Bathroom laundry options for the small house

With some good planning, a combined bathroom laundry can be functional, and stylish too.

Front loaders a must

An essential item in a combined bathroom and laundry, front loaders are less bulky than their top-loading counterparts and allow for extra space on top for a bench, storage or a dryer. They are much quieter too – an important factor when the room is multi-purpose.

Create air flow

Without proper ventilation, the moist air from the dryer combined with steam from the shower could turn your bathroom into a steam room. For vented dryers you should have ducting to vent the warm air outside, or consider a condenser dryer, which collects the moisture into a separate receptacle.

Maximise space in the room

Mounting a dryer on the wall often makes a bathroom look crowded, so if you have the space, place the washing machine and dryer side by side with a bench on top. This maximises bench space and creates a streamlined look.

Tuck it away

An alternative can be stacking the washer and dryer inside a cupboard, with bi-fold doors a practical way of separating the two spaces and hiding the laundry from view. Doors can be made to match the cabinets in the bathroom and create an integrated design.

Do away with the laundry trough

With a bathroom sink a few metres away, and many people not bothering with hand washing anymore, consider whether you really need a separate laundry trough. If you must have one, opt for a drop-in type rather than a standalone variety, as they are much neater and slimmer.

Downsize

A combined washer-dryer is one of the easiest ways to maximise space, and they can be easily located in a cupboard, as they don't require outside ducting. However, they tend to have a reduced capacity for drying, so check with the supplier that it's right for your needs.

To find out if you should go for a bathroom laundry design, contact an interior designer in your area today: