6 Custom Laundry Room Ideas to Maximize Space
Thanks to Pinterest and social media platforms like Instagram, custom laundry rooms and mudrooms have grown significantly popular over recent years. As families come to grips with the fact that the laundry will never actually be done for more than a couple of hours (sigh), having a functional and attractive space in which to do it helps us perceive the task as less of a drag.
Combining a custom laundry room and mudroom into one multifunctional space is a highly desirable remodeling project for single-family homes. While laundry rooms and mudrooms can serve different purposes, there’s a lot of overlap between them. Both spaces minimize messes and dirt, and both require tough, low-maintenance materials that can withstand the heavy traffic of an active family.
Joining forces to create one larger utility space is an efficient use of square footage and budget. When located near the garage or back door, a combination mudroom-laundry room acts as a natural, casual transition space from the outdoors to the inside of your home.
Below, we’ll discuss six ways to customize your laundry room or mudroom to get the most out of what is likely a relatively small space.
Custom Laundry Room and Mudroom Storage
Whether remodeling an existing laundry room or creating a custom laundry room/mudroom combination, storage space is the main goal after accommodating the washer and dryer.
Some of the most common items we design storage spaces for include:
- Household cleaning supplies, laundry detergents, and small appliances such as steamers, humidifiers, irons, and ironing boards
- Open cubbies or closed lockers with hooks to hang jackets, bags, ball caps, and umbrellas
- Open spaces for baskets or deep drawers to hide shoes and boots
- Benches to set heavy backpacks or to sit on when putting on shoes
- High open shelves with baskets for seasonal items such as hats, gloves, winter gear, or athletic equipment – baskets make it easy to rotate items with seasonal changes
- Pets! Dog leashes, waste bags, coats, food, and bowls are all commonly stored in the laundry room or mudroom spaces
- Gardening sheers and gloves
- Frequently used or grab-and-go items such as sunscreen, bug spray, keys, and electronics
If you have something specific in mind not listed above, we always enjoy the challenge of inventing creative storage solutions. One of the benefits of made-to-order cabinetry is that we can design customized solutions (like the photo below) to solve your unique storage problems.
Add a Utility Sink
A utility sink certainly isn’t a must-have for every family or every space, but if you have the square footage, it’s worth the upgrade to have one. The best utility sinks are deep enough to accommodate a bucket, made from heavy-duty, easy-to-clean materials such as stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or composite quartz.
Single bowl utility sinks work better than divided bowls. Something slightly smaller than a kitchen sink but larger than a bar sink will be ideal if you’re short on space. Look for a utility sink that’s about 24-27” wide. Store additional or over-stock household cleaning supplies below the laundry room sink to keep them from taking up valuable space in the kitchen or bathrooms, where cabinet storage space is at a premium.
Include Folding and Hanging Space
While not necessary, hanging space for delicates and athletic wear will make your laundry room more functional. This space could look like traditional clothes hanging rod over the sink to catch drips or a small wall hanging unit that folds away when not in use.
Folding space is another excellent bonus if it fits within the design. The only thing more efficient than folding clothes directly from the dryer is having someone else do it for you. Since laundry folding isn’t a service we provide, we recommend a minimum counter space of 3-4’, ideal for folding most items. 😉
Choose the Best Materials for Your Custom Laundry Room
The best materials for a custom laundry room or mudroom will be heavy-duty to withstand lots of traffic, dirt, water, and detergents. Low maintenance finishes like dark granite or quartz countertops, porcelain tile floors, and high-density laminate cabinet finishes are more forgiving to the wear and tear of everyday life. Save any precious finishes for your home bar rather than the laundry room or mudroom.
This busy family of five tasked us with turning underutilized storage space in the garage and converting it into a proper laundry room and mudroom. The long, narrow space features stacked water and dryer, a utility sink, household items and dog food storage, and a mudroom bench with hooks for purses and leashes.
Add Personality to Your Mudroom
Just because you’ve chosen durable materials for your laundry room and mudroom doesn’t mean the space has to be boring. Accenting small areas with graphic wallpaper or colorful cabinetry adds personality and lightness to an otherwise utilitarian space. You want your laundry room to feel like part of the home, not the garage.
If wallpaper isn’t your thing, try a patterned floor tile to anchor the space (and hide muddy paw prints), or set a traditional tile in a herringbone pattern to elevate the atmosphere. Decorative light fixtures and a family bulletin board will add even more personality when paired with framed artwork from your kids or a portrait of your beloved pet.
Combine Your Custom Laundry Room with a Similar Space
Since we design laundry rooms and mudrooms to handle messes, they’re great to pair with other secondary spaces like craft rooms, dog showers, or grooming stations. It’s not uncommon to have a casual home office space or drop zone included as part of the laundry room or mudroom. Although small, these spaces provide a convenient place for household mail, keys, electronics, and homework close to the back door, so they’re easy to grab on your way out the door. A secondary drop zone in the laundry room or mudroom means curbing clutter in the kitchen, where those types of items tend to find themselves tossed haphazardly.
While the essential elements remain the same, there are endless possibilities when it comes to designing a custom laundry room and mudroom space that works best for your unique storage and lifestyle needs. These six ideas are a great place to start but certainly aren’t the only options.
We’d love to discuss your laundry room and mudroom remodeling goals and give you some personalized ideas for how to improve these spaces. Contact us, and someone from our office will be in touch with you shortly when you’re ready.