Do you need a laundry room?

[Jason]

Hidden laundry in the kitchen area

When we renovated our 1950s house, we removed the laundry to give us a large open plan family room and added a European-style laundry inside some cupboards next to the kitchen. 

A decade later we are more than happy with our decision, although we do sometimes wish our washing machine was quieter, and that we didn't have to fill the study with clothes horses in winter.

Do you need a dedicated laundry room?

Let us know your thoughts in the discussion below. 

Jason

[Jason]

Thanks for joining in the discussion @Andy_Mann. Let me also extend a very warm welcome to Workshop. I hope you find the site to offer plenty of ideas, information and good fun. 

Jason

[ProjectPete]

I love space. I also love being practical and make use of things. But I still love space. So a dedicated laundry is important to me and my family.

@Jason I picked up a real nice and "whisper quiet" washer with the inverter technology. I got it to avoid waking my kids while they nap, and just to quiet things down generally. They're deadset as quiet as they say. I was surprised and impressed. Worth the investment when you're in the market.

[Fran]

I know my comment is a little late, but yes yes yes. A laundry room is a must. Somewhere to sort, and spray washing (stains). A place to fold washing, do the ironing and put the clothes horse/airer up. I have a dryer but I cannot remember the last time I used it. I live in a tiny unit so of course no special laundry room. The clothes horse is put up in the garage when it is wet out  and I have a fan blowing on the clothes. I live in Toowoomba where the weather can be unpredicable. 

[Jason]

A whopping 86 percent of Workshop members could live without a dedicated laundry room in their house according to our recent survey. 

Thanks to all those who voted in the poll. Feel free to continue the discussion by replying below.

Jason

[SuzieA]

I do have a laundry  with a long  bench, appliances  below  the bench  and a corner cupboard that I designed  to hold all  the  usual  laundry  things plus  multiple  vases for  flowers, held ready  for use, in  open niches on either side of  the  cupboard.  So  yes I am in favour of a  dedicated  laundry. 

But  I would like it bigger  as a combined  sewing  room  with more storage  for  all the fabrics and  sewing in progress  with a long  cutting  table  in the middle  of the room.  In this way  I would  have  a  convenient  area  capable  of many  uses  and still  be   close  to the iron.  Sewing  and ironing  go  together,  when sewing.

And  one of the best laundries I ever saw was  north facing  with a wall of glass and a partial  toughened  glass ceiling  so that the end of the room was  able  to be a drying area in inclement  weather.  I also  think  this  sunny atrium/and  drying  area  would be a good place to use  when painting landscapes.

So rather  than get  rid   of the  laundry  I'd  advocate  for a more multi-function place  where the area would be a real  utility/laundry/hobby room and  storage  for  vases  and  maybe an area  for messy garden  boots  and  space  for  messy  hobbies.   But always with long  bench for folding  and  sorting items  washed and  and  dried earlier in the day. 

A decent  sized  laundry  helps to  keep  the  rest of the  house tidier.  no laundry  baskets in the living room.  no  sewing things

on the dining  area table. no need to have  clothes  airing near the living area.

my  friends  with  two  beloved dogs went  for a  bigger  laundry  too..  They  have  an exceptionally  large  sink  where  they  wash  the dogs  and  carpet  covered  central  bench  in the  middle  of the  room   where  they  groom the dogs.   Laundries  are  great !

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @SuzieA.

It's fantastic to have you join us and you've raised some great points about the versatility of rooms within a home. It certainly makes you think whether pre-designating a rooms specific purpose is paramount to a more functional home or perhaps it's limiting the over-all functionality more than we realise. I really like the idea of having multifunctional spaces where they are set up for a variety of activities, your laundry/sewing room is an amazing example of this. 

We look forward to hearing more about any projects you have going on around your home and garden and trust you'll find loads of inspiration for them within the community. Please feel free to let us know anytime you need assistance with a project or have something to share with the community.

Mitchell