Home Home Organization 20 Laundry Room Ideas We're Obsessed With By Katherine Owen Katherine Owen Katherine Owen is a writer and editor with a passion for home design. In her 10+ years of experience, she's covered everything from cozy Southern cottages to fresh farmhouses to sprawling mountain retreats. Find her at katherinegowen.com. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 10, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Marta Xochilt Perez; Design: Sarah Bartholomew; Styling: Page Mullins If only there were a way to make laundry an enjoyable task. Just because it's a chore, the room itself shouldn't be a bore. What if we took a space about function and added whimsy, charm, and color to it? Enter our best laundry room ideas. Some of us loathe laundry so much that we end up putting it off, which results in complaints of no clean clothes to wear. Of course, the obvious solution is to do the laundry, but it is also a tedious task that takes hours (maybe a single hour if you have a fancy quick wash/dry setting on your machines.) But the room shouldn't suffer just because it exists for a purpose everyone dreads. We think laundry rooms should be cheery, fun, and inspiring to make up for the dull tasks they require. After starting the next load, put a pin in these inspiring rooms to inspire new ideas for the laundry room. 01 of 20 Dramatic Paint Color Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Page Mullins Benjamin Moore's Slate Teal (2058-20) draws you into the small space in this Lowcountry laundry room. Custom cabinetry in the same dramatic shade adds extra room for miscellaneous storage. A window is always welcome as it lets natural light brighten this dreaded task. 02 of 20 No Laundry Room Required Photo: Laurey Glenn; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas This former coat closet now houses a front-loading washer and dryer. The painted louvered doors can close any time to conceal the dirty work. A deep-set hanging rack and white cubed shelves take advantage of the vertical space. White subway tiles along the back wall imitate the look of a separate room. 03 of 20 Add Style to Function Robbie Caponetto; Styling: Kendra Surface In our 2020 Idea House, the Buchanan Construction team added custom touches like cabinetry paneled in warm faux leather and a built-in wooden bench. This functional nook is an ideal place to keep pet food, bowls, and leashes. Having the laundry room in such a spacious room helps lighten your stress load every time you enter. 04 of 20 Let the Sunshine In Photo: Laurey W. Glenn Chores are always more pleasant when you can look out a beautiful window. In this light-filled laundry room, designer Phoebe Howard chose green tile for the walls and stone countertops for the work surface. A coordinating fabric skirt underneath the sink provides extra storage. 05 of 20 Double Duty Photo by: Tria Giovan, Styling by: Matthew Gleason We added space within the laundry room for budding gardeners in our Texas Escondido Idea House. Make the laundry room work as your very own flower shop. You can style and arrange while the washer runs with a farmhouse sink and plenty of counter space. A built-in bench provides a convenient place to set groceries and vases as you enter the home. 06 of 20 Wallpaper Wonder Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Barbara Schmidt Who said the laundry room had to be boring? To keep this space from feeling cold, designer Stephanie Jarvis hung striped wallpaper that looks like it's been hand-painted. Thin, clay bricks in a traditional basketweave pattern make the floor feel like an old southern brick floor. 07 of 20 Make Room for Fido Photo: Erica George Dines; Design: Suzanne Kasler; Styling: Lindsey Ellis Beatty In this Atlanta home, designer Suzanne Kasler created a built-in nook bed for a comfortable dog bed. A spacious sink and quality counter space leave plenty of room for folding laundry and other chores. High-gloss lilac paint adds interest to the ceiling and draws the eyes above. 08 of 20 Reinvent Cocktail Hour Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Design and Styling: Fran Keenan Designer Fran Keenan needed a multipurpose area: part laundry room, part mudroom, and part bar. The solution? She added a wall of cabinetry in the side hall off the kitchen. In that sliver of space, she hid a washer and dryer behind skirts made from Ikea fabric, set up a bar in the above cabinets, and placed a prep sink to the side. 09 of 20 Island Time Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Liz Strong When you're in a home by the sea, sheets and towels pile up. The design team chose stackable washer and dryer units for our 2019 Idea House in Crane Island, Florida. A handsome integrated farmhouse sink and slate counter hide dirt well while coordinating with the tile floor. 