Ideas for Small Laundry Rooms

There are plenty of ideas for small laundry rooms to make them functional and appealing. Even if the room is a tiny galley laundry room, there are still ways to make it seem a lot bigger than it is.

Storage is one of the most important features to a laundry room. Many people use their laundry room for more than simply washing clothes. It may be used for storing shoes, coats, food, and paper goods such as paper towels. Even with a small laundry room, there are ways to get the most storage out of the tiny space.

Take advantage of the height of the room and stack cabinets on top of each other instead of side-by-side. Shelving that goes from waist level up to within arm's reach is another good idea for maximizing storage space.

If there are any walls that are empty in the room, make sure to use them for something. Hang hooks on the walls and dangle the laundry bags for dirty clothes up on the wall. This frees up floor space for other items that you may need it for, such as a trash can.

If the storage areas in the laundry room are not well organized, then they are completely wasted. By using smaller organization pieces such as baskets and boxes throughout the room, you can better utilize all of the storage space that you have available.

There are certain ways that a small laundry room can be decorated to make it appear bigger and more attractive.

• Don't paint the walls of a small room a dark color. Instead, paint them a lighter color, such as cream or tan, to make the space appear larger.
• Don't decorate the room with unnecessary objects. Even if a painting will match great with the color and style of the laundry room, avoid hanging it in there. Instead, use the storage pieces as the decorations. Hang brightly colored baskets on the wall or paint the cabinets white and put unique pulls on them.
• Remove doors from the cabinets or even from the entryway of the laundry room to allow for more space. Hang curtains in front of the doorway or on the cabinets and shelves to hide the items. This is also a great functional way to add more space and add some style.
• Be sure that the lighting in the laundry room is bright. A good idea is to have lighting that hangs slightly down from the ceiling instead of flush to it.

Here are some more helpful ideas for small laundry rooms for both obtaining the most functionality and adding some style to the room.

If possible, a small laundry room should have a washer and dryer that are small and sleek. Even though the washer and dryer are the main features to a laundry room, they should not take up the entire space. Look for a washer and dyer that can be stacked on top of each other if your room is narrow. Also, black appliances may look slimmer, which in turn can make your laundry room look bigger.

Most people store their ironing board in the laundry room, but this can take up quite a bit of space. A fold-down half-style ironing board is an excellent option in smaller laundry rooms. Fold this type of ironing board back up so it is flush with the wall and out of the way when not in use. If a fold-down board is not possible, then hang the board on hooks and only open when necessary.

It is not necessary to store dirty laundry hampers in a laundry room. Rather, place them in individual rooms or in the bathroom if there is more space. If hampers are stored in the laundry room, organize them according to colors so washing the clothes is easier and no dirty clothes end up on the floor.

Home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe's are good places to find storage and organizational needs for a small laundry room. Home improvement online stores are also a great place to shop for laundry room supplies if looking to comparison shop and find the best prices.

• Country Style Decorating Ideas
• Bathroom Design Pictures
• Interior Paint Color Combinations

• Country French Style Basics
• Common Themes for Teenage Bedrooms
• Designing for Small Spaces
• Basics of Color Design
• Asian Style Interior Design

• Colors to Paint a Room
• Dorm Room Decorating
• Small Decorator Waste Baskets
• Stenciling Ideas
• Decorative Wall Panels