anything before getting started. Get really creative and add stencil designs to your paint job. Go online and get some adorable vinyl decals to add visual interest.

Keep Things Calm With Blue

Did you know there’s evidence that says that most people feel calm when surrounded by the color blue? Wouldn’t it be lovely to walk into your laundry room to take a break from the chaos and be enveloped in a sea of serenity?

Taking care of your family’s laundry in the laundry room is a dirty business – literally, so why not make it as pleasant and peaceful as you possibly can?

Laundry Room Ideas 3: Organize Your Laundry Room

Use Jars to Spruce Up the Vibe

Put your laundry pods and powder detergent in glass containers with scoops to make a cute decor statement. If you have liquid detergent it’s better to place it in a drink dispenser like this one from Estilo.

It holds a gallon of liquid and comes with a leak-free spigot. Store them on open shelves in the laundry room to take in the visual glory.

Open shelves above machines take up less space than cabinets. They’re perfect for narrow rooms.

No open shelves? No problem. Place the jars on top of a front-loading washer in the laundry room. This is a great way to free up limited cabinet space in the laundry room.

4. Front load washer

Look at this beauty. A front-loading washer that’s ready to handle all your laundry needs. This is the type of washer that’s perfect for placing jars on top of. Imagine having to lift a heavy jar full of detergent off a top-loading washer every time you had to do a load. Not so appealing is it? You’d never have that problem with this gem.

If you get a large jar, you’ll be able to fit a couple of boxes of detergent in there at a time. Make sure you keep the jars out of the reach of your kids’ little rambling fingers.

Add Labels

To avoid getting confused with your new fancy array of powders and liquids on display, use labels so you know exactly what you’re reaching for. When you’re in a rush it could be easy to mistake bleach for your regular liquid detergent.

There goes your precious black pencil skirt. Labeled jars, baskets, and bins will make you feel so pulled together – like a mini Martha Stewart – minus the jail time.

Give chalkboard labels a go. With one swipe, you can rewrite labels as needed.

Laundry Room Idea 4: Start a Lost & Found Box in the Laundry Room

The best way to keep everything in tip-top shape is to have a spot for every item in your laundry room. Create a specific area to keep small items that could easily get lost.

5. Small chest
This small box with a clasp is perfect for putting small items in that can easily get lost. Use an adorable little box for little items that need a home so they don’t turn up missing.

Now you’ll have a place to store items that otherwise might go missing. Isn’t it odd how socks know exactly how to disappear into thin air?

It’s like Houdini came back to taunt you with one of his amazing vanishing acts. But don’t fret. Now you will have a place to stash your precious socks and other small items.

Laundry Room Idea 5: Maximize Your Laundry Room Storage

Get the most use out of a small space by using a customized cubby above your washer and dryer. It’s a great way to store your necessary cleaning supplies or to stash dirty clothes.

You can also add instant storage by using wooden craft crates. Get creative and spray paint them your favorite color.

Or you could buy craft crates with a chalkboard feature that lets you write on them. This three-pack of craft crates from My Gift comes in different sizes for your various needs.

Speaking of creative, how fun would it be to repurpose a small bookshelf by turning it into a smart built-in storage piece?

Laundry Room Idea 6: Make the Most of Your Laundry Room Space

If a stackable washer and dryer are within your budget, then buying them is a great way to maximize your room’s vertical space.

6. Stackable machines
Notice how you don’t have to have a laundry room, you can have a laundry closet. If you do have a laundry closet like the one pictured above, then getting a stackable washer and dryer is your best bet. Make the most of the limited shelf space at the top by only adding items you absolutely need and will use all the time.

Another perfect way to improve the limited space in your laundry rooms is to incorporate pretty and practical box shelves.

Simple box shelves like this one from Furrino give you a wide variety of options to play with because you can use and arrange them in a mind-blowing number of ways. They’re incredibly practical.

You can hang some above the laundry machines. Put your dryer sheets, detergent, and other laundry room necessities in them.

Also, adding rods, hooks, or pull-out drawers to shelves and cabinets is a smart way to bring much-needed additional space to the table. Using decorative baskets provides additional storage. Plus, it adds texture and warmth to the area.

Laundry Room Idea 7: Improve Your Basket Game

Keep Baskets Handy

Make sure that you have a smaller basket in your laundry room that is sturdy to easily scoop up bits of laundry here and there. As you make your rounds through the house, it will be easier to carry the laundry into the laundry room.

basket on washing machine

The basket sitting on top of the front-loading machine is just the right size for picking up stray pieces of clothing hanging on the back of a chair or resting aimlessly on a floor. The sturdy woven material allows you to rest the basket on one hip with one hand while keeping the other hand free to do more important things like checking out funny cat videos on Facebook with your phone.

“Creative Commons Laundry Room” by brightcd / CC by 2.0

Save the larger basket for your laundry room. While we’re talking about baskets, it wouldn’t hurt to go over storage. Use a custom-built laundry pedestal to prop your machines up so you’ll have another place to store bulky baskets.

Laundry Room Idea 8: Use the Back of the Door

Most people don’t think about using the back of the door of the laundry room to update a small space. Use a shoe organizer to store cleaning supplies.

