Laundry Room Makeover: My 7 Wildest Laundry Fantasies Come to Life!

Today we’re sharing our laundry room makeover, including our 7 no-fuss laundry room organization must haves! Perfect for a small laundry room (or even just a laundry room wall), the must-haves we implemented have been tried and tested in real life use—and come out with flying colors!

*This post contains affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you and help us keep this site alive.

We wanted a no-fuss laundry room makeover. No unnecessary decorations. No laundry room features that Pinterest tried to convince us we needed (but we really didn’t!). It’s streamlined, organized, and—while small—provides waaaaay more laundry room storage than we even need!

Today we’ll be answering questions like,

  • “How do you make a small laundry room?”
  • “Should I raise or stack my washer and dryer?”
  • “How can I update my old laundry room if I don’t have much space?”
  • “Where can I find a good laundry room makeover before & after?”
  • “If I’m on a budget, how do you makeover a laundry room for not much cost?”
  • “How should I organize my laundry room storage and baskets?”
  • “How can I make my laundry room more efficient?”

If you’re new to our site, I’ll catch you up: our laundry room wasn’t originally here. (We made the decision to move it and create a mudroom entryway.)

If you’re not new and you’ve taken our downstairs tour, do you remember how this space used to look when the prior owners lived here?

LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER BEFORE & AFTER

Laundry room makeover BEFORE:

laundry room wall before makeover

Yep, it looked like that. Yellow walls and all. It’s quite a bit different now.

Laundry room makeover AFTER:

laundry room makeover before and after

baskets | pulls | hangers | linen pants | plant | vase | towels | hooks | rug | washer | dryer | laundry cabinet

*UPDATE: We have a link for you to get our exact laundry cabinet plans HERE!

Guys, this laundry room is seriously legit! Hands down the best one I’ve ever used.  We designed every inch of this baby carefully. (Even the decision to go white was strategically made.)

Want a quick tour, along with our laundry room makeover “Must-haves Checklist”? Here’s what we’ve got:

LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER

#1: Raised washer & dryer.

First, I knew I wanted my washer and dryer raised.  That was a laundry room essential to me. I’m on the tall side, and I don’t like bending over every time I have to do another load of laundry. 

PS: What’s your #1 NEED in your laundry room? (97% of people get it wrong!) I’m a professional design strategist and created THIS to help you figure it out ASAP!🤗 You won’t find this anywhere else!

small laundry room makeover ideas with woven baskets above washer and dryer

baskets | plant | vase | washer | dryer | laundry cabinet

Yes yes, I didn’t want to bend over awkwardly. I realize I might sound like a crotchety old lady…AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL LIKE THESE DAYS.  My back seriously starts to ache just thinking about all the bending over required to do the laundry that four people create. 

So it was imperative we figure out a way to raise them.

  1. I stood up and pretended to reach into an imaginary front-loading washer and dryer. Then, Matt measured the height that was comfortable for me.
  2. We planned based around those measurements how high the washer and dryer should be in the laundry room.
  3. I did a jig in anticipation of future glory.

LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER IDEAS

#2: Pull-out shelves.

Now, this right here was truly my #1 wildest laundry fantasy come to life.

(At the time. It’s looking like I surpassed it later.)

Why? See this post to read the details + benefits of these shelves!

small laundry room idea pull out shelf under dryer

Get our exact laundry cabinet plans with how to build these DIY shelves yourself HERE!


DIY LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER

#3: Laundry basket storage.

Speaking of a laundry basket, the third area we focused on for our laundry room makeover was the space above the washer and dryer.  We could put ANYTHING there, so what would we do? 

must-have natural laundry basket storage above washing machine

baskets | plant | vase | towels | purifying bags | washer | dryer | laundry cabinet

(I also just noticed you can see one of our moso bags on top of the white towels. Ha. But really, we use these. Clean air is where it’s at.)

Traditionally, I know that above the washer/dryer is supposed to be “the” place to keep your detergents and all that in your laundry room—but I wanted our laundry baskets to live there. 

Reason: I wanted to be able to easily grab them anytime they’re needed.  (I also share 4 reasons to AVOID placing the standard “stuff” on your laundry shelves in this post.)

You NEED to make sure every decision you make in your home is the right one before you do it. (That’s one reason we created THIS you can print and use today!

laundry room makeover before and after with baskets above washer and dryer

baskets | washer | dryer | laundry cabinet

This has worked SO well in our laundry room!  I love it!  It makes laundry time (which goes up significantly with children) go a lot smoother when you have everything you need right there in a handy spot. 

SMALL LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER

#4: Organized storage drawers.

