Laundry rooms tend to be dark and cramped spaces that we don’t pay much attention to. However, brightening up your laundry room can make doing laundry feel less like a chore. Here are some tips for adding light and opening up the space in your laundry room.
Let In More Natural Light
One of the easiest ways to brighten a laundry room is to let in more natural sunlight. Here are some ways to do that:
- Add a window if your laundry room doesn’t have one. A large window that lets in a lot of natural light will make a big difference. If adding a window isn’t possible, consider adding a skylight.
- Enlarge existing windows if possible. Removing walls around a small window to make it bigger will allow more light into the laundry room.
- Clean windows thoroughly inside and out. Over time windows can get dirty, reducing the amount of light coming into the room. Use a strong glass cleaner and lint-free cloth to clean inside and out.
- Replace curtains with sheer ones. Heavy fabrics and lined curtains block natural light. Install sheer curtains or blinds that still provide privacy but allow more light through.
- Trim back vegetation outside windows. Overgrown trees, bushes, and plants can block natural light. Trim back any outdoor vegetation obstructing laundry room windows.
- Consider installing a solar tube. These tubes funnel natural light from the roof to inside the laundry room, brightening up the space.
Making these changes to allow more natural light into the laundry room will help the space feel more open and airy.
Upgrade the Lighting
Aside from natural light, ensuring your laundry room has adequate lighting will help brighten the space. Here are some tips:
- Install overhead lighting. Overhead ceiling lights are a must in any laundry room. Make sure the room has a central ceiling fixture to provide overall illumination.
- Use high wattage bulbs. Don’t be afraid to use bulbs with higher wattages to increase brightness in the laundry room. This can make a big impact.
- Add task lighting. Install auxiliary lighting over specific work stations to aid with sorting and folding. Wall sconces or pendant lights over the folding counter will help.
- Use LEDs. LED bulbs use less energy but provide brighter more natural illumination. Swapping out incandescent bulbs for LED in laundry room fixtures can help.
- Add more fixtures. Sometimes simply adding more light fixtures, like overhead lights and sconces, can brighten up the space.
- Repaint walls and trim white. White surfaces reflect light better than dark colors. Painting the walls, ceiling, and trim white will maximize light reflection.
Optimizing both natural and artificial lighting is key to having a bright, cheerful laundry room.
Select Bright Paint Colors and Materials
The colors and materials you choose for a laundry room also impact how light and bright it feels. Consider these tips:
- Use light wall colors like white, light grey, or subtle yellow. Dark paint colors can make a room feel closed in.
- Paint the ceiling white. White ceiling paint will maximize reflected light.
- Choose glossy tiles or laminate flooring. Shiny and light-reflecting floor materials make a laundry room feel brighter.
- Add stainless steel appliances. Stainless steel refrigerators, sinks, and shelves add eye-catching shine.
- Use patterned wallpaper. Cheerful prints make the room feel brighter than plain walls.
- Select chrome fixtures. The reflective surface of fixtures like hanging rods and hooks helps reflect light.
- Add mirrors. Strategically hung mirrors will make small laundry rooms feel larger and brighter.
Pulling in light colors and glossy surfaces makes a laundry room feel clean, fresh, and illuminated.
Organize Clutter and Cabinets
Laundry rooms have a tendency to become disorganized catch-alls for household items. All this clutter can make the space feel dark and smaller. Some tips for clearing up clutter:
- Install shelving and cabinets. Cabinets with doors allow you to organize tools and hide clutter.
- Add baskets and bins. Designate bins for categories like detergents, rags, ironing supplies. Keeping like items together makes finding things easier.
- Use open shelving. For frequently used items, open shelving is convenient. Fold laundry baskets and extra towels neatly.
- Mount a drying rack. Get clothes up off the floor and onto a wall mounted drying rack. This keeps the floor clear.
- Add convenient storage. Useful additions like wall-mounted ironing boards, utility sinks, and would rods maximize vertical storage space.
- Label containers. Labelling bins and baskets makes it obvious where things go, keeping the room organized.
Keeping your laundry room uncluttered and everything in its place will make the space feel cleaner and more open.
Let In Fresh Air
Stale air can make any room feel stuffy. Here are tips for improving air circulation in the laundry room:
- Open windows regularly. If your laundry room has a window, open it while doing laundry to let fresh air in.
- Run an exhaust fan. Using the exhaust fan while running the dryer will suck out moist air.
- Install a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan improves air circulation and feels cooling.
- Use a dehumidifier. Excess moisture in the air can make a laundry room feel muggy. A dehumidifier can help with stuffiness.
- Limit chemical fumes. Opt for plant-based, non-toxic detergents that won’t leave strong lingering scents.
- Add live plants. House plants can help filter and freshen the air.
Improving ventilation and air quality prevents a laundry room from feeling stale, dark, and closed off.
Add Some Style
In addition to the more practical tips above, you can also create a brighter laundry room with some decorative touches:
- Hang cheerful art. Vintage laundry themed posters or abstract art adds visual interest to walls.
- Decorate with baskets. Woven baskets look chic on open shelving while hiding necessities.
- Use patterned fabric. Choose patterned curtains or towels for a playful pop of color. Florals and geometrics work well.
- Display collections. Tastefully show off vintage washboards, clothespins or detergent boxes.
- Add pops of color. Bright accessories like a turquoise step stool, yellow dish gloves, or striped laundry baskets liven up the room.
- Style with plants. Greenery instantly makes any space more welcoming. Set potted herbs on counters.
Don’t be afraid to show off your personality in the laundry room. Having fun with accessories and accents makes doing laundry less of a dull chore.
Replace Low Ceilings
Laundry rooms are often in basements with low ceilings. The cramped feeling this creates worsens the gloomy vibe. If possible:
- Remove dropped ceilings. Popcorn or tile drop ceilings make a room feel lower. Get rid of them to open things up if you can.
- Raise the ceiling. In some cases you may be able to actually raise the physical ceiling height by removing pipes or ductwork running below the joists.
- Add recessed lighting. Installing recessed can lighting helps create the illusion of a higher ceiling.
- Go for vertical storage. Tall shelving units, wall mounted cabinets and floor to ceiling hampers draw the eye up.
- Install light fixtures high. Hanging pendants or sconces as high as possible keeps things feeling airy.
With some work, a room with a low ceiling can feel much more open and spacious.
Conclusion
It’s amazing what a difference some bright paint, new light fixtures and a little organization can make. A laundry room doesn’t have to be a dark, cramped space you want to avoid. With a little effort, your laundry room can become a clean, inviting part of your home you don’t mind spending time in. A bright and cheerful laundry room might even make you enjoy doing laundry – or at least dislike it a little less! Implement even a few of these tips and see your laundry room in a whole new light.
