Laundry rooms have large appliances, countertops, cabinets, and sometimes a sink. So they borrow much of their inspiration from kitchen layout planning, employing favorites such as the L-shaped, U-shaped, galley, and open plan floor plans. Not only does the laundry room footprint need to work within its given space, but it also needs to maximize the user’s efforts while reducing the overall workload. Typically called a galley or quarter-style laundry room, this layout fits in long, narrow areas found off the side of kitchens or in mudrooms. Because the space is slim, often as narrow as 5 feet wide, there is room only on one side. That side may have the washer and dryer, utility sink, countertops, and large cabinets. The other side of the laundry room might be a wall only. At most, the other wall may have hooks or narrow shelving. Keep these to a minimum, though, since they will interfere with the operations of the washer and dryer. On this short leg is usually space only for one service, not multiple services. At best, you may be able to fit a utility sink. But in narrow laundry rooms, the short leg is mainly used for storage and for folding small items. Much of this layout is dependent on the location of the water supply and drainage, as well as the electrical receptacle or gas for the dryer. If these are located on the short leg of the layout, it makes smart design sense to place the washer and dryer here as this gives you a maximum amount of room to open and close the washer and dryer doors. Much of the heavy lifting of the U-shaped laundry room’s functions is already carried by the other two legs of this layout. This second long leg represents a type of bonus area for additional storage, organizers, shelves, hooks, and clothes racks. A U-shaped laundry room layout should be at least 90 inches wide, to accommodate countertops on both long walls and a 42-inch wide aisle. To begin with, you will need a large space. Appliances and storage are located at any point around the perimeter of the room, dependent on the location of doors, windows, water, drainage, and electrical services. As with open plan kitchens that have an island in the center, open plan laundry rooms are usually large enough that they can have a folding table located in the center of the room. Open plan laundry room layouts are usually flexible, too. The space might be large enough to allow for empty areas that can be filled in at a later time. Some of these open areas might even be recruited for purposes that aren’t related to laundry: Large storage cabinets for sports and camping gear can be located here. The water heater can be tucked away in a corner. Or a small utility shower can be installed here. Because laundry rooms and kitchens share so many of the same characteristics and needs, they are a natural fit. So, laundry rooms are often found hidden away here. Bathrooms have water supply and drainage, so they are sometimes used, as well. One issue with using a bathroom as a laundry room is that they usually lack the 240V increased-power electrical receptacle needed for dryers. A side-by-side washer and dryer are placed under the kitchen countertop, sometimes with a sliding door or curtain to mask them when not in use. In other layouts, a stacking washer and dryer are placed in the kitchen pantry and closed off behind a door. Storage for laundry items is extremely limited and sometimes is shared with kitchen items. If you have any type of extra space for a laundry room, creating a hidden laundry room within your kitchen should not be your first choice.
