Let’s be honest. The laundry room is usually the most ignored space in the house. It gets the leftover budget, the hand-me-down shelving, and zero creative energy. And then you wonder why doing laundry feels like a punishment.
But here’s the thing. It doesn’t have to be that way.
A well-designed laundry room isn’t just pretty. It’s functional, calming, and — believe it or not — actually enjoyable to spend time in. We’ve pulled together 10 real laundry room ideas straight from Reddit, shared by people who transformed their spaces from chaotic to genuinely great. Some are full renovations. Some are quick, low-cost upgrades. All of them prove that this room deserves a little love.
Go Full Coastal Boho and Own It
Some rooms have a vibe the moment you walk in. This one is it. Rattan pendant light overhead, wicker baskets lined up on open timber shelving, a pearlescent mosaic tile backsplash that catches the light, and a palm tree wall decal that ties the whole thing together. It sounds like a lot, but somehow it works.
The trick here is commitment. The homeowner didn’t do half a boho room. They went all in, and it pays off. Dark front-loading machines in navy or black are anchored by a butcher block countertop that brings warmth without weight. A jute runner softens the tile underfoot, and that rattan light fixture does the heavy lifting on atmosphere.
If you’ve been sitting on a theme but haven’t pulled the trigger, this is your sign. Pick a direction and build everything around it. Cohesion is what separates a styled room from a shopping cart of separate purchases. A statement pendant light is one of the fastest ways to change how a room feels. Start there.
Start with What You Have (and Work With the Bones)
This one’s for the realistic crowd. Not every laundry room starts as a blank canvas. Some of them have a stacked washer and dryer wedged next to an HVAC unit, damaged ceilings, and a general air of “we’ll deal with this later.” Sound familiar?
The photo here is refreshingly honest. No staging, no filters. Just a small, cluttered space that’s clearly a work in progress. And that’s the point — every great laundry room transformation starts somewhere that looks like this.
If this is where you’re at, the priority isn’t aesthetics yet. It’s organisation and structure. Get the clutter off the floor first. A few wall-mounted hooks, a basic shelf above the machines, and a handful of labelled bins are enough to make a space feel intentional instead of abandoned. Once the chaos is tamed, you’ll be surprised how much easier the decorating decisions become. The ceiling gets patched, the wall gets painted, and suddenly you’ve got something to work with.
Dark Walls and a Hanging Bar Change Everything
Dark green walls might seem like a counterintuitive choice for a small laundry room. But look at what happens when you pair a deep, forest-toned wall with crisp white Shaker cabinetry and matte black hardware. It feels high-end. It feels intentional. It feels like someone actually cared.
This setup nails the details. There’s a butcher block countertop bridging the two machines, upper cabinets that run all the way to the ceiling for maximum storage, and a simple hanging rod tucked into a cut-out between the upper cabinets — perfect for anything that needs to drip-dry or be ironed straight off the line.
The lesson here is that colour is not the enemy of small spaces. The right colour can actually make a cramped room feel cosy and considered rather than tight and bare. If stark white walls aren’t doing it for you, try a deep sage, an olive, or a moody green. Pair it with white cabinetry to keep it from going too dark, and add black hardware for contrast. It’s a combination that rarely fails.
Double Duty: Laundry Room Meets Bathroom
When you’re working with limited square footage, combining your laundry room with a bathroom isn’t a compromise. It’s a smart move. This basement setup proves it can be done cleanly, stylishly, and without either space suffering.
White raised-panel cabinetry runs along the wall, topped with a dark granite countertop that houses an undermount sink. A stacked washer and dryer sit beside it, neatly contained with cabinet storage above. A round mirror on the wall adds light and depth, making the room feel considerably bigger than it is.
The dark countertop against the white cabinetry gives it a classic, polished look that will hold up for years. And because everything is built into the same cabinet run, it reads as one cohesive unit rather than two separate spaces awkwardly sharing a room. If your laundry and bathroom share a wall or a corner, think about whether they could share a proper design too. A small investment in connected cabinetry and a shared countertop can completely transform how the space reads.
Sage Green Cabinets with a Stacked Setup
Storage-heavy, colour-rich, and clever with every square centimetre. This laundry room is a masterclass in making a compact space work hard without looking cramped.
The sage green cabinetry goes floor to ceiling on one wall, with a small open shelf section at mid-height offering a little breathing room for decor — a couple of vases, a candle, just enough personality to make the room feel lived-in. The stacked washer and dryer sit beside it, topped with a matching upper cabinet for even more hidden storage. A patterned rug grounds the floor without overwhelming the palette.
What this room gets right is the balance between closed and open storage. Everything functional stays behind doors. The one open shelf is treated like a vignette. The result is a room that feels organised and considered at the same time. If you’re tempted to go all-open shelving for the look of it, consider this approach instead. Closed storage does the practical work. One or two open shelves do the styling. Best of both.
The Honest Laundry Room That Needs Some Love
Beige walls. Builder-grade oak cabinets. Baskets sitting on top of the machines. A random piece of clothing hanging off the wall. This is a laundry room with good bones and a clear case of neglected potential.
Sound harsh? It’s not. This is one of the most common starting points out there, and the good news is that the machines are in great shape, the floor is solid, and the cabinet layout actually works. What’s missing is personality.
The fastest wins here would be painting the walls a colour with more character — even a warm white would be an upgrade — and swapping out the oak cabinet fronts for something modern, or painting them entirely. Adding a countertop over the machines creates an immediate folding surface and makes the room feel pulled together. Replacing the mismatched items on top of the machines with a row of matching baskets takes about an afternoon. These aren’t big, expensive moves. But they completely change how the room reads. Sometimes the upgrade isn’t what you add. It’s what you edit out.
Black Shiplap with Warm Wood Shelves
Bold. Dramatic. Completely unexpected in a laundry room. And somehow totally right.
Black vertical shiplap across the back wall creates a striking backdrop that makes every item on the shelves pop. Warm walnut-toned floating shelves carry a mix of white laundry baskets, woven storage boxes, glass jars, greenery, and a few simple decorative pieces. The butcher block countertop runs across the top of the front-loading machines and ties the lower section together.
This room was pulled off with a clear sense of style. Nothing about it feels accidental. The white and woven baskets against the black wall, the touch of gold in a small tray, the “je t’aime” sign that adds a little romance to a room about laundry — it all adds up to a space that feels personal and genuinely beautiful.
The takeaway is that a dark statement wall in a laundry room isn’t risky. It’s a decision that lets everything else shine. If you’ve been eyeing shiplap for another room, consider trying it here first. The scale is small enough to be manageable, and the impact is enormous.
Farmhouse Style with Subway Tile and Open Shelves
This one hits every note of the modern farmhouse style without tipping into cliché. White subway tile from counter to ceiling serves as a classic, clean backdrop. Dark-stained floating shelves are mounted directly against it, holding rolled towels, plant pots, glass canisters filled with detergent pods, and a large vintage-style “LAUNDRY CO.” sign that anchors the whole wall.
Sage green painted cabinetry picks up again on the left wall, carrying a butcher block countertop with an integrated utility sink. The washer and dryer are top-loaders in white, which keeps the machines from competing with everything else. A black and white striped runner on the floor pulls the contrast together.
What’s worth studying here is a clear visual hierarchy where the tile wall is the hero, the cabinetry is the support, and the decor tells the story. Every shelf is curated, but not fussy. Everything serves a purpose, but nothing looks purely functional. That balance is hard to get right, and this room absolutely nails it.
Simple Shelving with Matching Baskets
Not every laundry room needs a full renovation. Sometimes the most effective upgrade is also the most straightforward one. Two floating shelves in a warm wood tone, a set of matching rope baskets with leather handles on the top shelf, and a row of wire and galvanised metal bins on the lower — that’s the whole thing.
And it works completely.
The walls weren’t repainted or cabinetry ripped out. Shelving that makes sense was added, storage containers that match were chosen, and it was kept consistent. The machines are basic white top-loaders. Nothing flashy. But with the shelves above providing structure and the baskets providing order, the room feels calm and collected.
The lesson here is one of the most valuable in home design: matching matters more than spending. You can buy budget baskets from a discount store and have them look intentional if they’re all the same style, colour, and material. You can spend a fortune on individual pieces that still look chaotic. Pick a system — rope, wicker, wire — and stick to it for a result that looks considered without costing a fortune.
White and Wood with a Sink That Pulls It All Together
Bright, airy, and beautifully functional. This laundry room uses a simple palette — white walls, warm wood shelves, white machines — and elevates it with thoughtful details that stop it from feeling sterile.
Open shelving runs along the back wall, holding a mix of woven baskets, glass bottles, small plants, and framed photos. A continuous countertop in white with a warm wood edge wraps across the machines and includes a stainless steel utility sink with a professional-style faucet. A piece of art on the side wall brings a human element in. Plants on the shelves and countertop bring life and softness.
What this room gets right is the rule of thirds applied to laundry room shelving: one third practical storage, one third greenery and texture, one third personal touches. It keeps the shelves from looking too sterile or too crowded. The sink is the practical centrepiece that makes everything else work — once you’ve had a laundry sink, it’s hard to imagine a room without one.
The Takeaway
Your laundry room doesn’t have to be an afterthought. It doesn’t have to be a room you avoid unless you absolutely have to be in it.
Every one of these spaces started as something ordinary. A beige box, a cluttered corner, a room with good appliances and no soul. What transformed them wasn’t necessarily a big budget. It was a decision — to pick a direction, stick with it, and treat the room like it matters.
Because it does. You’re in there more than you think. Might as well make it somewhere you actually enjoy.
Pick one idea from this list. Start small if you need to. A coat of paint, a set of matching baskets, a floating shelf. See how it changes how the room feels. Then go from there.