10 of 20 Keep Things Pretty Laurey W. Glenn If you'll spend plenty of time in the laundry room, why not decorate the space to suit your taste? In her Nashville home, Sarah Bartholomew papered the walls with Quadrille's Climbing Hydrangea, and she keeps plants in the room. Above the washer and dryer, there's plenty of room to fold clothes or practice your green thumb. 11 of 20 Have Fun with Pattern Alison Gootee; Design: Meg Kelly; Styling: Matthew Gleason Just because guests may never see the space doesn't mean your laundry room can't match your style. Designer Meg Kelly used this whimsical wallpaper (Goa by Thibaut) as her design starting point. An easy-going green-and-white check print fabric hides extra storage space under the workbench. 12 of 20 Play with Appliances Photo: Marta Xochilt Perez; Design: Sarah Bartholomew; Styling: Page Mullins We all know how Southerners feel about a classic blue and white color combination. Have fun when choosing your appliances and use them as a statement in your laundry room. In our 2021 Idea House, Designer Sarah Bartholomew picked a large sink with hidden storage space to help rinse outdoor play messes quickly before washing. 13 of 20 Enjoy Eclectic Pieces Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Kiera Coffee If you collect art and have a few pieces that don't quite fit into the rest of your home, hang them in your laundry room for a touch of style in this private space. In their Florence, Alabama, cabin, EJ and Whit Brown display pieces from family, friends, and even thrift shop finds. For a sophisticated look, have your artwork professionally framed, she says. 14 of 20 Create Space for Your Lifestyle Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Plenty of under and overhead storage makes the laundry room in this 2020 Showcase House practical and functional for a busy family. Hanging storage for shirts and dresses, plus a large sink, make this laundry room a dream for any homeowner. The easy access to cabinets and L-shaped countertops elevate the space's functionality. 15 of 20 Indulge in Whimsy Photo: Eric Piasecki; Design: Ashley Whittaker; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Designer Ashley Whittaker wasn't afraid to play around with prints and fun wallpapers in this laundry room. "You spend a lot of time in there, so why not make it pretty and fun?" says Whittaker. The tropical print wallpaper (Bamboo & Birds Beige by Bob Collins and Sons) has a glossy vinyl coating to protect it from moisture and water damage. 16 of 20 Go Big on Charm Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Lizzie Cox This laundry room plays double-time as a mud room. Decorator Whitney McGregor kept the original terracotta floors on this enclosed porch turned laundry room space and painted the ceiling blue, making the room's atmosphere bright and airy without compromising practicality. Vintage prints, an easy-going house plant, and playful window shades ensure this laundry room is high in function and design. 17 of 20 Make it Vintage Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Liz Strong This laundry room produces a nostalgic reaction to this space because of the checkerboard tile floors and mint green cabinets. The wallpaper adds to its charm but with an updated botanical pattern. Simple finishing touches like flowers and wicker baskets strengthen this laundry room's quaintness. 18 of 20 DIY Laundry Room Liudmila Chernetska / Getty Images Who needs a formal laundry room to create a pretty and practical space? Building a DIY laundry room can add quirkiness and a unique personality to your home. Without the constricting wall restraints, laundry rooms can extend over temporary cabinets. Also, you can tuck away this movable space when you don't need it. 19 of 20 Brighten with Color Photo: Lucas Allen Start your laundry chores in a brighter mood when stepping into a sun-yellow painted room. Yellow might not be an obvious choice for walls, but in a laundry room, there's space to experiment with bold, delightful colors. This space, paired with warm wood-toned cabinets, has a rustic charm that you can't help but smile when seeing. 20 of 20 Make it a Combo Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Frances Bailey Love to cook, but hate doing laundry? Why not make laundry a little easier by doing it while cooking. Despite being a little more squeezed for space and storage, combining the laundry room and kitchen helps remove some of the isolation felt if you were stuck in a laundry room folding clothes all day. Everyone is always passing through the kitchen, so why not throw in a few loads of laundry while you are there? Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit