Marvellous mudrooms, beautiful back kitchens, luxury laundries and divine drying rooms. Overwhelmed by carefully curated acres of Instagram ecstasy, the scrubbed-up truth is that most smaller homes do not have space for a fully dedicated utility room concealed behind a solid door.
My utility space is by the back door. It is not fluttering in gingham cloths and mason jars of crystalline detergent.
Here's what to do
Many utility spaces are set in or right next to the kitchen, or in a wide corridor on the way to the back door — where your sudsy business is a couple of highly visible linear metres, a compact logical layout and smart accessorising can deliver discreet, well-detailed laundry quarters that whirl along happily even pressed up alongside living areas.
Just 1.4 square metres and around 120cm of appliances, combined with storage is about the minimum we need for a boiled-down wash-spot.
Starting afresh or reconfiguring, those two large, unyielding metallic boxes are not the problem. There is no shame in leaving good-looking laundry appliances proudly on show. White, black and brushed steel machines look handsome in a crisp, modular kitchen. Equally, they can disappear behind a “working wall” integrated into a run of cabinet doors undetected. With low decibels even on a high spin, the meditative throb of the washer and dryer can enter even an open or broken-plan home.
Machines
The real challenge is marrying the machines tightly to a bit of folding and parking counter.
As I said, my utility is near the backdoor. So, I like to keep what I can out of sight.
Close to the kitchen, get the ballast out of sight. Stacking or not stacking the machines will push your storage decisions around, and this is something you can have fun with using graph paper and a stubby pencil. Let’s go configure.
While the 60cm washer/dryer stack takes up less floor space and is easier on the back, situating the washer/dryer side-by-side at 120cm wide, delivers valuable counter space you might need to hang onto on one end of a tight kitchen.
Find room to float even 50cm of additional counter for folding, and you could slide a couple of hampers out of sight. Don’t discount your peculiar preferences during this design process. Universal stacking kits with locking designs will hold even a moving machine steady with a slide-out shelf for an easy install; W-Pro stacking kit, €59, buy-spares.ie. For about €230, you can find dedicated branded models with a drawer fitting. Very handy.
Storage
Full-size wall-hung cabinets are still somewhat out of favour for 2024. Still, using 120cm of wall over two floor-mounted machines, in 30cm depths, hugging the wall, they are ideal for the storage demands of our tiny utility area. Proper doors are a gift where you don’t want an arsenal of plastic three-litre bottles blazing out from the far end of your kitchen/diner. Consider glazed units for a less bulky look with piston action, and top-hung doors that flip up with the pressure of one finger.
Counter-standing upper cabinets are another option, seen by many designers as less visually intrusive if you’re stuck in the kitchen, and have sleek runs of base cabinets. Instant install near the back door? Ikea’s Nysjon cabinet slides around a standard 60cm wide machine, instantly positioning a white, two-door shelved cabinet 190cm high within easy reach. Cheap design magic at just €99, ikea.com/ie. Harvey Norman stocks the Vidaxl range of over-machine storage racks, with its leggy roll-up curtain door. €40, harveynorman.ie.
Here's an alternate small utility grouping, again from as little as 100cm in width. Nestle a 170cm machine stack (an MDF tower if you’re building in) against any equally tall slender 40cm-120cm wide cabinet. For a few Euro more, these roomy companions can be fitted out with versatile, internal supports for detergents/laundry, linen caddies etc. This can often ingest your cleaning arsenal too (use door hangars and the volume inside). There are dedicated complete laundry cabinets including WashTower that offer super sleek side-cupboard and over-head storage that wrap around a washer/dryer stack in one neat, ergonomic unit wherever your plumbing can go; solutions from €667-€2,610, washtower.com./en_ie.
So, what about cleaning up with a secret laundry station that glides open when needed? A corner, or area formed by short partition walls or available cabinetry can host a nook of just over 120cm width to take two floor-standing or stacked machines with shelves to the side or overhead, shrouded by concertina doors or a nicely weighted curtain when it is off duty. Side walls can also carry hooks, hangars and even swing-out or drop-down drying racks. Try temu.com for a selection of accordion room dividers from €35.
Laundry list
Back at its perimeter or even right in the kitchen, a laundry list of bespoke solutions can all be built into a surprising 120cm–180cm floor-to-ceiling design, using the CAD skills of your kitchen supplier. This should include some clever door action to save on interference in the kitchen space. Built-in laundry cabinets can hide your stack, substantial deep cubby shelving, drying rails, a pull-out counter for folding and/or ironing, and tilting or runner-mounted laundry hampers.
Keep in mind that adding quality, articulated storage will likely double or even triple the price of that cabinet, and enclosing all your kit, mechanical ventilation may be needed. Have the utility conversation during your meet and greet, systematising the work organisational solutions on offer for your budget.
Division
There’s a growing trend towards a suite of spaces centred on the kitchen area to include not simply a typical banquette, but a walk-in pantry and even an office perch. With a reasonable width of the room to one end of the kitchen (150cm minimum for a single galley for a machine/counter depth and standing space) you could hove off a utility area. Sliding, folding, pocket or secret doors are an inexpensive way to introduce division where you cannot have or don’t want a standard wall and door. Investigate clear, reeded or blasted varieties of internal glazed doors and side panels which allow available light to be shared between deftly partitioned areas.
Sinks
Setting up any utility space, if you can afford the room, include an extra sink for deep plunges, rinsing small dogs, taking large pots and pans, and hand-washing. If there’s sufficient passing room with access to the back door, build-in or placing a short storage bench with hooks above for family to pull off their shoes. I like the Hayle laundry bench in matt grey with storage for flinging off sports gear. Just 38cm wide, €73, B&Q. Leave at least 90cm of room to the front of the washer/dryer for loading and unloading comfortably. Raise that to 120cm if you need passing room behind you.
Shelving
In modest quarters, modular shelving like Elfa can be trimmed out in even the oddest spaces with wire and board shelves, hooks and baskets. Storage bundles including full drying kits from €199, equipashop.ie. For a cheaper choice investigate Ikea’s Kungsfort suspension rail shelving, from €75, ikea.com/ie. Tip? Within eye shot of your kitchen proper, be very disciplined with rude open displays. Tuck that working area behind a short partition or high cabinet. For a tiny utility, one 60cm -75cm shelf may be all you need for a few bottles of liquid detergent at an adult reach of about 1.6m.
Aim to have nothing listing against the wall. Brushes, steam and manual mops and your stick vacuum can live on a hook or grab. The first place to look is at that generous 80cm wide real estate orphaned on the wall behind a door, and any free sides to a taller cabinet that could take hooks, drying racks and wire pockets. Command broom grippers hold firmly to a variety of surfaces including solid, hollow and painted walls; €11 a piece, various suppliers.
