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10 Before and After Laundry Room Remodels

Forest green laundry room makeover.

Jenna Sue Design

A laundry room remodel can transform your space to make it feel larger and keep clutter at bay. Whether you have a spacious room for laundry or you're working with a closet that's being repurposed as a laundry room, adding simple features like folding tables, shelving, and even a sink can make it a more enjoyable, functional space. In small laundry rooms, you may want to focus on adding organization and minimalist styling, while larger spaces can get creative with the layout.

The average laundry room remodel will range from approximately $1,300 to $15,000, with the average being closer to $8,000. Of course, if you have the skill and time to DIY some or all of the work, that can bring the cost down significantly.

Ready to get inspired? Here are 10 before and after laundry room remodels to inspire you.

  • 01 of 10

    Before: Small, Windowless, and Cluttered

    Before laundry room renovation.

    A Beautiful Mess

    This laundry room transformation from Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess shows what a difference bold paint can make. Larson also was tasked with the challenge of creating some type of division since the lack of a door between the kitchen and laundry room felt too exposed.

    After: Fresh Forest Green

    Forest green laundry room makeover.

    A Beautiful Mess / Jenna Sue Design

    Larson chose to saturate the walls in forest green paint that adds a fresh feel and provides contrast to make white appliances, ceiling, and window paint and added shelving pop.

    She also chose to add a veil of privacy in the form of a beaded curtain. Instead of a door, which would have had to swing into the kitchen to open, it adds interest and preserves an easy flow from room to room.

    "It felt a little unconventional to me," she says, "but the function worked so well that I went for it anyway."

  • 02 of 10

    Before: Small, Windowless, and Cluttered

    Laundry room makeover by Orlando Soria.

    Orlando Soria

    Interior designer Orlando Soria transformed this small, windowless space that served as a multi-purpose pantry and laundry room.

    "The room was neither functional nor aesthetically pleasing before," Soria says. Because of the stacking washer and dryer, there was no place to fold laundry or put a laundry basket.

    After: Streamlined and Sleek

    Laundry room transformation by Orlando Soria.

    Orlando Soria

    "In a small space that lacks personality, go bold with wall color," Soria says, who used Annapolis Green by Benjamin Moore.

    He unstacked the washer and dryer to add counter space and create an area to fold laundry. Since this particular laundry room doubles as a food pantry off the kitchen, he chose locally sourced walnut for open shelving lined with attractive storage containers to hide clutter.

  • 03 of 10

    Before: Drab and Boring

    Laundry room before makeover.
    Thalita Murray

    Thalita Murray transformed this drab, boring and underutilized space into a beautiful oasis for doing laundry.

    After: Pretty in Pink

    Laundry room after makeover.

    Thalita Murray

    For this striking laundry room makeover, Murray moved and painted the original cabinetry, added shelving in between the cabinets to create a custom built-in look, created a countertop on top of the machines, and added a place to store laundry baskets.

    She painted cabinets in Lichen by Fusion Mineral Paint and walls in Peach Rose by Behr. She also installed a farmhouse sink and added cheerful wallpaper.

    Decorative touches include a faux fiddle leaf fig, a letter board, a large clock, and a braided jute rug.

  • 04 of 10

    Before: Converted Exterior Porch

    Before laundry room makeover.
    Jenna Sue Design

    This creative makeover from Jenna Sue Design turned an exterior porch into a laundry room.

    "The size and configuration certainly limits the potential in here, but I was determined to make the most of it on a small budget and time frame," Jenna Sue says. 

    After: Pretty and Functional Laundry Room

    laundry room makeover with tile floor

    Jenna Sue Design

    Floors became the focal point for this dramatic makeover with a whimsical custom penny tile design that Sue created and refined in Photoshop for weeks until she got it right.

    She lightened up the dark wood ceiling with HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams Softened Green to maintain a light and airy earthy feel, introduced butcher block countertop shelving and botanical wallpaper for a touch of the organic, added dark modern appliances and a mix of open and closed storage. 

    Continue to 5 of 10 below
  • 05 of 10

    Before: Cramped, Dated, and Sad

    Laundry room before
    The green eyed girl

    "There is something about a smaller space that gives me a bit more confidence to step outside of my comfort zone," Claire Wainwright from The green eyed girl, says. "The utility room was the perfect room to do exactly that."

    Normally a fan of all-white interiors, she says she was hoping to up the wow factor and include a darker color palette.

    After: Modern Utilitarian 

    Chic gray and white laundry room makeover.

    The green eyed girl

    "I really wanted to test out some dark paint and knew the utility room could take it," Wainwright says. "With light coming from both ends of the room, white tiles, and white cupboards already installed, there wasn’t that much wall space to paint so I thought I would just go ahead and give it a go."

    She chose Down Pipe by Farrow and Ball, which she says changes with the light. The dark color plays beautifully against the crisp white tiles, sink, and appliances. To ensure the mostly monochromatic room didn't feel too cold, she added decorative objects, pictures, and oak accents like wooden slat blinds on the window.

    "The utility room now somehow looks brighter and bigger with the changes," she says. "It has become a stylish destination rather than a scruffy afterthought and I am so glad I took the risk to go bold and brave!"

  • 06 of 10

    Before: Dark and Dated

    Dark laundry room before.
    Developing Bliss Photography / At Home With Ashley

    Ashley Wilson from At Home With Ashley took the dark and dated laundry space in her 1905 Victorian Fairview Cottage and did a gut renovation to transform the room.

