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The Best Laundry Room Ideas

by on Mar 28, 2022

Beautiful and functional laundry room from Within the Grove.

I don’t know about you, but my laundry room is a black hole in which I spend as little time as possible.  It’s dark, tiny, and dank… in other words, the complete opposite of all these awesome laundry room makeovers.  If you’re in a similar boat and looking for some serious inspiration, check out these laundry room ideas.

Scandinavian inspired laundry room

Erin’s white-washed wood paneling is a Scandinavian-inspired laundry room retreat! And check out that DIY concrete countertop — nicely done!  See more on HGTV.

painted cabinets in laundry room

Some painted cabinets (learn how to paint your own right here!), shelving, and decorative flourishes make this laundry room pop!  See more on Centsational Girl.

Basement laundry room

This basement laundry room gets a warm and inviting face lift — SO much better than its prison cell-like beginnings!  One of our favorite laundry room ideas. See more on Country Home.

fresh clean laundry room ideas

More Scandinavian-y goodness!  Can you say “so fresh and so clean, clean”?  See more here.

super colorful laundry room makeover inspiration

I didn’t realize how sad and boring the “before” was until I saw the “after”!  Holy color explosion!  I would fold laundry in this space any day.  See more on BHG.

stylish laundry room transformation

This laundry room started out looking like every laundry room that was ever built in the 90s.  And now?  Now it’s got style to the max!  See more on Tatertots & Jello.

Scary basement becomes clean, colorful laundry room

Then there was a laundry “area” somewhere in this scary basement… but now it’s got its own room, complete with colorful details and some seriously awesome tile.  See more here.

Eye Candy: 11 Incredible Laundry Room Ideas

A renovated laundry room has all cream interiors.
Photo: Kriste Michelini

Right now, our laundry room is in a dark, unfinished corner of our basement but we have plans to *someday* turn it into a room that doesn’t give us the creeps. Until then, I’ll just keep collecting inspiration! If you’re in a similar boat, take a peek at these gorgeous laundry room ideas.     

wood panel kitchen with laundry
Photo: Kathryn O’Donovan

Woah! A washer and dryer in the kitchen? Controversial, or just genius?

Washer and dryer with white subway tile
Photo: BHG
elegent minimal laundry with wood paneling
Photo: Leicht Westchester

1. Kriste Michelini 2. Kathryn O’Donovan 3. Better Homes & Gardens 4. Leicht Westchester

double stacked washer and dyer in laundry room
Photo: Hardenburg Designs
neutral laundry room cabinets example
Photo: BHG
walnut cabinets with laundry
Photo: HabitusLiving
Industrial laundry hamper on casters idea
Photo: Steel Canvas Basket Corp.

5. Hardenburg Designs 6. Better Homes & Gardens 7. HabitusLiving 8. Steel Canvas Basket Corp

tiny efficient laundry room
Photo: Designing Dinging and Diapers
A small puppy looks out of a hallway window.
Photo: Hayburn
A washer and dryer are set up in a small laundry room.
Photo: HGTV

9. Designing Dining and Diapers 10. Hayburn 11. HGTV

Let us know what must-have features your dream laundry room would have in the comments below!

Before and After: An Incredible Laundry Room Makeover

Before and After: An Incredible Laundry Room Makeover
Photo: Twelve On Main

This laundry room looks like most do – functional and not so pretty. But just wait until you see the space after its makeover… it looks so nice, you’d actually look forward to doing a load of wash. Check out the incredible transformation. Hopefully it’ll spark your own ideas for a laundry room renovation!

Before and After: An Incredible Laundry Room Makeover
Photo: Twelve On Main

So much better, right?! The tiling and new work surface were the biggest changes, while the rest were mostly cosmetic. Make your way over to Twelve On Main to see more photos and to read about the whole laundry room renovation process. 

