Had it in a kitchen in a rental. Hated it there because clothing was always on the floor waiting to be sorted to go in the machines, etc.

Is this part of a renovation or a separate job. Friends of ours did it as part of a kitchen renovation and love it. We looked into doing it as part of a renovation and decided against it for a number of reasons.

ETA - My niece did it and it is also next to a bedroom and wishes she had insulated it for soundproofing. Flooring has to be reinforced for the weight and movement of the two machines.

As long as it is hidden behind doors I’m okay with it.

If this is the only place, go for it.

Not optimal, but practical for you and your lifestyle..

I had this in my last kitchen because there was literally no where else it could go if I wanted a washer and dryer. That was the main advantage--that I could have one at all.

There was also an advantage that, because it was in a small kitchen, things got put in when it was time to do wash, and they got removed and put away immediately when the dryer was done. There was no space to leave anything out.

In contrast when I had a stackable WD in another apartment and it was in a huge walk in closet, nothing ever really got put fully away.

But in a house with another place for it, like a basement or an attached garage area, I think the advantage of having in on the main level would be outweighed by the disadvantage of having it in the kitchen and having that room serve two purposes in a relatively tight space. We actually decided to keep it in the basement in this house.

I would add, in my current home my washer and dryer are in my basement. Even though the basemenet is unfinished and not exactly a pleasant place to while away time, I chose not to do a stackable washer-dryer elsewhere in the home. In a small house, it wasn't worth losing storage space or compromising on the convenience of having large-capacity machines.

I have had my machines in the basement, second floor and main floor. Since you have a one story home, I imagine you want to get it out of the basement. I liked that location the least, but that was when I was in a two story home. They are now in a closet in the kitchen eating area. That is pretty centrally located, so it's good for step saving, but I don't care for the way the noise carries. That is the one benefit of the basement. My machines are only a year old so they're not making noise because they're old. We are empty nesters, so we only do a couple loads a week and I am able to stay on top of it to move it along and not let anything linger. I do not want to be eating while either machine is running and you will not want to be cooking while it's running since yours will be closer to kitchen appliances. So if you think this is going to fit your lifestyle, go for it. But I agree with eld6161, I would want to be able to close a door on it.

Following since this is my plan for our house too--curious to hear what others' experiences have been. (Ours is currently in a detached garage about 30 feet from the house.) We are looking specifically at smaller units with good ratings for noise if we go this route. The biggest downside is that the load capacity is smaller than the large machines in our garage so we will be doing even more loads than we already do--that might be a consideration if you'd be downsizing the machines. My biggest worry is that the laundry will end up staying in the kitchen and not getting put away; while the area is separate from the food prep space, it's still immediately adjacent. (But where our current machines are, laundry sometimes gets completely forgotten for a day or two--always great if it's in the washer--so hopefully that problem will go away!) Would love to know what you decide.

IMO it works much better than in the basemnt or upper floor. I do laundry daily I hate dirty clothes hanging in a basket . I love my main floor laundry and will never go back to the other choices. As for in the kitchen that is the norm in Europe no big deal . IMO you live in a home that works for you period. W/D s are so nice looking now I do not think they need to be hidden at all.

I have never had the luxury of a dedicated laundry room. I am thankful to now have a washer dryer IN my home rather than having to take it down the hall where the units are in my condo. Which is still better than in the basement where they were in my childhood home.

I don't think that there are clothes hanging around unless one is unwilling to take the five minutes to sort them out. I currently have a stacking washer and dryer and I opted for the pull out shelf accessory which means that I fold each piece as it comes out of the dryer - put it in the basket along with the stuff that isn't folded like underwear and then take the basket to the bedroom. I used to have to do this when I did laundry in the communal area and it's not a big deal.

I had mine put in the kitchen 10 years ago. It had been in the basement. I love it. Our bedrooms are on the 2nd floor so the laundry basket is up there and brought down when laundry needs to be done, about every 5 days. The noise doesn't bother me. I also added a closet.

In terms of noise, my cleaning lady was in yesterday and had to put some stuff in the dryer which I have stacked in my bedroom closet. I was sitting in the bedroom reading and I didn't hear it at all - and this is with the closet door open.

Mine are Bosch and all their appliances are quiet. Mine is a smaller size which is intended for condos but it holds quite a bit.

You should make sure that you have taken appropriate measures to waterproof your washer - as well as your dishwasher and water line to the refrigerator if applicable.

My Bosch has extra sturdy double metal hoses plus a Smittie pan and a water alarm that turns off automatically if it senses water outside the appliance. You don't want to deal with a flood in your home that could easily be prevented.

My grandmother designed her dream home with a laundry closet in the spacious kitchen. It was not a problem for her, or visiting family. My grandmother could not have handled the basement stairs in her home. I don’t expect to get much younger or more able, so I’m happy to have laundry on the main (only) floor. If you plan to age in place, a main floor laundry will be welcome eventually.

I’ve had laundry in the garage, a finished basement, and a separate laundry room. Yes, I prefer the separate laundry room, but I did consider the kitchen / dining room when were remodeled. Space planning to dirty laundry storage helps me, as does developing some good habits for putting clean things away. (That lesson took longer than it should have. lol)

We will start building our (almost) passive house soon and will buy a Miele set with a heat pump so no venting needed. It's a small house with a loft, and I'll have a small laundry room, but I did consider putting it in the kitchen when we had to move some things around. These smaller sets (like they have in Europe) are 24" and meant to fit under a counter so they really can go anywhere.

• Thank you all. No decision today but so much help here in your answers. In reading about the Miele or Bosch I was surprised at the higher energy efficiency on these smaller units. And the non vented technology is also interesting. Another vent through the roof might interfere with going solar. Already the other vents and skylights have reduced the amount of panels any system could have and that's disappointing. Great idea to check if additional support is needed in floor and remembering the waterproofing. Very smart to plan for when things could go wrong. Setup is an advantage for aging in place and there's not that much laundry generated here. Oh it would be so lovely to have the area for a dedicated laundry room besides in the basement like some of you have!

Keep in mind that European units will do smaller loads and the dryer cycle with a condensing dryer is significantly longer. (I had this previously). This is not a problem, but we did laundry almost every day with the smaller units. The condensing dryer also increased humidity in the room it was in.

@palimpsest the newer ones are increasingly heat pump vs. condenser dryers, so a bit different wrt humidity--though my understanding is that they take just as long, if not longer, to dry as the condensing dryers do.