Your Laundry Room Needs An Island—And It's Shockingly Easy to Add One
If the thought of entering your laundry room on a Saturday morning is strong enough to hit snooze on your alarm a few more times, I'm right there with you. Doing laundry, especially with roommates, is the ultimate chore and eyesore that can consume your entire day. Running back and forth to your washer and dryer, looking for the sock that got away, folding the heaping pile of clothes—it can drain you of the ability to enjoy being your home!
For those of us who don't find laundry therapeutic, the key to confidently entering your laundry room is through designing it to become a place that draws you in. Whether it's by clever organization storage or a shocking color that wakes you up, the following laundry room inspiration will kiss your days of procrastinating until your hamper is overflowing are over. This small but high-traffic space can become your secret hideaway thanks to laundry room decor ideas that'll make your home functional and peaceful no matter what size it is.
Read more: 25 Laundry Room Organizers That Will Transform Your Space
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If spending a Saturday morning in your laundry room sounds like your worst nightmare, I'm right there with you. Doing laundry is the ultimate chore. Running back and forth to the washer and dryer, looking for the sock that got away, folding the heaping pile of clothes—it can consume your entire day. It can even drain your capacity to enjoy being in your home. It doesn't have to be that way, though. Change your laundry room decor, and you can change everything.
Not everyone finds laundry to be naturally therapeutic. But many laundry rooms don't help: They can be dark, airless, cluttered spaces, no matter what size they are. To make yours less dread inducing, designers recommend setting it up to draw you in. "Just like any other space in your home, good bones create a great backdrop for styling," says Jess Weeth, founder and principal designer at Weeth Home. A floating shelves can hold practical baskets, art you love, and other warm, welcoming touches.
Whether it's clever organization, a favorite pattern, or genius cabinets, these inspiring laundry room decor ideas will bring your days of procrastinating until your hamper is overflowing to an end. In other words, the laundry room just might become your favorite place to hang out.
Blend Blue Hues
If you're lucky enough to have a laundry room with two washers and dryers, you're probably unlucky in another way. (You've got a lot of clothes to wash.) Calm the chaos by decorating with bright, sunny blues. This cheerful laundry room designed by Mark D. Sikes features multiple patterns and textiles to break up the blues—and the monotony of the job at hand.
Add Accent Lighting
This serene laundry room designed by Weeth may have a utilitarian, purpose, but its light fixtures are anything but. Elegant overhead and task lighting in mixed metal finishes illuminate it like a living room. "Ceiling fixtures are usually a given, but I also love incorporating sconces as decorative elements when styling surfaces are limited," she says. They're functional and beautiful.
Add an Island
Our hot take: Your kitchen doesn't need an island, but your laundry room does. Put the extra surface area and storage to work where you really need them. An island on wheels, like the one in this laundry room designed by Gil Shafer, lets you do exactly that. Roll it around as needed to fold, iron, and more. You'll appreciate how functional and versatile it is right away.
Brighten It Up
Big windows, high ceilings, and a hanging pendant—there's no shortage of light in this laundry room designed by Erin Sander. All the little details, like plants and natural fiber baskets, bring the outdoors in. Take note if you're renovating: Window sashes that open outward let you take part in whatever's happening outside (or keep an eye on the kids) even when you're working indoors.
Go Wild
Yes, that's a pet shower in the corner, complete with a brass railing and decorative showerhead. We love the idea for bathing pups, watering plants, or even hosing down muddy boots. But you don't have to install one to create a space that's pet (and people) friendly. The scene-stealing wallpaper in this laundry room designed by Lucy O’Brien of Tartan & Toile makes it feel cozy and welcoming to all.
Slide It Shut
Not a fan of seeing your laundry machines? Hang a barn door to hide them as designer Leanne Ford did in this modern farmhouse space. A laundry closet (rather than room) is a smart tactic for any small space. We love how Ford mounted this one's door with ivory-painted trim and hardware—it's a soft, subtle contrast to bright white walls and appliances.
Make a Scene
A mural lends an escapist feel to this laundry room designed by Dina Bandman, with airy open shelving to store essentials without interrupting the view. The monotone color palette ensures it looks whimsical and calming, not overwhelming.
Cozy Up
From the charming mismatched pendants to the soft curtains, Anna Spiro designed a laundry room worth hiding away in with your favorite book. (The stairs even lead to a quaint terrace for air-drying clothes—or, you know, binge reading.) The room has a nostalgic and lived-in feel that encourages you to take your time. If you need to spend Saturday "doing laundry," we're totally with you.
Use the Wall
Whether your kids play sports or love arts and crafts, it's a safe bet their clothes get messy. Keep your go-to cleaning supplies—like scrubbing brushes and stain solution— in plain sight by installing a Shaker peg rail and glass cabinets above your appliances. We love how the gold-painted cabinet interiors bring some glam to the task.
Spread Out
Rather than put a sink next to your appliances, give it space. Jessica Nelson designed this moody laundry room to ensure plenty of room for two people to work at once, with a wide farmhouse-style sink at one end and a washer and dryer at the other. No promises, but it just might encourage your roommate or partner to pitch in.
Add a Rack
Give your laundry room the retail treatment with punchy wallpaper and a hanging rod. It will make the shirt you haven't seen in months feel twice as special. Gail Davis also added sculptural hardware and blue trim to bring out this space's playful personality.
Bring in the Pretty
If your laundry room is your place of solitude, add a glass-front cabinet to display some of your favorite objects. Tammy Randall Wood of Interior Archaeology dedicated this room to laundry and flower arranging in her Spanish colonial home in the Santa Monica Mountains. If you're the only person in the house who does laundry, why not let your personal style reign?
Get Smart
This little nook gives smart laundry organization a whole new meaning. It's equipped with a Live Better award-winning LG Styler steam closet, which refreshes and dewrinkles them. (We featured it in our 2022 Whole Home.) Tuck it into a corner, plug it in, and kiss your iron and ironing board goodbye.
Let the Sun In
Commit to a favorite color as designer Barry Dixon did in this sunny workstation. A bold paint choice, emphasized here by coordinating window shades, will wake you up and lift your spirits no matter how much laundry you've got to do.
Mix and Match
Full walls of cabinetry can look heavy or dark in a small space. To make use of every square inch while keeping things light, Studio McGee combined open and closed Shaker cabinets with shelving. Their paint scheme promotes airiness too: White up top and on the inset panels of the lower cabinets breaks up the blues and grays.
Close the Curtains
If you're convinced there's no hope for your messy laundry room, hide it behind a curtain. In this case, a luxurious velvet one. The drapery adds a layer of texture and color to an otherwise neutral space designed by Tamsin Johnson Interiors and is a genius disguise. Who would ever guess there's a washer and dryer back there? It's a dramatic solution fit for any small or shared space.
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