Before and After: An Incredible Laundry Room Makeover
Share this post on Pinterest! [Photo: Twelve On Main]

An Incredible DIY Laundry Room Makeover

Laundry room makeover - beforeLittle Green Notebook

I think my favorite thing about this laundry room makeover, besides the fact that it looks awesome, is that the homeowners did every single thing themselves — and on a budget!      

Little Green Notebook laundry room renovationLittle Green Notebook

From painting the tile floors to making their own concrete countertops (remember this easy way?) to embellishing the space with a million other DIY decor projects, Jenny from Little Green Notebook truly made this space pop!

A laundry room with clothes hanging and a table to sit at with a red chair.Little Green Notebook

Check out all the projects and everything that went into this incredible, budget-friendly makeover right here.

A Fresh and Clean Scandinavian-Inspired Laundry Room Makeover

Cluttered and dirty laundry room on porch

Going along with our basement and sleeping themes today (because you sleep in clothes/pajamas and washers and dryers are often in basements?  I know, it’s a stretch…), I thought I’d share this lovely laundry room* makeover from Curbly fave Charles & Hudson!   

DIY laundry room renovation

In preparation for the arrival of their new baby, Timothy Dahl, the founder and editor of Charles & Hudson (and all-around great guy), decided to tackle a laundry room makeover.  The old space was functional in the most minimal way possible.  Sure it had a washer and dryer (both incredibly old, not to mention huge energy/water hogs), but there was no space for sorting and folding.  The scary utility sink was too grimy to actually use for hand-washing and the room had also become a messy, catch-all storage closet.  Bad news for a growing family with growing laundry needs!

bright, clean Scandinavian inspired laundry makeover

The new space is not only bright, clean, and full of Scandinavian-inspired goodness, it’s also way more functional.  A new shelving system keeps supplies organized, the cleaned up sink is ready for even the most delicate of hand-wash-only items, and there’s plenty of space to sort, fold, and hang laundry!  As for those new Energy Star rated appliances?  The icing on the cake!

Check out more of this makeover, including some great DIY projects (like the chalkboard and antler coat rack) and painting tips, over on Charles & Hudson!

*This laundry room is NOT actually in a basement… I told you–it was a huge stretch!

Lovely Laundry Room Makeover

laundry room makeover - before

Bryn’s laundry room was lacking natural light, not to mention, the function she really needed. See how she gave her wash-and-wear room some “dry clean only” sophistication. 

wooden countertop for laundry room

Bryn added some task lighting beneath her upper cabinets, and installed a wooden countertop for a work surface.

chalkboard laundry room cabinets

She painted her cabinets with chalkboard paint. I think a laundry room is a great place to add this kind of texture. Bryn also glammed up the space with some DIY art and pretty containers for her laundry soap.

Laundry Room Hook Wall

Finally, she painted a stripe around the narrow room and installed hooks to hang air dry-only clothing.

See more pictures of her laundry room transformation, plus a detailed source list on her blog, Bryn Alexandra. 

BIG Tiny Laundry Room Makeover

tiny laundry room makeoverShanty 2 Chic

For being tiny (about 94 inches wide), Chrissy’s laundry room is big on style. Of course, it wasn’t always that way. Above is how it looked before she made it over. Utilitarian: yes. Inviting: not so much. After sewing curtains to hide the wire shelving, a new coat of paint on the walls, light fixture, rug, bins and other doodads, Chrissy’s laundry room is now cute enough to put on display (aka: leaving the door open for all to see.) For more information about the makeover and the individual projects that went into it, head on over to Shanty 2 Chic. And to see more of Chrissy’s magic, visit her blog Hoot Designs.

