Use the vertical space as much as possible, even if you can't reach it without a stool or ladder, it's great stash space.

stacked or side by side W/D both can make space for hanging and folding.

I would decide the position (A given because of the hookup location) for the W/D, and measure the entire space. Make a list of WANTS, like a utility sink.

Take the measurements to your local home Improvement Center and ask the cabinet Dept. to draw up a plan, it's free, get an estimate and see whether it will work for you.

Very true about vertical space, i definitely want to remove those shelves and put cabinets, even if it’s just to store lightbulbs or something at the top, at least I am using it.

What are the things about the laundry room that irritate you the most? For example, Walkthrough too tight?

Need more room to put down a laundry basket?

Too much non-laundry stuff stored there?

I think what irritates me the most is the lack of folding space/place to put baskets. There is that small table, but it ends up being a place where other stuff is set/stored like cleaning supplies. Unfortunately it is the main storage area for stuff like that as there are only two tiny closets on the first floor and one is also our tornado shelter.

You don't seem to have stackable appliances so I would simply install cabinets to the ceiling above the washer and dryer and a tall cabinet to the ceiling as well in the space next to the washer and dryer with room inside for you brooms, mops, etc. and shelves in the top section.

Correct, the current washer and dryer are not stackable, but I am wanting to replace them in the next year or two which is when I will tackle this project.

Well then wait till you decide on you washer & dryer to make plans for your laundry room. or look into buying inexpensive cabinets such as Ikea to make the room look tidyer and more practical with more storage.

Thanks. There aren’t any shelves under the table, it’s actually two narrow rolling hampers. I tend to toss towels or sheets or things I need to wash but not asap in there.

Good point about not buying more than we need, we definitely have a habit of that!

If you decide to get a front-loading washer & dryer, consider getting the pedestal drawer they would be raised up on. It's a back saver and you can store laundry supplies in them. You can have a tabletop made to go across both units for folding, etc. But the tradeoff is any cabinets above may not be as easy to reach. I have cabinets above and can reach only the first shelf due to height of the front loaders, so I keep a step stool in there. You might be able to squeeze in a sink to the left of the washer at the wall.

Thanks! I had a pedestal at my old house and I didn’t care for it because it was hard to reach things above. But it is easier for taking the laundry out of it.

Because this is such a heavy traffic area, I fear that any folding space you make will become a dumping area for all kinds of things. Where you do currently fold laudry? I fold my where I can watch TV or easily talk on the phone. I have a table in my laundry room that is totally empty and could be used for folding but the thought never crosses my mind to do so. If you really want a folding space in here perhaps you can get some kind of table that folds down from the wall so that nobody uses it to stash stuff on.

I find side by sides so deep it is hard to reach anything you might store on shelves on top of them. If you have stackibles, yes it takes up upper space in the room, but you have more width in the room to have shelves that you can actually reach.

I think it is great that you are brainstorming this now.

It is a high traffic area, but the traffic during the day is me. I am usually folding while my husband is at work and my child is at school. Currently I take it upstairs, but I usually end up setting the basket down and leaving for a few days with intent to fold later.s

I even see duplicates of cleaning supplies on your photo! Be aware that adding more cupboards, including going up the ceiling, will make your room look more cramped. And the back part of cabinets, in my house, tends to accumulate things that shouldn't be kept. If they're up high, even worse. You run the risk of paying to build cabinets you don't need, full of stuff you don't need. And making your room look cramped.

What I'm saying is don't overbuild storage just because you have wall space. Since you have some time before you're ready to go, pare down your stuff to what you really need, then plan storage accordingly. I like the comment about using the store as your pantry - for example, we don't buy light bulbs until one burns out. It's never an emergency.

Here's a link to my favourite Houzz laundry makeover. What a nice space to spend time in! This person actually reduced the amount of her cabinetry, and her room looks so much better. It's a long thread, you don't need to read it all. Just look at the before pictures at the beginning, and the after near the end. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3792622/sad-ugly-laundry-room#18321769

Very true, a lot of cabinets could look overwhelming here easy. I do buy duplicates if they are on sale or something I use a lot of. I can probably store the duplicates in the garage, but we need to put some shelves out there too.

The set up you currently have looks functional to me. I have a similar arrangement but without the handy side table you have and I fold clothes on top of the washer (with lid closed) and the dryer. I don't feel cramped at all. I put the stuff away as soon as it's folded and don't use my laundry room as a storage space for extra loads of laundry.

I like being able to keep my washer lid open when it's not in use too. If you change to front load you absolutely need to keep the door ajar and that's a nuisance in a walk through room.

I think lisedv's idea and mockup above is the best.

