26 Inviting Basement Laundry Room Ideas

Add a Pop of Color

A fresh coat of paint is a great way to give your basement laundry room a quick refresh. Update old cabinets with a warm and inviting paint color and create a contemporary, designer-style look by continuing the color on the walls.

If your laundry room features outdated wood paneling on the walls, instead of ripping it out and having to install new drywall, take the budget DIY approach and simply cover it with a coat of new paint for an inexpensive makeover.

Install Statement Hardware

Update your cabinetry and elevate your basement laundry room simply by changing out old hardware. Brass is a lovely choice to bring in warmth and create color contrast when paired with a dark cabinet color such as this navy blue.

Other popular metal choices include matte black, oil-rubbed bronze, or polished nickel. Use pulls and knobs for a more interesting, layered effect, and don't be afraid to mix up to three metals in the same space when it comes to hardware and lighting.

Hang a Statement Light Fixture

A statement light fixture isn't just reserved for a formal dining room. Create some drama and hang a cool ceiling light in your laundry room. Chances are, the room could use some extra light if it's in the basement, so why not use the opportunity to add a fun design element at the same time?

Focus on Flooring

Walls aren't the only surface to incorporate a cool pattern—floor tiles provide an opportunity to add color, texture, and pattern at the same time. However small your basement laundry room is, pack a design punch with interesting flooring that draws the eyes (and is easy to keep clean).

Don't Skip the Decor

Chances are, you spend more time in your laundry room than you'd like to, which is why making it warm and homey is important. Just like you would in any other room in your home, create decorative vignettes on shelves using layered artwork or vases with flowers.

Keep the space functional and leave plenty of room for activities such as folding or treating stains, but add personal touches to make it feel more welcoming.

Go All-White

A basement laundry room is often dark and uninviting—if that's the case with yours, there's no better way to brighten it than with a fresh coat of white paint. It'll give the room a neat and clean look while brightening it up and helping it feel larger.

White paint colors such as Benjamin Moore's White Dove or Sherwin-Williams' Alabaster are excellent choices for whites that are soft enough not to feel stark and sterile.

Hang Some Plants

Give your basement laundry room a touch of green treatment with a hanging planter to add some color and whimsy to the space. Keep it simple with one large planter or hang a few smaller ones to liven up the otherwise utilitarian room.

Use a Vintage-Style Rug

One of the best ways to bring warmth and character to any space, including a basement laundry room is with a vintage-style area rug or runner.

It's a good way to hide ugly outdated linoleum that may grace your laundry room floor, as well as adding some color and pattern at the same time. Go with a machine-washable rug for added convenience, since we are talking about a laundry room.

Mix Storage Types

For both practical and aesthetic purposes, mix different types of storage in your laundry room. Closed cabinets, open shelving, and floating shelves all serve different functions and provide both hidden and decorative storage space.

Combining them and mixing warm wood tones with painted cabinetry and metal hardware is a great design trick to give your basement laundry room the designer treatment.

Add Patterns With Wallpaper

Give yourself a beautiful space to fold those countless pairs of socks and cover the walls with wallpaper. If you live in a rental or just want to give your basement laundry room a quick and inexpensive makeover, go with peel-and-stick wallpaper.

It's easy to apply yourself, it's a much more affordable option than classic wallpaper, it's removable and its installation is very simple—as its name suggests, just peel and stick it on the wall.

Let It Double as a Mudroom

If you're short on space and your laundry room is near the basement door that leads outside, turn half of it into a mudroom. Add a bench, extra cabinets, and wall hooks and you've instantly doubled the room's function.

Create an Accent Wall

Create an accent wall using wallpaper or paint for a fun focal point in your basement laundry room. It's a good way to use up leftover wallpaper, paint, or tile if you're working with a small space and a clever method for creating contrast and adding color and pattern.

Go Dark and Moody

Bring some moody tones into your basement laundry room with a dark cabinet paint color, a coordinating backsplash, and matte black hardware. Use wicker baskets to break up the cool tones and add a touch of natural texture—as well as storage, of course.

Utilize a Tray

A sturdy tray is one of the most versatile accessories you can buy for your home, and it's a great way to corral laundry supplies in a beautiful way. Empty laundry pods and other cleaning products into decorative canisters and bottles—arrange everything inside the tray for a pretty and practical laundry room vignette.

Install a Garment Rack

Warm wood tones are an excellent way to make a space feel cozy—besides incorporating wood elements through cabinets, countertops, or shelves, another way to do so is a garment rack. Hang one between upper cabinets or suspend it from the ceiling for an aesthetically pleasing and highly functional basement laundry room feature.

Maximize Storage Space

If your basement laundry room consists of a tiny closet, the best way to make even that small space feel welcoming is by incorporating an efficient organizational system that keeps it neat and uncluttered. A space-saving over-the-door organizer maximizes space and provides plenty of room for laundry essentials and cleaning supplies.

Choose One Color

When decorating a small basement laundry room, keep it visually uncluttered and clean by sticking to one color, such as this soothing lilac. It creates a harmonious space and the color uniformity gives the room the illusion of being larger than it actually is.

Take an Industrial Approach

Infuse your basement laundry room with industrial design by suspending a pipe-style garment rack from the ceiling and using modern matte black hardware on cabinet doors and drawers. These design elements emphasize the utilitarian function of the room while adding a contemporary feel.

Use Floating Shelves

Give your basement laundry room an open and airy feel by hanging floating shelves instead of upper cabinets. Besides keeping supplies within easy reach and allowing you to see what needs to be replenished, floating shelves are also an opportunity to introduce new materials, such as wood. It'll display decorative items that give the room more character and warmth.

Add Warmth With Wood Tones

Light to medium wood tones create warmth and pair beautifully with both light and bright neutrals, as well as cooler, moody tones. Pair them with dark, square-shaped hardware for a modern look, or play up the warm tones with antique brass accents that bring out the warmth for a more traditional finish.

Go Bold With Wallpaper

Have fun with your basement laundry room design and go with a bold wallpaper design. Whether it's a playful large-scale animal print or a colorful geometric pattern, the unexpected choice will make a striking design statement and make doing laundry loads of fun.

Customize Your Space

Whenever you design a space that serves a particular function, such as a laundry room, customize it to suit your needs as best as possible. Use a butcher block to add an additional folding surface and stain it with a rich tone to bring in some warmth and to tie in any brown tones in your countertops or flooring.

Add Built-Ins

Another excellent way to customize your basement laundry room is to incorporate custom built-ins. Leave the upper shelves open for easy-access storage and display purposes, and add closed cabinets and drawers on the bottom half for the less pretty, bulkier items you want to keep out of sight.

Paint the Ceiling

The ceiling is often referred to as a fifth wall and it's one that gets ignored far too often. Instead of covering it with classic flat white ceiling paint, go for a little drama and paint it the same color as your cabinets and trim for an element of surprise and a high-end design look.

Add a Folding Surface

Maximize countertop space in your basement laundry room by adding a folding surface on top of your washer and dryer. Keep the material the same as that on top of the cabinets even if the height of the two differs as it'll create visual consistency and continuity.

Create a Guest Room Laundry Closet

If you have a guest room or suite in the basement, why not add a washer and/or a dryer inside one of the closets to give your guests their own personal laundry room while they stay with you? Include a basket with small-size laundry supplies as well as a hamper to make sure that they have all they need.