Next on our list of laundry room makeover essentials, let’s head south of the washer and dryer to the fourth area I wanted: big, deep, laundry organizing drawers below. 

But what do we use them for? Most people guess wrong!

We give you full details on these drawers and how we use them in this post! And we also created plans for you to make drawers for any space in your home!

LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER

#5: Hooks.

We chose simple chrome hooks for hanging clothes as needed.

As we say in our house, “Easy peezy lemon squeezy.”

Not sure why, but saying that makes me laugh every time. Possibly because it’s from a bad movie and that was the only funny part I laughed out loud at (it was all about the delivery, not the line itself), so it stuck with me.

laundry room hook

hooks | laundry cabinet

LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER

#6: Full-extension shelves.

Get the full details in this post!

small laundry room makeover idea with full-extension drawers with folded towels on them

purifying bag | pulls | towels | baskets | washer | laundry cabinet

Get our exact laundry cabinet plans HERE!

Really, I didn’t think laundry with kids would ever be a joy, but honestly, I do shockingly enjoy doing laundry with everything being set up so well in this laundry room.  It goes fast and smooth, and I have this process to thank for it! 


LAUNDRY ROOM MUST HAVES

#7: Drawers, drawers, & more drawers.

The fifth area are the drawers below these shelves on the left. 

These hold miscellaneous items and tools in them like these washer bags and our cleaning cloths. (I like having different colors for different uses, but the girls always want the pink ones when they help me clean, so those are theirs!)  I also have a drawer full of old dish rags that got “demoted” down from kitchen use into general cleaning use. 

You may come to see in time how much I love drawers. I think I called them in our video, “the answer to man’s problems.” I said that jokingly but you know what? It was probably a Freudian slip and deep down I really believe it’s true.

I even wrote a post about the 5 genius reasons you should have drawers instead of cabinets!

large storage drawers in laundry room makeover

rug | pulls | laundry cabinet

You can get our exact laundry cabinet plans HERE!

And just to prove my dedication, I’m going to show you ANOTHER photo I took of a drawer. It’s eye candy!

laundry room makeover with DIY drawers and shelf below

shelf slides | rug | pulls | laundry cabinet

Yes, you can call me “The Drawer Lady.” (Because I’ll probably answer to that in a crowded room.)


LAUNDRY ROOM makeover: VIDEO TOUR

Well, thar she blows!  There’s our laundry room!

NO!  WAIT!  That is NOT all! 

I almost forgot the secret compartment!

cleaning cabinet door closed

hooks | linen pants | pulls | laundry cabinet

(Okay, so it’s not exactly a secret compartment, but it’s gonna look like it at first because you don’t see it from that front angle with the washer and dryer.) 


BONUS LAUNDRY ROOM makeover spot:

The “secret” cleaning compartment.

Around the corner from the washer and dryer, we fit an extra-special cleaning cupboard area.  It was better to do it from this side because we’d be using the full width available instead of having a super narrow, deep opening from the laundry side.

And by now you may have learned that

narrow + Jess = code red.

(If you don’t know it, check out our shower!)

cleaning cabinet door open

laundry cabinet | baskets | pulls | hangers | hooks | linen pants | vacuum | cordless vacuum | dryer

Tape measure at the ready!  I measured the EXACT depth of the best vacuum cleaner ever to make SURE this compartment would fit it. We wanted it to fit, as Jim Carrey would say, “Like a glove.” 

(And someday our kids will ask us, “Who is Jim Carrey?”)

But seriously, our upright vacuum is so awesome it is SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for the exact depth of this cabinet. Doesn’t he look proud of himself?

vacuums inside cleaning cabinet

upright vacuum | cordless vacuum | laundry cabinet

If you think I’m insane, a genius, or maybe an insane genius for thinking ahead through the measurements of my vacuum (which I assure you doesn’t end there🤣), you can get my brain on YOUR home spaces today through the guides I personally created for you like this one and this one!) And don’t forget to grab our FREE interior design guide!

WHAT WE KEEP IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM CLEANING CABINET:

We also fit in our cordless vacuum cleaner for those times when we just needed to clean up a quick spill and didn’t want to grab the heftier one.

natural cleaning products on shelf, with vacuum below

laundry cabinet | hand soap | foaming dispenser | natural brush | cordless vacuum | similar spray bottles

I also keep miscellaneous supplies up here for cleaning on these shelves, which are adjustable.

