by Fan Winston - April 25, 2022

5 Quick Fixes: Clever Camouflage for the Washer/Dryer

Not everyone has the square footage to devote an entire room to housing the washer and dryer. For those of you who live with space constraints, here are five ingenious ways to shimmy a washer and dryer into other rooms in your home—seamlessly and stylishly.

N.B.: Featured photograph by Matthew Williams and styling by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista: The Organized Home.

1. Conceal them behind cabinet doors.

Amy Lindburg San Francisco Kitchen Remodel — Above: “The washer and dryer are Miele; I had to have our carpenter hack the cabinets so they would fit,” says Amy Lindburg of her washer and dryer, which live in the kitchen of her San Francisco home. When not in use, they disappear behind cabinet doors. Photograph by Daniel Dent for Remodelista, from Kitchen of the Week: A Glamorous Kitchen in San Francisco, Ikea Hacks Included.

“Without a utility room in which to hide the washer/dryer, we had to steal space from the kitchen,” says Isabel Blundena of her incognito units. Photograph by Jonathan Gooch for Remodelista, from Rehab Diary, Part 3: A Small House Overhaul in London, the Big Reveal. — Above: “Without a utility room in which to hide the washer/dryer, we had to steal space from the kitchen,” says Isabel Blundena of her incognito units. Photograph by Jonathan Gooch for Remodelista, from Rehab Diary, Part 3: A Small House Overhaul in London, the Big Reveal.

2. Create a closet for them.

Laundry in Moscow Apartment by Studio Bazi — Above: In a normal apartment, this wall of doors might simply reveal clothes closets; in this 355-square-foot home, you’ll find a kitchenette on the left and this laundry closet on the right. Photograph by Polina Poludkina, from The Secret Apartment: A Hyperefficient Moscow Flat with Stealth Storage (and a Hidden Kitchen).

Solveig Fernlund Laundry Closet by Matthew Williams, Styled by Alexa Hotz for Organized Home — Above: Architect Solveig Fernlund hid a compact and hardworking laundry setup behind floor-to-ceiling doors. Photograph by Matthew Williams and styling by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista: The Organized Home.

3. Draw the curtain on them.

Above: Renter Myles Tipley’s solution? A DIY curtain to keep his washer and dryer out of sight. See DIY: The $65 Laundry Closet, Renter’s Edition.

4. Put them behind louvered doors.

Fisher Paykel Marble Laundry Room Concealed Stacked Washer Dryer — Above: A stacked washer and dryer and storage shelves are concealed behind a paneled bifold door. Photograph courtesy of Fisher & Paykel, from A Marble-and-Brass Laundry Room in Small, Medium, and Large.

5. Integrate them into the room design.

Here’s a counterintuitive way to seamlessly integrate a washer and dryer into a space—put them on display. Jenni Li, of online Peruvian textiles emporium Intiearth, surrounds her units, housed in her kitchen, with Ikea cabinets wallpapered with her kids’ artwork. Photograph by Dana Gallagher and styling by Helen Crowther, from Embrace the Bright: A Textile Shop Owner at Home in Brooklyn. — Above: Here’s a counterintuitive way to seamlessly integrate a washer and dryer into a space—put them on display. Jenni Li, of online Peruvian textiles emporium Intiearth, surrounds her units, housed in her kitchen, with Ikea cabinets wallpapered with her kids’ artwork. Photograph by Dana Gallagher and styling by Helen Crowther, from Embrace the Bright: A Textile Shop Owner at Home in Brooklyn.

Inspired to overhaul your laundry setup? Be sure to check out these posts:

N.B.: This post is an update; it was first published July 2020.

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