Here’s How 8 Apartments Make Room for Laundry
Finding space for laundry in a small apartment or condo can feel nearly impossible, especially when every closet, corner, and cabinet already has a job. These small laundry room ideas show how homeowners made it work by rethinking bathrooms, hallways, closets, and other existing spaces instead of adding more square footage.
Key takeaways for making room for laundry in small apartments
- Place laundry near existing plumbing, such as a bathroom or kitchen, to make installation more practical.
- Use a stacked washer and dryer when floor space is limited.
- Turn closets, alcoves, or former shower areas into compact laundry zones.
- Choose ventless or apartment-size units when standard machines will not fit.
- Plan storage around the laundry area so detergents, linens, and everyday supplies stay organized.
Small apartments rarely come with an obvious laundry room. More often, homeowners have to look twice at the spaces they already have: a hallway closet, a little-used shower, a bathroom wall, or an awkward alcove that never really found its purpose.
That’s where smart renovation planning can make a real difference, especially in condos and apartments where building rules, plumbing, and space limits all need to be considered.
1. A former shower became a tucked-away bathroom laundry
- Location: Upper Manhattan, New York
- Goal: Add in-unit laundry while updating a 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom co-op
- Renovation scope: Gut renovated the bathroom, added a shower to the original tub, replaced the old shower area with a washer/dryer, and made smaller updates to the kitchen, closets, paint, doors, and molding.
- Result: Their bathroom gained a hidden laundry zone, added shelving, a cleaner black-and-white tile design, and a layout that made better use of the room’s existing footprint.
Sometimes the smartest place for laundry is already in the bathroom, just not in the way the room is currently arranged. In Lindsay’s home renovation, she had an old shower area that could give way to something more useful: a washer and dryer tucked along the bathroom wall.
They turned to Sweeten, which connected them with vetted general contractors. From there, their chosen design-build team reworked the bathroom so the original tub could handle shower duty while the former shower space became the new laundry area.
The finished setup feels especially useful for a small apartment because it keeps laundry inside an existing wet zone instead of carving out space elsewhere. Shelving along the laundry wall added storage in hard-to-reach spots, while double doors helped hide visual clutter.
The room still reads as a polished black-and-white bathroom, but now it quietly handles one of the biggest everyday needs in city living.
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2. A small laundry room idea hidden in a hallway closet
- Location: Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York
- Goal: Renovate a 1,600-square-foot co-op for a growing family while creating a more open, efficient layout
- Renovation scope: Removed walls between the kitchen and living area, added structural supports, expanded the primary bedroom, updated the bathrooms, and moved the laundry into a newly built hallway closet.
- Result: The washer and dryer found a permanent home in the hallway, giving the apartment a dedicated laundry spot without taking space away from the kitchen, bathrooms, or bedrooms.
Ylia’s renovation had a laundry setup that didn’t land in the right place on the first try. As far as small laundry room ideas go, this one came down to patience and layout problem-solving: the couple moved the laundry room walls three times before settling on a newly built hallway closet for the washer and dryer.
Because the renovation also opened the kitchen to the main living area, it’s a good reminder that layout choices, appliance planning, and kitchen renovation cost conversations often overlap in apartment remodels.
The hallway closet gave the laundry setup its own clear zone, but it did not interrupt the flow of the home. That mattered in a co-op where the family was also solving bigger layout issues, from closed-off rooms to outdated systems and tight storage.
In the end, the washer and dryer were tucked into a practical location that supported the larger goal: a home that felt calmer, roomier, and easier for a growing family to use.
3. A raised laundry setup planned for easier access
- Location: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, New York
- Goal: Remodel a longtime home with accessibility, comfort, and retirement in mind
- Renovation scope: Renovated the kitchen and bathroom in his 1,000-square-foot co-op, including new infrastructure for a washer, dryer, dishwasher, and reworked bathroom plumbing.
- Result: Apartment-size laundry units were placed on pedestals with a counter above, creating a setup that made loading, unloading, and folding easier.
Mickey’s kitchen priorities were personal and practical. He had wanted a washer and dryer in his apartment for years, but he also wanted the setup to support the way he expected to live in the home over time. Sweeten listened to his concerns, connected him with multiple contractors, and helped him compare bids before he chose the right team of contractors for the plumbing, appliance, and layout needs.
His bathroom remodel is also connected to the same long-term planning many homeowners think about when designing accessible bathrooms, especially when comfort and ease of use matter more over time. The pedestal height reduced bending, while the counter above created a folding surface in the same compact zone. Sweeten brings homeowners an exceptional renovation experience by personally matching trusted general contractors to your project, while offering expert guidance and support—at no cost to you. Renovate expertly with Sweeten
In a narrow kitchen, that kind of detail matters because it turns a dream feature into something easy to use every week.
4. A bathroom niche built from borrowed closet space
- Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York
- Goal: Expand a fourth-floor bathroom so it could also function as a laundry room
- Renovation scope: Reconfigured and expanded the bathroom by borrowing space from nearby closets, then rebuilt one closet to fit 24-inch stacking laundry units.
- Result: The bathroom became a brighter, more functional space with a washer and dryer, a larger shower, a double vanity, and added storage.
Isis’ renovation and laundry plan had a few surprises along the way. The original washer and dryer left by the previous owners did not fit the planned space, and some measurements from an outside designer did not line up once the work started. Their Sweeten contractor helped solve the layout problems, reworking the area so a 24-inch stacking washer and dryer could fit inside a rebuilt closet, a smart reminder that closet remodel ideas can be about function, not just storage.
