homes & design

5 Smartly Designed Laundry Rooms We Love

Forget hiding the washer in a closet. These five smartly designed laundry rooms show how the right layout, storage and finishes can transform a neglected space into one of the best rooms in the house.

By Kaitlyn Funk /
Vincent Lee

Compared to bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms, laundry rooms aren’t the most exciting things to design… or are they? With plenty of counter space, laundry chutes and playful wallpaper, these five examples from the WL archives put the ol’ hide-the-washer-and-dryer-in-the-closet solution to shame.

Warning: Scrolling may inspire you to make over one of the hardest working rooms in your home.

Photo: Vincent Lee

Dirty Clean Little Secret

The best features of this laundry room are actually tucked out of sight. There’s a stacked washer and dryer behind a full-height V-groove door and an integrated laundry chute. And for those laundry days that get a little chaotic, a pocket door can help contain the mess. Find out why else this space by Jessica Bremner won a WL Design 25 award.

Photo: Janis Nicolay

Neat and Tiny

At first glance, this laundry room may seem rather simply designed—but Madeleine Sloback, principal of Madeleine Design Group, and contractor Jon Pulice with Rain City Home had to put quite a bit of work into it. An illegally plumbed bathroom was here originally, and the low ceiling added an extra challenge. By installing a skylight, they transformed a tight space into a light and bright spot for folding. Check out the rest of this family home.

Photo: Joel Klassen

Bloom Service

“You can never go wrong with Markimekko,” says Alykhan Velji, of the boldly floral wallpaper in this laundry room. It’s easily one of the most fun spaces in this Calgary home. “[The clients] weren’t afraid of colour, of mixing patterns and textures—which we’re all about too,” adds the designer. Peek inside this colourful art-filled home.

Photo: Giorgio Locatelli

Fresh Start

There’s a lot to love about this laundry room, from the sleek black cabinets to the playful chevron-patterned flooring. Our favourite thing about the space, however, is that it was moved upstairs—closer to the bedrooms where lots of dirty clothes tend to pile up. “It’s amazing what a good layout can do,” says designer Katie Maudsley. See the before and after renovation photos.

Fully Loaded

This might just be the most functional laundry room we’ve ever seen. The team at Falken Reynolds elevated the washer and dryer, and installed a pull-out shelf that makes loading and unloading more manageable. There’s also a sink cover (read: more space for sorting), a drying closet and built-in dog dishes. Learn more about this WL Design 25-winning space.

Kaitlyn Funk

Kaitlyn Funk

Kaitlyn is a design-obsessed writer, editor and content manager based in Vancouver. When she's not busy swooning over gorgeous homes, you can find her reading, hiking and befriending as many dogs as possible.