I’ll explain about one thing: the little blue spray bottles are the ones I give to my daughters when they want to “help” me clean. (Here are similar ones.) They’re filled with water for the girls.

natural cleaning products on two shelves

laundry cabinet | lime oil | tea tree oil | peppermint oil | hand soap | foaming dispenser | natural brush | similar spray bottles | baking soda

We buy our baking soda in bulk (it’s awesome!), then I just put it into a smaller glass container.

(I started writing about WHY we use the cleaning things we use and what you can see on our shelf, then realized that should be its own post.)

One of the most popular questions we get is about how we’d access the water shutoff if something ever went wrong. First, even if we happened to have an extreme emergency (which we’ve never had in the seven years we’ve had this setup!), we have a quick water shut off for the house that we can easily access should every second count. Second, it’s pretty easy for us to pull out the dryer if we ever needed to access what’s behind it.

If either of those options wouldn’t work for you and your situation, you could always build in a little access through the side (like we could have done through our cleaning area shown above, or constructed an extra pull-out for the dryer in case of emergency. That being said, we did the work well and we’ve had zero problems (not even a whiff of an issue) in 7+ years.

For maintenance, we have access because the drawers below pull out. If you have an empty wall behind it (like some recent clients of ours), you could build a door access from the wall/room behind it if you’re concerned about that and don’t want to access it from below or the side.

woman using laundry room makeover, pulling towels out of dryer into basket

baskets | pulls | plant | vase | towels | purifying bags | rug | hangers | hooks | linen pants | dryer balls | washer | dryer | laundry cabinet

We wouldn’t change A THING about this space! It turned out pretty darn perfect after all our design planning stages, and we actually have even more space in here than we need!

And that, my friend, is a problem I don’t mind having.


Next…

  1. 5 brilliant kitchen organization ideas that make life easier!
  2. Matt spent weeks putting together our exact Laundry Cabinet Plans for you guys! An ambitious beginner can DIY them, or you can hire someone to build them for you in a weekend if you don’t want to be bothered.😆 Get them here!
  3. Why you should AVOID standard counter height!
  4. Ready to tackle your kitchen renovation? If so, you need THIS!
  5. If you want to streamline your home like we’ve done, we created THIS EASY TOOL to help you do it!

PS: Our complete list of every single home project is viewable HERE!

PPS: If you’d like our help on your own home be sure to check out our Design Guides & Plans or book a Design Consultation with us!

This Post Has 45 Comments

  1. Stephen B.

    Hi Jess, love the design! Question, I see your suggestions on the water shut off but what did you do regarding the washing machine drain pan? I assume there was one before the upgrade. Thanks!

  2. Seyrel

    I love this design. We have gutted the area and are just about to design the system, Then I realized that since I am 5’5″, the dimensions mean that I cannot see inside the detergent/fabric softener drawer! I am not sure how to rectify this. ANy suggestions are welcome.

  3. Bobbie Dudley

    just ordered the plans for the washer and dryer cabinet..my computer screen went away and I didn’t get the plans downloaded.. could you resend thatnks

    1. Jess

      Hi Bobbie, you have a direct link to your plans in your order confirmation email!😄 It would have been sent to the email address you used for your order.

      Happy building!
      Jess & Matt

  4. C McKenzie

    Question-what were the total dimensions of the entire room? Depth, width, height with everything inside. Hoping this will fit in space I’m eyeing. Thanks in advance!

    1. Jess

      Hello C, we have floor plans of the entire room in this post.

      We also have the dimensions of the laundry cabinet and wall in the description HERE!

      – Jess

  5. kim

    Can you tell me the dimensions of what you did? I love the whole concept but not sure i have the room

    thanks Kim

    1. Jess

      Hi Kim, we have all the dimensions listed on the Plans HERE! 🙂

      Enjoy!
      – Jess

    2. Matt

      Hi Kim,
      Checkout the full dimensions here, but of course the cabinets are fully customizable to be just a freestanding main cabinet or include one or both side cabinets.
      Matt

  6. Sam

    The basket link is no longer working ? We purchased your plans and are working on it now but wanted to order the baskets now!

    1. Matt

      Hi Sam! Yes, it looks like that item is no longer in stock, but here is a comparable alternate. 🙂
      – Matt

      1. Sam

        That one says no longer available either 😆

        1. Matt

          Wow, let’s take one more swing at it. Here is another that fits well and would work with a few different color options.

  7. Jeff

    I realize you built this years ago, but approximately what was the cost in materials for your DIY raised laundry pedestal/cabinets? And approximately how many hours did it take you to DIY build them?

    1. Jess

      Hi Jeff! It probably takes about a week to build and cost us around $950 at the time.

