Small Laundry Ideas: Layouts, Sinks and Storage That Work in Tight Spaces

Plan in this order: appliances, sink, storage, then finishes. Appliances take up the most room and have the most fixed requirements, so lock in their position first.

Three principles apply to almost every small laundry:

• Use height. A small laundry rarely has spare floor area, but it usually has wall space. Stacked or wall-mounted dryers, overhead cabinets and tall storage all use vertical space.
• Create a flat surface. A benchtop over a front-loading washer gives you somewhere to fold and sort. It is often the most useful square metre in the room.
• Choose fittings sized for the space. A full-size 45-litre tub isn't always necessary. Compact tubs, slim cabinets and wall-mounted taps free up valuable centimetres.

Before buying anything, measure the width, depth and height of the space, and note where the existing water, waste and power points are. Moving plumbing is usually the biggest cost in a laundry renovation, so a layout that works with your existing connections will save money.

In a small laundry, the dryer should usually go up, either stacked on the washer or mounted on the wall. Which option you can use depends on the type of dryer.

• Vented dryers are the only type light enough to wall-mount. They push moist air into the room or out through a duct, so they need good ventilation.
• Heat pump and condenser dryers are too heavy to wall-mount. They can be stacked on a front-loading washer with a stacking kit, ideally with both machines from the same manufacturer. Heat pump dryers don't need good room ventilation, which suits a laundry in a cupboard.
• Washer-dryer combination machines wash and dry in one unit, so they need only one appliance space.

Capacity also matters. Heat pump dryers generally start at 7 kg, so if you need a very small dryer you may be limited to a vented model.

Top-loading washers can't have a dryer stacked above them, because the lid needs clearance. If you are short on space and still have a top loader, switching to a front loader opens up stacking and benchtop options.

The right details make a small laundry easier to keep tidy and quicker to use.

Storage. Overhead cabinets above the washer and tub are the most efficient storage in a small laundry. Add a hanging rail beneath them for drip-drying, and use the gap beside the washer for a slim pull-out or broom cupboard. Browse our laundry cabinets for modular units that combine these elements.

Tapware. A wall-mounted laundry tap or a low-profile mixer keeps the tub and benchtop clear, and avoids clashing with overhead cabinets. Our guide to laundry tapware compares the options, and you can shop laundry taps by style and finish.

Floor waste and ventilation. Check whether your laundry needs a floor waste before tiling. Our guide to floor wastes in laundries explains when one applies. Plan ventilation early too, especially for a laundry in a cupboard or an internal room.

Finishes. Light cabinet colours and a consistent benchtop help a small room feel larger. Matching the laundry finishes to your kitchen or bathroom makes a cupboard laundry feel like part of the home.

When your layout is set, the easiest next step is to see how the pieces fit together. Browse small laundry solutions, or shop the look below.