6 Ideas to Make a Small Laundry Room Work Better

Small laundry room? Big opportunities. When you’re working with a tiny space, you’ve got a chance to get creative and reach for design ideas to maximize every inch of floor and counter to make this chore easier.

But before we get into inspiration, let’s start with our specialty: laundry appliances. Your first decision is between a front load vs top load washer. Which makes more sense for your setup?

One of the biggest benefits of a front load washer is that you can set the dryer on top. If you’re short on floor space, it makes sense to consider a stackable washer and dryer.

If you have a long, narrow space, placing a compact washer and dryer side by side might be best way to make the most of a small space. You don't have to settle for sitting them on the ground, either; you can use pedestals from the manufacturer, shelves, or cabinets for laundry room ideas with raised appliances.

Once you’ve got your washer and dryer nailed down, it’s time to think work stations and storage. We’re big fans of these solutions. Read on to find the one (or two) small laundry room design ideas that’ll help you max out even a mini space.

1. Add Open Shelving

Design by Brittany Krupnik (@blissfuldesignstudio); photo by Rennai Hoefer (@rennaihoefer)

Placing a flat surface over a side-by-side washer and dryer gives you a nice countertop for folding. Supplement it with simple brackets and shelving, and you gain a wall’s worth of useful storage. Lightweight shelves like these are one of our favorite laundry room organization ideas; they work in practically any space and are easy to install. (Just be sure to use a level! A level app is fine if you calibrate it correctly, too.)

You can use them for decorative objects, as shown in this lovely Whirlpool top load washer and dryer equipped space, or for everyday supplies.

2. Go Vertical

Design and photo by Prim Space (@primspace)

A single, tall unit of wire shelving can hold all your laundry and cleaning essentials. Professional organizer Lindsey Sanchez of Prim Space, in North Carolina, used Iris USA shelving in this laundry room with its statement-making sapphire blue Whirlpool washer and dryer.

Pro Tip: Self-adhesive handle grippers, like those made by Command, lift brooms and mops off the ground. It's not just nicer to look at; you'll keep dust bunnies and dirt from gathering around them.

3. Mount a Rack

Design and photo by Stef Turner (@stefmturner)

A few lengths of plumbing pipe put together, spray-painted black, and screwed into the wall can do the trick. Giving yourself space to hang up clothes you like to air-dry makes a huge difference in how, well, airy your space feels.

There’s even space to spare for art above this Speed Queen washer and dryer.

4. Consider Cabinets

Design by Mollie Openshaw of Design Loves Detail (@designlovesdetail); photo by Lacey Alexander (@laceyalexander_interiors)

This little space does double duty as a pantry and laundry room. Yet all you see are staple foods in nice-looking OXO Pop containers—not goopy bottles of laundry detergent or loose bleach pens. That’s because all that stuff is hiding inside the clever little cabinets over this sleek Samsung washer and dryer.

Deciding whether to stack or not to stack in a smaller space like this must have been a considered decision. But the calculation worked out beautifully: Here, the glass-front cabinets keep the whole room feeling light and bright. The unexpected arched shape of the glass and the long hardware are especially nice touches.

5. Personalize It

Photo and design by Amber of Riverbend Horse Ranch (@riverbendhorseranch)

A collection of items you love automatically makes any space—no matter how cramped—more enjoyable to spend time in. These vintage hand brooms fit the housekeeping theme perfectly. Pro tip: When you’re displaying a collection, the more pieces you show off, the bigger the impact it'll have.

The ruffled fabric sink skirt between the Samsung washer and dryer is another smart idea: It hides a convenient nook for laundry supplies. This might feel at first like a grandmotherly idea, but skirted sinks and tables really are coming back into style.

6. Build In a Ledge

Design by Interiors Etc. (@interiors__etc); photo by Karl Rogers Photography (@karlrogersphotography)

Wall space isn’t always a prerequisite for shelving. If you’re planning on building your laundry appliances into cabinets, the way this LG washer and dryer set is set, consider adding a slim pullout ledge to the design. It could be even slimmer than this one. You’ll gain a flat surface for folding that takes up zero room anytime you’re not using it. We love how easy it makes loading and unloading. (You just might want to use a shorter basket than this one!)