      – Matt & Jess

  8. Elizabeth

    LOVE it! So many things I love here. We’re looking for inspiration for our laundry room design and I love what you have done… so much that I’m thinking about sending a screenshot to our builder 🙂 We have a question that has been perplexing us. How do the maintenance people access the raised washer/dryer? There is barely any room around them (which is acceptable based on the installation manuals) but our old dryer had to have some belts changed and they had to pull the whole thing out, remove the cover and then put it all back together and push it back in. That’s much easier when it is on the floor and you can slip a neat sheet under it and slide it out. The kind man who came to do our repair did not appear to be a good candidate for pulling the dryer down off the raised platform on his own. Although it won’t be a frequent need, we’re trying to think of logistics as part of our design as well. Thank you!

    1. Elizabeth

      Ignore my post! I am so sorry… I see you addressed this in the post, I just must have missed it. I can’t find an option to delete my post.

      I was probably too distracted by all the fantastic pictures and dreaming of my new laundry room to pay close enough attention to the maintenance portion. Oops. Thanks!

      1. Jess

        😂 No worries, Elizabeth! We’re so glad you found what you needed! Excited for you and your project!

        – Jess & Matt

  9. Britni

    Beautiful laundry room and seems so functional, but I’m really curious how you clean your dryer vent with it raised like that. Unless I’m reading this wrong, your appliances are on an interior wall and so your dryer must vent up through your attic like most newer homes. It seems like it would be a nightmare with raised appliances, and it’s a huge fire hazard to neglect doing it. If they vent straight out to an exterior wall like older houses, then that would be a dream setup.

    1. Jess

      Hi Britni! Our home is indeed older and vents to an exterior wall. 🙂 And yes, the room is super functional!

      – Jess & Matt

  10. Dee

    Your laundry room looks perfect. I would really like the plans of your raised washing machine and tumble dryer pedestal drawers and shelving unit.

    1. Jess

      Thanks Dee! It is AMAZING how relatively small a space can do so much! And yes, I actually have put in a request with Matt to draw up some plans because so many people ask us for them! 🙂 Stay tuned!

      Jess

      1. Marie

        THANK YOU!!! Finally found my dream setting for our mini laundry room! Can’t wait to see the plans 🙂 well done!

        1. Jess

          🙂 YOU’RE WELCOME! Thanks Marie!

          – Jess & Matt

        2. Jess

          OK, Marie…THE PLANS ARE LIVE! 🙂 🙂 🙂

          They’re in our Plans & Design Guides section HERE!

          Let us know how it goes!
          – Jess & Matt

    2. Jess

      Hi Dee! The plans are now live HERE!

      – Jess & Matt

  11. Mary O'Brien

    The elevated W/D with the pull-out for the laundry basket is exactly what I want. But, what happens when you need a repair? We have had the drain pop out – flood, and various other mishaps that required pulling the machines away from the wall. How do you handle that? I have a bad back the would just install and cross my fingers but my husband would be screaming.

    1. Jess

      Hi Mary! While we haven’t had an issue or needed a repair for 7 years, we addressed that towards the end of the post–let us know if you have any other questions! 🙂

  12. Kim

    Do you have a link to where you purchased the cabinets? Love this whole set up!

      1. Jess

        Hi Kim! UPDATE: The DIY plans are now live HERE!

        Matt took weeks drawing up the 2D & 3D images and writing everything up so even an ambitious beginner could follow them! Or they can be given to your handyman/cabinet guy to build for you. 🙂

        Let us know how it goes!

        – Jess & Matt

  13. Roxanne

    I definitely have laundry room envy!

    1. Jess

      I hope that means inspiration! 🙂

      1. Rox

        Yes it does!! Your tips will help a lot

  14. Alma

    Love this! The elevated washer and dryer is such a great idea!!

    1. Jess

      We couldn’t agree more! 🙂 Thanks Alma!

  15. Sarah

    Now every time a piece of my laundry drops on the floor I will think of you.

    1. Jess

      haha Thanks for the laugh! I’m so glad! 🙂

  16. Diana

    Love the drawers underneath and the pull out shelf. Such a “duh” moment over here… get rid of the constant laundry basket in front of the washer to catch the dirty dish towels and put in these deep divided drawers. Love it so much. Rebuilding our home and will use these ideas for sure in my laundry room. Thanks!

    1. Jess

      You are so welcome, Diana! Yes, sayonara to laundry baskets living in front of the washer!  I’m so glad this was helpful and you got some good ideas!

  17. Larissa B

    Hey Jess, great to see that you’re blogging again, I always love your writing. Your new place has such amazing potential I can’t wait to see what you guys do with it!

    1. Jess

      Thanks Larissa! I can’t wait for you to see it too! 🙂

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