With high ceilings my first thought would be cabinets above the machines to hide supplies, but because the walkway is so narrow I think cabinets right by my head would make it feel even more crowded. I’d even lower all the hooks so my elbows and shoulders weren’t brushing up against bags and mop handles. But since photos can be deceiving I’d stack some boxes like they were cabinets to see how the space felt

Suggestions:

--Get side by side front loaders even though you'll need to keep washer open. (Attach a suction hook to washer with very short bungee cord to hook on door rim to keep washer door slightly open for airing.)

--Run an attractive wood board--painted or not--across the top of machines from wall to wall. This will give you what you need most, folding surface, place to set down basket, and an open space below for rolling laundry baskets.

--Hang a single not-too-big cabinet with sliders above machines for your laundry products: (Since garage is right there, buy jumbo sizes of just a few laundry products and decant them into smaller containers for laundry cabinet or existing shelves.

Something like this only a table top cut to size all the way across the wall, leaving empty space for rolling laundry cart. See below.

--Add a row of hooks on a board across the opposite wall for people to hang things temporaril as they come in.

Laundry · More Info

--Paint the walls--or wallpaper--in a warm attractive color. Add a colorful rug and nice overhead lighting.

--If you want to keep your current open shelves, paint them when you repaint/wallpaper laundry room. The gray walls are dreary and uninviting for an entryway. Keep jumbo laundry products in the garage and decant into attractive laundry contains. Nobody needs as many laundry products as you have. See article below.

Rolling divided laundry cart from Target. Drop cloth laundry bags in them to bring laundry in and out of laundry room. Oops Target won't let me upload photo of their two basket rolling cart, so just do a search for those.

https://www.homesandgardens.com/life-design/how-to-do-laundry

Indoor outdoor runner would be welcoming. Choose palettes that go with new wall paint and/or wallpaper.

Just be careful that if you get new front loaders you verify all the measurements compared to your current pair. The machines have gotten bigger, but builders/decorators/architects don't always add the extra space to make them fit properly, specially in a pass-through laundry.

Very true!

Agree with the suggestions on cabinets above the washer/dryer to lessen the clutter.

I definitely want to do some cabinets above and maybe an area to hang stuff. I’m trying figure out if I can fit everything I need.

I’m guilty of the concern Kendra mentioned. My ”folding counter” spanning the washer & dryer is just another dumping ground for everything BUT laundry (mail. cases of bottled water, etc etc. ). I take the laundry into the bedroom to fold. i only have 4 or 5 different laundry products ( dark/light detergents, spray stain remover & small container of bleach ).

I have been reconsidering my laundry room for a few years now. I have a couple questions though.

1. Do you absolutely have to fold in there?

2. Do you absolutely have to have laundry hampers in there?

I ask because they take up a lot of space, and since most laundry originates/returns to bedrooms, it might make more sense, with limited space, to have laundry hampers in bedrooms. If you want to fold in there straight out of the dryer, ok, add a folding counter. But consider different space for the hampers.

I got these collapsible laundry baskets because I don't have basket storage in my laundry room either. I can put them under my sink cabinet when not in use, although that rarely happens. If you get a sink cabinet instead of the laundry hampers, you would be able to have a trash can and laundry basket storage. Fair warning, these are not perfect (mine are starting to not stay completely expanded) but they are super easy to store so I'm not mad.

Regarding cabinets - I would put one over the sink and get rid of anything that doesn't fit in there, or find another spot for it. My plan in my laundry room was to get short cabinets (ie. above the refrigerator) that I would put really high up for seasonal storage/stuff not often used, and then put a laundry rod underneath for hang dry stuff. I do not fold in my laundry room so this would work for me. Obviously if you fold in there then you probably can't also hang dry in there.

I don’t “absolutely” have to fold in there, but if I take it out of the dryer and take it upstairs, I end up getting distracted by something else and setting it down. I feel it would be better habit wise to fold right out of the dryer.

As for the hampers, I often bring laundry downstairs but there is already laundry in the washer.

Our bedrooms are upstairs, so I am usually trying to bring a laundry down when I come down for something else, otherwise I will forget about it until the next time I go up (which is probably for something other than laundry).

Can't you simply put the lid of the washer down, and fold on the washer and dryer? Or does this cause a problem I'm not seeing?

I agree that front loaders need to be left open when used, which will narrow your walkway.

I could but the top of the washer seems to get dirty/dusty quick. I am always wiping it free of lint dust or something.

"Angela M: I could but the top of the washer seems to get dirty/dusty quick. I am always wiping it free of lint dust or something."

That may be due to air leakage from the dryer exhaust ducting.

I have the exact same configuration, even down to the location of the doors; it looks like you have a longer space, though -- lucky you!

My advice? If you don't need full-size machines, get compact machines and put them on pedestals.

I can't believe how much more spacious the room has become due to the switch to a compact w/d. Even DH commented on it right away. I have Miele w/d set, the height of the machines on the pedestals is ~48", which is just fine for folding, and I'm only average height of 5'5".

(And yes, you can still get a decent amount of laundry in compacts)