That fix gave the family the laundry function they wanted without losing the bathroom’s main purpose. The expanded room also gained a larger shower, double-sink vanity, storage, and better natural light from the skylight, showing how thoughtful bathroom design can still leave room for laundry.
For a busy family, the room became much more than a bathroom with laundry squeezed in.
5. An alcove that made space for bathroom laundry
- Location: DUMBO, Brooklyn, New York
- Goal: Add a washer and dryer to a 953-square-foot studio loft that had no laundry hookup
- Renovation scope: Expanded the bathroom by taking space from a nearby alcove, then worked with their contractor on plumbing, electrical permits, lighting, tile, fixtures, and layout details.
- Result: The bathroom gained a dedicated laundry niche with a front-loading washer and dryer, making the apartment feel much easier to live in.
Ashleigh and Jonathan first thought adding laundry might be a straightforward upgrade. Once they realized their apartment had no laundry hookup, the project grew into a bathroom renovation that required more planning, permits, and space. Sweeten matched them with a remodeling contractor who was already working in the building, which helped them feel confident that he understood the property and the kind of work involved.
The project also shows why early planning conversations matter when plumbing, electrical work, and permits are all part of the job. By borrowing square footage from the alcove, the bathroom could hold both the new laundry setup and the design features the couple wanted.
The finished space gave them the convenience of in-unit laundry and made their studio loft feel much more livable.
6. A tiny half-bath with a ventless washer dryer
- Location: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, New York
- Goal: Add in-unit laundry so the homeowners would no longer carry laundry up and down five flights of stairs
- Renovation scope: Renovated two small bathrooms in their 1,200-square-foot co-op, including a 24-square-foot half-bath where the laundry setup had to fit.
- Result: Their contractor tapped into the small sink’s line and installed a compact, ventless washer dryer that worked with the tight space.
Lynn and Craig’s laundry idea was rejected more than once before Sweeten connected them with the right contractor. Other contractors said the washer and dryer would not work in the half-bath or suggested a more disruptive plumbing route, but their Sweeten contractor’s team found a simpler solution. They used the small sink’s line and chose a compact, ventless Bosch washer dryer that suited the water line, electrical load, and 24-square-foot room.
For anyone planning a similar project, thinking through a small bathroom renovation budget early can help keep the plumbing, electrical, fixture, and appliance decisions more grounded. The half-bath still worked as a bathroom, but it also handled laundry in a way that fit the apartment’s limits.
For a fifth-floor walk-up, that change was more than convenient; it changed how the homeowners used their home day to day.
7. A hallway closet became a compact laundry nook
- Location: Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York
- Goal: Add an in-unit washer and dryer to a one-bedroom co-op
- Renovation scope: Laura and Peter renovated the bathroom and converted a hallway closet into a laundry nook, with the laundry sharing water access with the bathroom.
- Result: The hallway closet was transformed with blue-gray paint, a stacked Bosch washer and dryer, and nearby linen storage.
Laura and Peter knew they wanted in-unit laundry before they even bought their apartment. Once they found a building that allowed washers and dryers, they looked to a hallway closet between the kitchen and bathroom as the most logical place to make it happen.
Sweeten introduced them to Valeria and Eduard, whose team opened the walls, confirmed the laundry could share water access with the bathroom, and turned the plan into a bathroom remodel with a proper laundry nook.
What could have stayed an ordinary closet became one of the most useful parts of the apartment. The stacked washer and dryer fit neatly beside revamped linen storage, so the setup felt organized instead of squeezed in.
For a small apartment, that kind of tucked-away laundry zone is exactly the point: close at hand, but not in the way.
8. A half-bath laundry room that solved a space puzzle
- Location: Financial District, Manhattan, New York
- Goal: Update a half-bath/laundry room and make it work as a more complete utility space
- Renovation scope: Elizabeth remodeled the half-bath, added a shower, stacked the washer and dryer, and included custom storage and cabinetry.
- Result: The room became a more functional bath and laundry space, with a larger shower base, sink, slide-out shelves, cabinetry, and a clear path through the narrow layout.
Elizabeth’s half-bath already had a washer and dryer, but the room needed a better plan. The challenge was fitting laundry, storage, a sink, and a shower into a tight footprint without making the room feel crowded. After Sweeten connected her with a vetted contractor, the contractor found about a foot and a half of hidden space behind a wall, stacked the washer and dryer, and built in custom storage to help everything fit.
The finished room does a lot without looking overstuffed. Slide-out shelves and cabinetry gave the utility side of the room more order, while the stacked laundry setup freed up space for the bathroom upgrades.
Even with an irregular footprint and narrow walk-through, the remodel made the small room feel more useful and easier to live with.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a laundry room?
A laundry room is a dedicated space in a home where clothes, linens, and other washable items are washed, dried, folded, and stored. In small apartments or condos, it can also be a compact laundry zone inside a bathroom, hallway closet, kitchen, or alcove.
What should I consider in a laundry room?
A couple of things to consider in a laundry room are plumbing access and appliance size. These details help determine whether a stacked, ventless, or all-in-one washer dryer will fit the space and work with the home’s existing layout.
Where should I set up a laundry room?
A great place to set up a laundry room is near an existing wet zone, such as a bathroom or kitchen. These areas usually make more sense because the plumbing is already nearby, which can make the renovation more practical.
