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Would you combine your laundry and bathroom?

A laundry-bathroom combo maximises available space and can be an ideal solution for those living in compact homes.

However, it can also bring challenges like lack of privacy.

I’m curious to know what our members think. Do you prefer having dedicated, separate spaces for each activity? Or do you think a combined space will be more convenient and efficient?

Tagging @rjackson, @prettyliving and @homeinmelbourne to kickstart the discussion.

Bathroom laundry combined example.jpeg

Akanksha

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Dave-1

Good Morning @Akanksha

Ive had both over the years. One flat had a huge laundry and bathrrom type deal. The space felt like the size of a medium bedroom. It was handy to have both in the same room but felt a little lifeless due to the echo chamber effect 🙂 Also even tho it was so large all it had was a bathtub in a corner, shower diagonally across a laundry sink and a bathroom sink, nothing else. It felt a little odd. Looking back it needed to be revamped id say 🙂

I now have seperate bathroom and laundry plus an offshoot second toilet in the laundry. I prefer this as it allows me to store tools in the laundry area and of course any junk thats unassigned 🙂

Dave

rjackson

Hi @Akanksha , the combined bathroom/laundry is an great space saver and with a combined washer/dryer it’s easy to forget it’s there.

With a smaller household we find no issues with privacy and laundry is already in the right room for washing. Storage is key!

With a larger family you may have to manage timings and privacy but not to be ruled out if you would rather the space in another room.

prettyliving

@Akanksha I would definitely do this if lack of space was an issue and this was a way to solve it. We actually considered combing our laundry and kitchen together at one point until we found a better solution.

MitchellMc

Thanks for sharing your experience, @Dave-1! It's interesting to hear about your previous flat with a combined laundry and bathroom and your current setup with separate spaces. Considering your past and present living arrangements, have you ever thought about how the design and layout of these spaces could affect your daily routines and overall lifestyle?

Mitchell

MitchellMc

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts on the combined bathroom/laundry setup, @rjackson. It sounds like it's been a convenient space-saving solution for your smaller household. I can see how having the laundry in the same room as the bathroom would make washing more efficient.

You mentioned that storage is key, and I can understand how important that must be, especially when you have limited space. In the context of a larger family, you brought up an interesting point about managing timings and privacy. I'm curious, if you were to have a larger family or if your family size were to change in the future, how would you approach the arrangement of the bathroom and laundry areas to accommodate everyone's needs effectively? Would you consider maintaining the combined setup or opting for separate spaces?

Mitchell

MitchellMc

It's interesting to hear that you were considering combining your laundry and kitchen at one point @prettyliving. It seems like space optimization was a significant factor in your decision-making process. What alternative solution did you find that made you reconsider the laundry and kitchen combination? Could you share more about the solution you ended up choosing and why it was a better fit for your needs compared to the combined setup?

Mitchell

rjackson

Hi @MitchellMc our place is only a 1 by 1 so we need to extend for bedrooms already. Our plan is still to build on a new combined laundry bathroom but with a separate WC at the other end of the house and maybe swap the current laundry section to a bath.

Being on an acreage, the dirt is always an issue so keeping the rooms combined it keeps it manageable.

MitchellMc

That sounds like a great plan, @rjackson! Combining the laundry and bathroom while having a separate WC and converting the current laundry section into a bath seems like a smart way to optimize your space. It's wonderful that you're considering the future needs of your family as well.

As you move forward with your home extension and renovation, how do you envision the overall design and style of the combined bathroom/laundry? Do you plan to incorporate any particular elements to create a harmonious and functional space? Feel free to share your thoughts, and I'm here to discuss any ideas or provide suggestions if needed!

Mitchell

prettyliving

@MitchellMc Yes our kitchen is very small but the laundry (that is right behind it) is huge. So we did think about removing the wall inbetween them to open in up but have now decided to extend the kitchen into the hallway and make a new hallway by taking a bit out of one of the bedrooms which is really big. This way will work better with the house layout.

MitchellMc

I wonder if that was the original design @prettyliving and if you happen to know, could you tell me when the house was built? If it's an older home, it's likely a reflection of the architectural preferences of that era.

Back in the day, having larger laundry rooms was quite essential, considering how labour-intensive laundry tasks used to be (though still are very time-consuming) and the larger-sized appliances that needed to be accommodated. On the other hand, kitchens were mainly seen as functional spaces for meal preparation. At the same time, kitchens have undergone a significant transformation, becoming larger and more versatile, and they've become the central hub for gatherings, thanks in part to the rise of open floor plans. The desire for easy entertaining has also played a role in making spacious and well-equipped kitchens a sought-after feature in homes.

For my family, it's not uncommon to spend more time in the kitchen than in the living room, especially when we have people over or in the mornings and evenings when someone is preparing meals.

Mitchell

Dave-1

Morning Mitchel @MitchellMc

Id actually choose a third option even!
So I think I prefer a seperate bathroom/laundry as clothes tend to rack up for washing/hanging when it rains and also humidy in the bathroom is something that sits in my head (Hot showers/baths ect). The third option is actually have the laundry in the hallway. I had to rental and the laundry was in an alcove going down the hallway. It was a modern house and there was a curtain that you would pull to hide it. It really worked. It was useful, you couldnt stack more stuff into the area and it held all you needed for a laundry. Plus the breeze throughout the house kept the humidy low and fresh.

Dave

MitchellMc

Always worth thinking outside the box, @Dave-1! 👍

Mitchell

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