    She and her husband tore out and vaulted the ceiling, painted the floor, added shiplap to the ceiling, replaced the unsightly old water heater with a tankless version, added tile and wallpaper, and built a pedestal for the washer and dryer with a folding countertop.

    After: Light and Fresh

    Laundry room makeover.

    Developing Bliss Photography / At Home With Ashley

    "I love how wallpaper pulls together a room like nothing else can!" Wilson says. For the dramatic laundry room transformation, she chose a fun pattern that blends traditional and modern.

    "The wallpaper absolutely makes the space," she says. "I love the circles of botanical art that are inspired by an Australian artist from the early 1900’s!"

    Subway tile is a timeless classic that works well in her period house, and she chose gold schluter for a modern twist.

    "The space feels so clean now with the walls of tile!" she says. "Which seems perfect for a laundry room!"

    Finally, adding millwork—baseboards, crown molding, shiplap, casing and wainscot cap—gave the room depth and character. "This used to be a porch," Wilson says," But with the beautiful trim, it definitely doesn’t feel like one anymore."

  • 07 of 10

    Before: Tired and Underwhelming

    Laundry room before
    Brepurposed

    Bre Bertolini of Brepurposed turned a tired-looking laundry space into a crisp, functional, and attractive room with this impressive makeover.

    After: Crisp White and Navy Blue

    Laundry room after.

    Brepurposed 

    Bertolini painted the cabinetry in Anchors Aweigh by Sherwin Williams and added a porcelain sink.

    "I wanted a pull down since the sink is so big," she says. "It makes it easier to wash it out and it will be nice for getting out stains."

    Open wood shelving above the washer and dryer and the black brackets spray painted gold create a high-end look, and an old door slab repurposed as a countertop has a butcher block effect. Succulents, a letter board, and a vintage rug add a farmhouse touch.

  • 08 of 10

    Before: Cluttered Corner of the Garage

    Messy garage before
    Anita Yokota

    Anita Yokota, an interior designer, says she battled with a tiny corner of her cluttered garage that served as a makeshift laundry room for a decade before she finally decided to transform the jumbled space.

    After: A Dedicated Space That's Stylish and Functional

    laundry room makeover

    Anita Yokota

    Yokota decluttered the space, and added epoxy flooring, wallpaper, a countertop, a utility sink, and open shelving. She styled the space with a metallic rose gold finish for her washer and dryer, a fiddle leaf fig, wallpaper, open shelving, and baskets to store laundry essentials such as liquid detergent, dryer balls, and cleaning supplies.

    "Since transforming my garage into a laundry oasis," Yokota says, "I seriously have been meditating in here while I do a load of laundry."

    Continue to 9 of 10 below
  • 09 of 10

    Before: Lacking Functionality and Style

    Before laundry room makeover.

    Jenna Sue Design

    Sue and her husband used an awkward, cave-like space to create a stylish, functional laundry room. 

    "We came up with a solution to maximize the space by building an alcove for the appliances to be recessed into the wall and also create a separate storage room in the back," she says. "Everything came out—the floors, ceiling, walls, HVAC, even dirt and rock that had to be excavated to extend the room and allow for a washer/dryer enclosure under the house."

    After: Rustic Farmhouse Touch

    Laundry room transformation.

    Gary Johnson / Jenna Sue Design

    "This space was inspired by my vision of what laundry must be like in heaven," Sue says. To turn the dark basement into a dreamy laundry room space, she added a recessed washer and dryer that allowed for cabinet design involving a full wall of storage, plus a DIY barn door, floating reclaimed wood shelf, custom butcher block, a farmhouse sink, and subway tile.

    "Removing the ceiling drywall and leaving the joists exposed was a design risk that I wasn’t 100% confident about in the beginning," Sue says. "It’s absolutely one of my favorite things we did. It not only makes the room look and feel so much taller—it brings such personality and interest to the space. I’d do it again in a heartbeat."

  • 10 of 10

    Before: Dated and Dreary

    Before dark dreary laundry room

    A Beautiful Mess

    This laundry room makeover from Larson involved relovating the sink and, consequently, embarking on major plumbing work, as well as ripping out part of the ceiling to give her a view of the backyard from the sink.

    After: Bright and Airy With a View

    Bright and airy laundry room

    A Beautiful Mess

    "I feel like this was how it was always meant to be!" she says. "Maybe not the most dramatic before/after of all time, but if you really look the upgrades are all very thought out and practical. I also just love how bright, fresh and clean this room feels now."

    She replaced the marble countertop with low-maintenance quartz and added a champagne bronze faucet to complete the look.

FAQ
  • How do I redesign my laundry room?

    For a laundry room remodel, first consider the laundry room layout and whether it works for how you functionally use the space. Be sure to take plumbing for both your appliances and a sink into place. Then, determine how you can incorporate storage, organization, and a place to fold clothes. Lastly, add some stylish elements so it's a place you don't mind spending time.

  • How much does it cost to build out a laundry room?

    On average, a laundry room will run $8,065, though a higher-end or larger space could cost as much as $14,825 and a small room could be done for just $1,300.

  • Does renovating a laundry room add value?

    A major laundry room remodel could bring you a 67% to 78% ROI if you plan on selling in the near future. This decreases over time with wear and tear.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Learn about the cost of projects in the Laundry Rooms category. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2024, from https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/laundry-rooms/