A laundry room has an orange rug and a yellow curtain.Shanty 2 Chic

Hoot Designs – Laundry Room Makeover [Shanty 2 Chic]

Dramatically Functional Laundry Room Makeover

laundry room before
Photo: Stacy Risenmay

Recently Stacy made over her friend Taralyn’s laundry room, and the results are nothing less than dramatic. The room, or rather, passageway, as it is just off the garage and functions as an entry of sorts to the rest of the home, was well-defined as “builder grade.” After its makeover, the laundry room is now an eye-catching transition worthy of a lingering look. Check it out.

laundry room after
Photo: Stacy Risenmay

Stacy’s fearless use of black paint really bumps things up a notch. If working with such a dark color gives you a case of the sweats, Stacy has a FABULOUS tip on how to get super-crisp paint lines. To find out just what the tip is plus more pictures of the room both before and after, visit Stacy’s website, Not Just a Housewife. 

Laundry Room Makeover! [Not Just a Housewife]

Unbelievable Laundry Room Makeover with Penny Tiles

Vintage Revival Laundry Room Before
Photo: Vintage Revivals

Mandi from Vintage Revivals, recently revealed her laundry room makeover and the results couldn’t be more spectacular. Unlike a typical laundry room that you hide behind closed doors, this one you’d want to show off. Maybe even host parties in there. New penny round tile on the floor and slim subway tile on the wall, plus loads and loads of new storage and counter space prove to be the winning combination. Take a look at the “after”:

Vintage Revival Laundry Room After
Photo: Vintage Revivals

For the entire story including pictures of every nook and cranny of this glorious makeover, visit Vintage Revivals. 

Vintage Revival Laundry Room After Close Up
Photo: Vintage Revivals

Laundry Room Makeover: Reveal [Vintage Revivals]

A $125 Laundry Room Makeover

A washer and drying in a laundry room with a shelf above filled with cleaning supplies.
Photo: View Along the Way

Kelly’s washer and dryer looked kinda sad in their old living quarters. Did she paint them with a bright color to cheer them up? Nope. She just changed everything around them to make them look like a million bucks–and it only cost $125! From top to bottom–including an amazing DIY pendant light to painting the vinyl flooring–nothing was overlooked by Kelly’s keen eye and talented hands. Take a look at what her laundry room looks like now:

A washer and dryer are sitting together in a room.
Photo: View Along the Way

The drying rack to the right of the washer and dryer was snagged for $25 and the cabinet in the center of the laundry room was found at a garage sale for $20. 

A white room has a washer and decorations.
Photo: View Along the Way

For more information, pictures, and links to individual tutorials regarding the makeover, head on over to View Along the Way. 

Laundry Room Reveal [View Along the Way]

8 DIY Laundry Room Hacks, Tips, & Ideas

DIY Laundry Room hacks

Getting the laundry room ship-shape for spring will be a SNAP with these very clever hacks. There’s something for everyone too. Woodworkers can go all out with Ana White’s Laundry Basket Dresser plan, pictured above.

If you’d rather keep your tools in their chest, check out this super simple idea from Craft Blog. A ‘blob’ of hot glue was used to attach clothes pins to a tiled wall to hang dry those little items that get stuck in the dryer and come out damp. (Instead of glue, I’d opt to used 3M’s hook and loop picture hanging strips, especially on drywall.)

Use clothes pins as drying hooks for socks and underwear

One of the best laundry room investments I ever made was a ironing board hanger. Although it works great, it isn’t as charming as the The House of Smiths’ laundry room idea.

ironing board hanger

How about turning an IKEA BYGEL towel rod ($1.99) into a clever place to hang all those spray bottles that seem to collect in the laundry room? I like the little ‘catch-all’ on the right too. 

Many cleaning spray bottles hang on a metal bar.

Although this next entry is a store-bought item, I thought it needed to be included in our round up as it’s TOTALLY DIYable. Some 1″ x 2″ (or so), pulleys, doweling and rope and we’re good to go. I particularly like how this rack is elevated, unlike the ubiquitous fold up/fold down kind. 

Dowel hanging drying rack

And now for the second half of our round up…suds and stuff!

We’ll start at the beginning: pre-treating.

