When you’re renovating your home think about the layout of your laundry in the planning stage to ensure it functions as well as possible.

If you’re lucky enough to have a whole room dedicated to a laundry here are some things to consider when you are designing the space.

Plan your storage

Think carefully about all the items that will need to be stored in the space and make a note of them. Sometimes in an older house like a villa or bungalow, there aren’t a lot of other storage cupboards in the house so the laundry becomes the all-round utility and storage space.

Here is a list of the most common items to store in the laundry other than your laundry appliances of course!

Broom & mop
Vacuum cleaner

Stick vacuum (like a Dyson) with charging plug
Hand held vacuum with charging plug
Pull-out ironing board in a drawer, or
Folding ironing board
General household linen such as towels and bedding
Pet food and other pet items like leads, grooming items and even pet crates or beds
Cleaning products and a bucket

When planning your storage plan for at least one tall cupboard for the taller items such as the broom, ironing board and mop. You can put divisions into a cupboard so that everything has a place to go and even a holder to hold it in place.

Fold out ironing board

If you’re tight on space you could use a space saving in-drawer folding ironing board that folds away easily when not in use. It’s super convenient if you just need to iron a shirt quickly in the morning before work without having to haul out an ironing board and set it up. Just remember to install a powerpoint nearby to plug in the iron.

Pull-out laundry hampers

Hide and sort your laundry with these pull-out hampers that have baskets you can easily remove and carry around. They are colour coded to help you to keep the whites and colours separate. A great addition to a laundry and one of my favourite items that I always try to include.

A rail for drip drying

A hanging rail above the bench is a great idea for drying shirts and other delicate laundry that you don’t want to put in the dryer. I like to make sure I have at least one metre between the rail and the bench so that it can easily fit a business shirt without it touching the bench.

Drip rail for hanging delicate clothes and shirts. Image from Pinterest

What type of sink do you need?

If you have a large family or you regularly need to soak lots of sports clothes, then you will need a decent sized tub. Otherwise, I find most people are happy with a smaller sink as long as it easily fits a bucket.

Also, there are lots of different options for the tub - it doesn’t have to be stainless, so have some fun.

Sink images from Pinterest

Cubby holes for sorting

If space allows, this is a very useful area for sorting washing. Each family member can have their own cubby and their clean washing gets put in their basket so they can take it back to their room and put the clothes away. A great way to get the kids involved in managing their own clothes!

Linen storage

If you’re storing your linen in the laundry ideally have slatted wooden shelving installed in the cupboard so that your linen can breathe. To create a “hot water cupboard” effect without the water cylinder, you can install a little cupboard heater in the lower part of the cupboard and it will keep everything warm and dry just like an old fashioned hot water cupboard. Check them out here: Dampchaser

Have fun with the details

The laundry is a space you can have a bit of fun with. I love to use a bright tile or a fun wallpaper to brighten up the space. Who says doing laundry needs to be boring!

Below are some photos of recent projects I have completed with a bit of a fun element.

For more info on renovation and design visit my website.

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Laundry Design - Some practical ideas