Washer And Dryer In The Walk-In Closet – My Best Design Decision Ever (A Five-Month Update)
It has now been about five-and-a-half months since I finished my walk-in closet with the washer and dryer. When I decided to put the washer and dryer in the closet, I had a lot of mixed reviews about that decision. And to be honest, I didn’t quite know how it would work out. The one thing I was sure about is that having the washer and dryer inside my walk-in closet would be far better than what I had before. So in my mind, any improvement over that previous setup would be a good thing, even if it wasn’t ideal.
If you’ll remember, from the time we moved into this house in 2013 until almost six months ago, my “laundry room” was located in our sunroom, which is the most awful room of our entire house. In fact, I dislike this room so much that it’s slated to be torn down eventually. But unfortunately, I had no other options, so that’s where the washer and dryer lived for twelve years.
I hated going into that room so much that I dreaded doing laundry. And because I dreaded doing laundry, it would pile up until I had no option but to go in there and get some laundry done.
I knew that even if having the washer and dryer in the walk-in closet wasn’t ideal, at least it would be a huge improvement over what I had. So I went for it when I had the opportunity.
Well, now that I’ve been living with this arrangement for five-and-a-half months, I can tell you that I absolutely LOVE this arrangement! It’s not just “Well, this is better, so it’ll do.” I would say that, at least for me, this whole arrangement has been ideal.
Now, when it comes to doing laundry, I don’t dread it at all. I won’t go so far as to say that I get excited about laundry now. 😀 I don’t know that anything would make me actually excited about doing laundry. But it doesn’t feel like a chore anymore.
And since the bulk of what I wash stays in our master bedroom suite (towels, sheets), and the majority of that stays right here in my closet (clothes, obviously), it feels so convenient to have the washer and dryer right here in this room.
I never thought that I’d be one of those people who is so organized that I actually keep up with the laundry. I’ve never been that person before, but I’ve also never had a convenient laundry area before. Before we lived in this house with laundry area in the sunroom, we lived in a condo with the laundry area in the hallway (and no countertop to fold laundry). And before that, we lived in two houses with the laundry area in the garage. So this is the first time in my life that I have a laundry area in a very convenient place and right next to a large countertop (the island) where I can get laundry out of the dryer and fold it immediately.
When my mom was at my house last week, she even commented (and seemed a bit shocked) at how well I was keeping up with my closet. The whole room is just so convenient and efficient in its layout and organization that I take pride in keeping it looking nice. And of course, she was shocked at how well I’ve been keeping up with the laundry. She knows me, and she knows my past habits of letting laundry pile up before tackling it. But that’s a thing of the past now. New Kristi, with the new walk-in closet with the convenient laundry area, is a different woman.
I have to admit that I’ve shocked even myself. When I finished this closet, I knew that I wanted to keep it clean and organized. I knew that I wanted to keep up with the laundry and not leave piles of dirty clothes on the floor, or piles of clean laundry on the countertops. But knowing my past habits, I kind of had my doubts that I’d actually be able to live up to those hopes.
But it’s been five-and-a-half months now, and this whole arrangement has been life-changing for me. I don’t mean to sound overly dramatic about it, but it really has changed this part of my life for the better. Where I used to live with piles of laundry and a constant dread of having to do laundry, now I don’t give it much thought at all. I just get in there and get it done, and I don’t let laundry pile up anymore.
So if you’ve been considering putting a washer and dryer in a walk-in closet, I can tell you from my personal experience that I highly recommend it. Seriously, I’d give it ten out of ten stars. I really do think it’s my best design decision yet.
More About My Walk-In Closet/Laundry Room
see all walk-in closet/laundry
room diy projects
read all walk-in closet/laundry
room blog posts
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
This is great to hear! So convenient, and ultimately, so time saving for you! Yay!
I am so glad to hear it. I am a laundry mavin, no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. I was raised that laundry, no matter what is going on in your life occurs on Mondays, and MONDAYS only. I’ve been blessed with most of the houses we lived in to have a dedicated laundry room, even if said room was in the garage, which was two of the 16 houses we lived. I love your walk-in closet and hope ours will turn out just as glamorous. I’ve shown a lot of my friends your master suite and now I’ve got friends who want to have a foyer, walk-in closet and huge bath just like yours, I see this as a trend in new construction as this is much easier as we age to have all of it centrally located, you’re a genius!