Grate A Bar Of Soap To Make A Useful Soap Jelly

Sandy takes us step by step through her recipe for laundry soap as well as her tip for storing it. In this case a glass canister with a labels made out of chalkboard contact paper. Brill.

laundry soap

Of course, we don’t want to forget the fabric softener. Hallee hooks us up for this one. Her recipe consists of hot water, baking soda and vinegar. Her concoction even works in one of those Downy ball thingies! 

A white jar with laundry detergent sits on the shelf next to a blue Downy ball in the laundry room.

10 More DIY Laundry Room and Mudroom Organization Projects 

10 DIY laundry room organization projects

Here’s a collection of DIY projects and laundry room ideas to aid you in organizing or decorating some of cleanest and messiest rooms in our homes: the laundry and mudroom.  

Some of them are simple afternoon projects, costing as little as $10 and using thrifted or upcycled materials, and others are entire plans for building your own mudroom from scratch. There is something for every level of DIYer.

created at: 02/13/2013

1. The $100 laundry makeover via View Along The Way

rolling basket laundry dresser

2. DIY Laundry Basket Dresser via Infarrantly Creative

DIY laundry room drying rack

3. DIY Laundry Room Drying Rack via Centsational Girl

how to paint a clothes washer or dryer

4. How to paint a clothes washer/dryer via Five Days… 5 Ways

hanging ladder rack - laundry room idea

5. Ladder Laundry Rack via Little Lucy Lu

DIY garment rack

6. DIY Garment Rack for Littles via Smile & Wave

mudroom hanging clothes storage

7. One headboard, 3 looks via Shannon Quimby

coat hanger rack

8. DIY Coat Hanger Rack via Curbly

created at: 02/13/2013

9. DIY Wall Bike Hanger via Kyle The Wilson

Mudroom build plans

10. Build the cutest Mudroom via Ana White

Laundry Room Closet to Mudroom Makeover

Laundry Closet to Mudroom

In this 1950s ranch style home you walk in from the garage straight into the laundry room. Inside the laundry room is a walk in coat/storage closet. The owner before had used it as a pantry/coat closet. Besides being outdated, this closet had a few identity problems.

Problem #1: The space of the closet would make a great pantry except the kitchen is down the hall, through the living room, and on the complete other side of the house. 

Problem #2: All the doors opened into each other. If the closet door was open you couldn’t open the door to the garage and vice versa. If you changed the door to open inward, you would have to walk inside and shut the door to access one side of the closet. The solution? Take the door off and make the closet into a mudroom.      

Laundry Closet to Mudroom After

Taking the door off made the space flow uninterupted but it created the need for something functional and visually organized. The mudroom with built-in lockers was the easiest solution.

Laundry Closet to Mudroom

This was what the closet looked like on the other side. There was another coat closet located at the front door so we didn’t lose coat storage. Since the laundry room was located off the garage it was the main entry for the homeowner. The transformation to a mudroom would give the new homeowner a place for her family to drop their things on the way inside.

Laundry Room Closet to Mudroom

This was a “use what you have” transformation. The original shelves on the left side were taken down and reused on both sides. By hanging the first two shelves close together it created a nook for shoes. The space under the first shelf was made for bins and baskets to store hats and scarves. The top shelf is a place where she can store her folded laundry just in case she doesn’t have time to put it away immediately. 

Laundry Room Closet to Mudroom

This makeover was easy to do and inexpensive by reusing what the closet already had to offer. Bead board and trim pieces were added to the wall to give the look of a custom built-in locker system.

Laundry Room Closet to Mudroom

The hooks were added after the dry wall was patched and the wood got a fresh coat of white paint.

Laundry Room Closet to Mudroom

The shelves are even sturdy enough to sit on while you take off your shoes.

Laundry room Closet to Mudroom

Often homes are built in a way that make sense for one family but when the home changes hands it doesn’t translate to the new family’s needs. It is not crazy that your family uses the space much differently than the homeowner/renter before. If you have a space that seems “off”, re-work it a little to make it functional. A great place to start are closets like the one above. They are a great place to add some usable square footage in many different ways.

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