Keep your ironing board within reach in the laundry room. Put coat hooks on the back of the closet door to keep your ironing board out of the way but still close at hand.

Laundry Room Idea 9: The Hanger Games

There are times when you need another place to hang your clothes. The shelf above your washer and dryer is a good place.

You’ll need to mount a towel bar to the bottom of your cabinets. Now hangers will be at your beck and call to hang up skirts and slacks fresh out of the dryer.

Only use matching wooden hangers for a polished look. No wire hangers! Joan Crawford’s character in Mommie Dearest would approve of your all wooden hanger collection in the laundry rooms and that diva wasn’t easy to please at all.

basket on machine
Notice how adding a bar in the laundry rooms gives you the perfect drying rack to hang items. Coat hangers made of wood just exude class. Get them in the same shade of wood and you’ll feel like you just walked into a high-end boutique. Have one of your kids bring you a glass of wine to complete the experience. You can buy the kind that doesn’t have the grooves in them. But, since you’ll most likely be hanging up bras or thin camisoles at some point, it’s better to get the kind with the grooves. 

Creative Commons Laundry Room remodel by christianbroscabinets / CC 2.0

Better still, make use of an old ladder that’s lying around the garage. A wood ladder could easily be hung from the ceiling to create an instant drying rack.

You can even use it to hang your ironed clothes on when you’re done blasting the wrinkles to kingdom come.

A wall-mounted design could do the trick as well. Accordion-styles and fold-up versions give you plenty of room to dry your laundered goods. Plus, they will lie flat on the wall after you’re done using them.

Laundry Room Idea 10: Time to Get Rolling

As they say in Louisiana during Mardi Gras, “laissez les bon temps rouler,” or put simply “let the good times roll.” A rolling cart is just what the doctor ordered for a small laundry space.

If you’re looking for an easy to access and convenient place to stash your soiled garments in the laundry room design, this is it. Put the cart between your washer and dryer if you have space.

If not, park your cart in front of one of your machines. Depending on how much space you have, this rolling cart from Honey-Can-Do is an excellent choice.

Laundry Room Idea 11: Create a Workspace

A usable surface on top of your washer and dryer in the laundry room creates a spot to fold clothes or a much-needed area to rest supplies if you don’t have room for overhead cabinets or shelves.

9. Washing machine station

This custom-made workstation is perfect for folding laundry. It also makes a great place to put your cleaning supplies especially if you don’t have cabinets or shelves to work with. Also, notice how polished it looks to put your detergent in glass containers with scoops. It really does add another level of sophistication to the space. Plus, the chrome on the top of the lids matches the chrome on the front of the washer and dryer. Talk about put together.

Try a sleek waterfall countertop around your appliances if they only extend across a portion of the back wall.

You can have a fun DIY project and create a countertop from plywood. Folding your clothes right out of the dryer will be much easier with the extra counter space.

Another cheap and simple DIY project is to hit up the thrift store for a table that can be cut in half. Paint it and attach it to a wall for a long work station.

Laundry Room Idea 12: Use a Pegboard

A pegboard is a great tool for organizing items in the laundry room. It’s perfect for small spaces.

This pegboard by Wall Control lets you organize anything from baskets to your ironing board. It frees up cabinet and shelf space while letting you keep your supplies neatly tucked away.

Laundry Room Idea 13: Stick to a Theme

Having a cohesive decorating theme will help your laundry rooms look well-organized. Instead of looking like a random hot mess, it will look polished and well put together.

Laundry Room Idea 14: Make Good Use of a Hamper

A gorgeous hamper pulls double duty as an organizer and a source of decor in the laundry rooms.

10. Laundry basket
This wicker style hamper will add a touch of natural appeal to your laundry rooms. It’s sealed so you can contain any unpleasant smells trying to waft from the bin before you get a chance to clean soiled clothes. Plus, you can keep dirty undergarments out of plain sight with this beauty. It’s both functional and decorative.

You could also opt for a three bag hamper in the laundry rooms. Pre-sorting your laundry will be easy-breezy.

Use a separate bin for lights, darks, and whites. Even better, try to snag a hamper with wheels like this one by Simple Housewear to make it a cinch to haul your load.

This is perfect if you have a larger family and you want to keep things separated so you don’t have to rummage through stinky clothes to decide what goes with what in the washer.

Laundry Room Idea 15: Get Wired

Matching wire baskets like this from Spectrum Diversified creates a uniform look on open shelves in the laundry room. Put the items you reach for most often in the laundry room down low and the items you barely touch up top.

Adding accents like greenery, wooden crates, and woven baskets will play up the natural vibe. You can even put a basket on the wall. Let it hang and serve as storage for loose change or laundry supplies.

It’s a great way to make sure everything is easy to access and placed in an orderly fashion. The higher you go up the laundry room wall, the more you’ll take advantage of the room’s height.

This is a great visual trick to use to open up the laundry room and keep it from looking quite so tiny.

Hope our laundry room ideas guide was helpful and gives you inspiration for your laundry room! While the laundry room may not be large, try to make the most of it.

0. Laundry Room Ideas