Laundry Room Refresh: 5 Ways To Make Your Space Look (And Work) Better
Design: Urban Grace
You probably don’t enjoy doing laundry (does anyone really?) But even if it’s not your favorite task, your laundry room can still be a stylish and functional space – that you won’t mind spending time in. And today we’re sharing our tips for affordable ways to freshen it up.
Above all else, a laundry room needs to function for you and your needs. So whether you’re doing laundry in a compact space for one or a full room for family of 5, it’s important to have a space that works efficiently (and of course looks good too!) But how can you improve the efficiency of your laundry room without a full remodel or spending a load of money? Well, we’re about to tell you how.
Keep scrolling to see our 5 tips for giving your laundry room a fresh (and affordable) new feel – and shop all the products you’ll need.
Looking for more tips to improve your space? Check out Peel & Stick Tile: 36 Affordable Ways To Change Up Your Space and Affordable Faucets For An Easy Kitchen And Bath Update
Photo: TidBits
Showcase Your Supplies
While most laundry products don’t come in the most attractive packaging, you can make them look a lot more pleasing by placing them in simple and stylish containers. Start with the essentials – detergent, bleach, dryer sheets, stain removers – and use containers with easily removable lids with scoops or spouts for ease of use. Not only will these items be readily accessible on your counter or shelf, but they’ll also be a good-looking addition to your space.
BOBBY’S TIP
Not sure what’s in that jar? Label containers with their contents to ensure you’re using the right product every time.
Design: Studio McGee
Invest In organization
An organized laundry room is a functional laundry room. Having everything in its proper place will help you stay on task- no matter how many loads of laundry you’re tossing in. Utilizing multi-purpose baskets, storage bins, and shelving, you can keep all your laundry needs, cleaning supplies, towels, or household products efficiently stashed away.
BOBBY’S TIP
If you don’t have counter space, use a tray or storage box with a lid to corral all your laundry products in one spot. You can then store them in a drawer and easily pull everything out when needed.
MAKE THE MOST OF The Space You Have
If you’ve got a hallway, closet, or just a corner of your kitchen to function as a laundry room, you’ll want to take advantage by making the most of the space. For a stacked unit in a closet, maximize the area to the side by attaching magnetic shelves to hold detergent and cleaning supplies or add a narrow shelving unit. And when you can’t hide your laundry in a hallway – embrace it! Keep your supplies stored away and add a few decorative pieces to integrate the space into the rest of your home.
BOBBY’S TIP
If you live in a rental with a tiny laundry area (and no space to store anything) try a slim rolling cart for supplies that can slide neatly next to the unit.
Photo: Hunted Interior
Photo: The Faux Martha
Design: Studio McGee
Leave Some Room FOR FOLDING & HangING
Let’s not forget the ever-so-important (and sometimes dreaded) task for folding and hanging. You can make things just a little easier on yourself by creating a designated countertop and hanging space right in the laundry room. For front loading models, use the space above the washer and dryer as a folding area (you can also create a wood counter above), and a wall-mounted hang bar will make air-drying a breeze.
BOBBY’S TIP
You can create an easy hanging rack by placing a tension curtain rod in the space between a cabinet and a wall.
Shop Our Favorite Hangers & Hanging Racks
BRIGHTEN Things Up
While having a bright and cheery laundry space won’t make the task any easier, it can make you feel better! A coat of bright paint on the walls or cabinetry is an easy mood booster- and a way to make your space feel fresh. Go with shades of white, grey, or light blues for the optimal effect of cleanliness. You also add an easy peel and stick tile backsplash for additional color and texture.
BOBBY’S TIP
Don’t want to commit to painting? Try bringing in cheery art, a few plants, or a fun temporary wallpaper to add brightness instead.
I love your ideas, thank you!
Thank you for reading! Hope you found them helpful. xx -B
Love all your designs Bobby ? so inspiring ! Simple but stylish ?❤️
Thanks love! Stay inspired. xx -B
Oh my word, there’s some laundry porn there! The green laundry is gorgeous and those blue cabinets?? I’ve died and gone to heaven!! I loved the article, the tips but especially the pics! ?
Thanks for reading! Hope you found some great ideas for your own laundry room. xx -B
Bobbbyyyyy I want one of those wood counters, but I don’t have the tools for making it, nor the skills, I guess. I tried to buy one but they were super expensive or came in an specific size that didn’t fit my space. Do you have any ideas where can I buy one of those, you can customize the size and it’s not super expensive?. Thank you. I love you to pieces.
Yes! You can have a sheet of 3/4″ wood cut to your custom dimensions at your local hardware store and then finish it with a wood stain . Thanks so much for reading! xx -B
You just gave me my Sunday activity! Thank you for all of your tips and tricks. I love reading and seeing your ideas. (And I love you, of course!)
Good luck with your laundry room! Thanks so much for reading. xx -B
Thank you so much for these blog posts. It’s truly inspiring and educating ! <3
Could you guys give some tips, on how to choose colour palette for a room? And also, on how to make feel all rooms connected or to make look like one apartment.
Thank you so much <3
The easiest way to tie a home together is to continue one color on the walls throughout the entire space. I’m a big fan of going all white and adding color through furnishings and accessories. You can then work in the same colors in every room to make the space feel cohesive. Happy to be of help! xx -B
SO not only are you a lovely human being gbut your tips and tricks are amazing. Question I have a very small laundry room that leads to the back yard. I want to piant the cabinets above the machines, the door to the outside and the door to the kitchen all an acccent color (robins egg blue) with bright white trim. I bought shiplap stick on wallpaper and the white subway with grey cauilk stick on tiles. Does it sound like too much for a little room?
I was just going to put the tiles behind the machines.
Let me know what you think genius!
My only concern would be that shiplap and subway tile may compete with each other, since they are both very linear and horizontal. Perhaps you could swap out the shiplap for a lighter colored temporary wallpaper that is less linear and more of an all-over pattern, like this option. Hope that helps! xx -B
Hi Bobby! What a wonderful article on a space that most people dread being in (like who really WANTS to do laundry??). Ha!
I especially LOVE that blue laundry from Studio McGee – how dreamy!
I wanted to share another way to make your laundry room work better and that’s the issue of cat litter boxes and how to hide them.
When my Hubs and I were building our modern farmhouse, we had 2 elderly rescue cats (and 3 rescue dogs who loved “dumpster diving” – ew.) and I designed a beautiful solution to allow the cats access to their boxes but to keep the boxes out of sight (and smell …).
Basically, it’s a product that looks like a giant mousehole that you install in drywall or a door, thus converting a closet into a litter box closet. Best part? The cat hole product costs around $40! The company will also give you a customized label for it (I named ours “The Loo 2.0”) for free. I used this product in our last home’s laundry room as well and it works like a charm.
Then I had a door custom-made with reclaimed pine wood and screening to allow for air flow and natural light. And I had an outlet installed inside the closet for a nightlight so the old cats could see at night. Sadly, our cats both passed away on the same day in June 2019 but the cat hole still puts a smile on my face every day and reminds me of those goofy cats.
You may check out my laundry room here if you like: https://mysanctuarystyle.com/2019/06/before-after-our-farmhouses-laundry-room-makeover/
Thank you for providing such inspiring content and I hope you have a beautiful day, Bobby!
Hi Bobby,
I really want to put a countertop above my washer & dryer, but the hookups are above. I am concerned that if we move the hookups down, the shutoffs will not be accessible if there was a hose break. How do you deal with this issue?
I think your best solution is to install an automatic water shutoff valve. When the washer is turned on, this valve will open automatically and then close when it’s not running. Hope this answers that for you, and thanks for your comment! xx -B