It wasn’t long ago that the laundry room consisted of an alcove for the washer and dryer - more often than not it located in the basement. Today, laundry rooms are for multitaskers, providing a pleasant environment not only for washing, drying and ironing clothes but also reading; surfing the Web; arts/crafts; gift wrapping; bathing pets, etc. - generally located near the kitchen, garage or sometimes part of a mudroom.

One reason for bigger and better laundry rooms is consumers’ frustration with the way laundry rooms are typically designed. Homeowners obliged to fold clean clothes in the living room or on the dining-room table wished they could do everything in one space, but their laundry rooms weren’t set up for it.
It’s not unusual for laundry rooms to be 12′ x 12′ or larger now days. People sometimes take a room, about the size of a bedroom and convert it over to the laundry room. The room can include a tall cabinet for the ironing board, mops and other cleaning supplies; open shelves for clean towels and linens, etc. The cabinetry used is often the same quality you’d put in the kitchen. In some laundry rooms they include dog showers, litter box enclosures and pet doors leading to the yard or garage. Even a small laundry room can be tweaked for double duty. You can put a countertop in with a bulletin board and open shelves above it for more space. Think of your new laundry room as a home management center - a place for conducting daily chores and keeping everyday clutter out of the main living areas. It relieves demands on kitchen countertop space. You could even install a laundry chute near the bedroom(s) upstairs can sends dirty clothes into a cabinet in the laundry room. There are multiple storage options you can include, such as: rollout shelves for detergent; drawers for mending kits; and cabinets to hold supplies for projects; an island or work table to provide an additional work surface; and a kitchen sink deep enough for arranging flowers and potting plants.

Front-loading washers and dryers are more popular than ever with homeowners, as much for their good looks as for ergonomic reasons. They’re available with optional pedestals that raise the machines to a more comfortable height. Some pedestals double as storage drawers for extension cords and other items. New appliances are one of the reasons laundry rooms have transformed. They’re very energy-efficient, they use less water and they’re considerably quieter than they used to be.