Designing Your Combination Laundry and Bathroom
Sometimes our homes don’t feel quite big enough to accommodate every feature or amenity we desire. Luckily, with a little creativity, some rooms can be combined together, saving on space and allowing you to fit more into your house. When looking for opportunities to combine rooms, the best pairings usually come from rooms that share a similar function. Good examples are combination kitchen/dining rooms, living/dining rooms, or a combination bathroom/laundry room.
Both laundry rooms and bathrooms tend to have designs and materials that can stand up to water, each can benefit from a similar style. You can also concentrate the plumbing and other features in the same space. If you’re looking at doing a laundry room or bathroom renovation, we’ll cover some of the advantages of a bathroom/laundry room combo and give you some of our best design tips.
How to Combine a Laundry Room With a Bathroom
A combination bathroom/laundry room will usually feature a small bathroom, with a toilet, shower, and vanity, along with a laundry area, which will include a washing machine, dryer, and sink. The bathroom will usually be more basic, as it makes more sense to splurge on fixtures in a dedicated bathroom in another part of the house.
As a bathroom/laundry room combo is inherently a space-saving feature, it makes sense to pay attention to the use of space and be as efficient as possible. For example, opting for a walk-in shower over a bathtub is a good way to save space.
When thinking of your own bathroom/laundry room, it’s good to start with the layout, as this will determine what you can do with the rest of the space.
Bathroom Laundry Layout Ideas
When deciding on your layout, you should first block off space for all of the main features of your room. Pay special attention to anything that requires either plumbing(sinks, showers), electricity(dryer), or both(washing machine).
Here are some of the features you should consider when planning your layout:
- Washing machine
- Dryer
- Laundry sink
- Bathroom vanities
- Shower
- Toilet
- Bathroom storage
- Laundry storage
Make sure you include enough space around your washer/dryer so that you can load and unload laundry with ease.
Depending on the size and shape of the room you are working with, here are some ideas you can work with to make the best use of your space:
- Washer/Dryer Configuration: Stacking your dryer on top of your washer is a classic space-saving technique. You could also try putting them on different sides of the room, facing one another.
- Cabinets: Floor-to-ceiling cabinets can be a great feature in these rooms, allowing you to keep toxic cleaning products out of reach on top and combined storage for your bathroom and laundry on the bottom.
- Ventilation: Both your laundry room and your bathroom will produce moisture. A shared ventilation plan can keep both spaces dry at the same time.
Tips For Designing
- Share A Theme: Your bathroom and laundry room will be sharing many similar features, such as countertops, sinks, and water-resistant flooring. Use this opportunity to give both a shared design theme – coordinate the pattern of your tiled floor, or use matching faucets or other fixtures. It’s also a great idea to coordinate the light fixtures or other prominent features in both spaces.
- Watch The Lighting: As combination bathroom/laundry rooms are often located in basements, make sure to take advantage of all light sources – natural or otherwise. Plan your lighting with the layout so that your room feels bright and cheerful instead of dark and gloomy.
- Share Storage: If you need to save even more space, shared storage is a great way to do it. Dedicate one part of your room to the storage area, and invest in a good cabinet storage solution. Small laundry room cabinets can be paired with floor-to-ceiling or pantry cabinets to meet your needs. Simply dedicate part of the storage to your laundry and cleaning supplies and the rest to your bathroom storage needs. If you still need more storage, your bathroom vanity can be a great way to add more capacity.
Summary
If you’re looking at doing a bathroom or other home reno and need to save space, we hope this short guide was helpful! A bathroom/laundry combo can be a fantastic way to meet your needs while conserving space in your home.
