Laundry Room Remodel – How to Maximize a Small Space

If your home doesn’t have a huge space to wash and dry your clothes, don’t worry. The key is to make the most of what you do have. I recently remodeled our laundry room which was really small, only 8.5’x5.5’. In the end, it felt much bigger (and at the same time, it is now one of my favorite room designs in our home.)

Rethink the Layout to Maximize Space

Before you get started with your DIY laundry room makeover, think about how you’d like to use the room. To clear up valuable space for additional things like cabinets, a sink and a soap stone counter (our dream list), think about stacking the washer and dryer vertically. Not only did we stack the two, I also designed and built an extra cabinet on top for even more storage. The secret to a small laundry room— use every inch of available space, especially space that is vertical.

Add Wall-to-Wall Storage

Create the illusion of a larger space by extending your cabinets across an entire wall of your laundry room. The horizontal lines visually expand the space and provide tons of extra storage. Add an open shelf above the counter to keep the space feeling open and visually interesting. While you may be tempted to hide your detergents, dryer balls and stain removers behind a cabinet door, it’s easier to leave them out in the open. Sort them into pretty glass jars and bottles, allowing you to see what’s what. I even created a spray bottle niche, since a bottle of stain remover is one of the most frequently used items in our laundry room.

Add a Sink

A deep sink provides a space to soak dirty or stained clothes that may require extra attention. It also provides a convenient location to hand-wash delicate clothing items as well as a convenient water source for a clothes steamer. (Jenni loves her Jiffy!) I used a Kohler Purist faucet in gold which provides a nice amount of space underneath the spout without being too large. You could also use it for washing small pets, cleaning out paint brushes, filling up the iron (for those who still iron clothes!)  or even a place to care for your indoor plants. I think Jenni agrees, it’s so much better than using the kitchen sink!

Make Frosted Glass Door Insets

In a small, tight laundry room, try to get in as much light as possible. Frosted glass can obscure a “messy” laundry from the outside but takes up less visual real-estate than a solid-painted door. Read how to add a pane of glass to an existing door in my in-depth instructional article.  I also added transom windows to improve circulation and let in more natural light. Read my blog on how to install a transom window in a cased opening.

Add New Light Fixtures

You don’t have to settle for ugly florescent tube lights just because it’s a laundry room. We replaced a single tube fixture with two flush mount light figures, each with two bulbs. I bought 100w equivalent LED bulbs for the fixtures and room has the same amount of light as before but looks 100x nicer!

Add Wall Hooks

Wall hooks come in handy for temporarily hanging laundry on hangars as it comes out of the dryer. They’re also handy when it comes time to use your garment steamer. Consider matching the hooks to your cabinet hardware for a cohesive look.

Create a Custom Drying Rack

Instead of taking up floor space with a free-standing drying rack, I designed a custom rack to fit inside the cabinet molding of the door. It is pulled down to hang damp garments. Yes, even a drying rack can be pretty! When it’s not in use, you can flip it back up, so it doesn’t get in your way.

You can also tuck a pretty laundry basket under a cabinet so it can be grabbed quickly when it’s needed. Cut a panel of plexiglass to fit and place underneath the basket so you don’t scratch the cabinet paint when pulling the basket in and out.

Keep an Ironing Board and Steamer in Your Cabinet

If you want a full size ironing board and steamer in your laundry room but really don’t have the space, consider making one of your cabinets a 6’ tall cabinet where you can store both of those items out of sight!

Design and Convert Your Cabinets into Sorting Bins

With shelves and hooks keeping your clutter at bay, you might consider converting some of your cabinets into sorting bins. In our laundry room, I added two pull out sliding drawers to fit plastic hampers that can hold light and dark dirty laundry.

Don’t be Afraid to Use Color

You probably won’t be in this space a lot, so why not pick a color scheme that makes you happy and excited to be in the space? One way to make a small laundry space look bigger is to choose colors that are from the same color family, creating a cohesive look. I painted the cabinets with SW Emerald Urethane paint in Valspar’s Murky Sage color which compliments the color of the walls – Sherwin Williams Sedate Gray (which has green undertones).

Incorporate Art

Add finally, add some personality to your space with wall art. This framed piece has personal significance to us (we have a peacock that lives in the neighborhood) and lightens the mood.

Leverage these tips and get the laundry room of your dreams. Check out my Instagram story highlights to see the whole process of creating this room.  Happy washing! And drying!