Cheers to you, Matt, and the Fur Babies!
Awesome! Our last house had the laundry in the large ensuite master bath, and while it wasn’t perfect (laundry late at night was a bit noisy) it was very convenient to the linens and dressers/closets of our 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, so there was simplicity and ease compared to our other homes’ laundry layouts.
So glad you love the decision!! I’m a bit envious that you can have the washer and dryer in the closet!! Our laundry room is just outside of the bedroom and it’s definitely convenient to have it so close!! I can say that the farther away the washer and dryer are/were, the less I did laundry! I think making our lives more convenient is such a game changer. And, if it can also be pretty, that’s a huge bonus!!
Not related but you have the cutest short sleeve tops! I love the patterns and that the sleeves are not super short. Is there a particular brand you are drawn to?
I’m not partial to a particular brand. I just buy whatever I think is cute. 🙂 But the places where I shop the most are Loft, Mod Boutique, and Amazon.
Thanks!! I need some cute in my closet!
Good for you! I agree with your decision about where to place your laundry. Just having a great layout and placement of the machines makes a huge difference. I felt the same way about our new kitchen – a place for everything and everything in its place. I keep up with the dishes, put them away and stay uncluttered, for the most part. What a great positive change!
Lucky you, I’d love to have a closet big enough to put my washer and dryer in. I’d hoped to put a countertop over mine for folding but in the end I needed to make space in the laundry room for litter boxes so they’re stacked. It’s a pain to haul and fold things so I’m thinking of putting in a fold down table over the litter boxes to simplify things.
That’s a great idea! I have a similar problem in my new house I may try this and see!!
Two ideas to consider:
1) It’s possible to put a shelf in between a stacked washer & dryer. This photo shows a really nice setup. https://placeofmytaste.com/small-laundry-room-makeover/
2) I put a drawer frame next to my washer similar to this https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/jonaxel-storage-combination-white-s99297144/ except that it is taller so that the top is a nice folding height, is on casters to make it easy to move, and importantly–I didn’t buy the bottom two drawers so that the whole thing fits nicely over the litterbox. 🙂
I just KNEW you would love it…look how convenient it is too…you pull your sheets and go around to throw them in. Later, you put them back on the bed, or fold and store in the closet or drawer right next door. You take out the clothes from the dryer and instantly hang up or put in a drawer…no long treck, no taking a basket of (half wrinkled) items and looking to dump to fold later. I do remember your piles of clothes the few times you showed your porch location…no one would ever blame you for hating doing the laundry out there!!! I have a small laundry room, but I would rather have YOUR set up for sure! I adore your entire Master Suite…it is a dream come true!
The nitty gritty is I hate housework and I’m lousy at it.
But laundry I kind of enjoy; I mean let’s face it the machines do the heavy work but if I had your current set up, I swear, I’d take laundry in and do it cheap!! I’ll continue to hate cleaning bathtubs, toilets, dusting, vacuuming and all of it but laundry I do well😬
Good deal for you. I love, love doing laundry because it is construction. Dirty clothes into clean good smelling clothes. I know that sounds crazy, but it is so productive.
However, since I broke my tibia on the left leg and my metatarsal on my right foot, I cannot do laundry. I honestly miss it. So, I understand your changing lifestyle with a washer and dryer handy and in a beautiful room.
Have a good week.
My mom wanted a walk-in closet with washer and dryer when we designed her tiny house. She’s been in it for almost 3 years now, and absolutely LOVES it. Everyone who tours her house is fascinated by the idea. Its a good choice, if you’ve got the option!
Kristi, how do you keep your purses standing up? Are they all flat bottomed? Mine aren’t and flop all over the place!
They all have flat bottoms. I like purses with structure. I don’t tend to buy purses that don’t have a rigid structure to them.
Kristi,
Years ago I read your blog while living in Wisconsin. I moved to TX (Dallas area) and was so busy I forgot about your blog. I re-discovered it today, and the first thing I noticed was how much younger you look and how soft and lovely your face looked. You really look healthier and glowing! (You always look–and sound–happy.)
You inspire me to take “chances”….to mix decor up, try a new “wild” color so thank you for your great blog.
Thank you so much! <3