Photography: Shaina Bostin
When it comes to interior design trends, it’s easy to get caught up in the flashier areas of the home. Living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms often enjoy moments of virality whenever a new trend crops up. Yet there’s one oft-neglected room that can seriously benefit from a clever and chic trend update. We’re of course talking about the laundry.
In this article
- Why laundry trends are worth following
- Multi-purpose laundries
- Pull-out features and pet-friendly built-ins
- Sink skirts
- Earthy colours and materials
- Statement sinks
Why laundry trends are worth following
The laundry is one area of the home where you can’t sacrifice functionality for form. And since laundries are often tucked away from prying guests’ eyes, it’s easier to get away with washrooms that focus on practicality over beauty.
But that’s exactly why laundry trends are worth paying attention to. If an interior design trend reaches the laundry, you can rest assured it won’t just be a pretty flight of fancy that someone saw on Pinterest (or a trend that will disappear as quickly as it gained popularity). Laundry trends actually combine form and functionality, helping you take a load off.
Scroll on for the clever laundry trends we’re predicting will sweep through our homes in 2027, plus designer tips on why they work so well.
Multi-purpose laundries
Multi-purpose rooms are trending all over the house and laundries are no exception. As Emma Mackie, interior designer at M Interiors explains, “With building costs rising and block sizes getting smaller, it’s only natural homeowners are becoming less focused on how many rooms a home has and more focused on how the home functions.”
“Multi-purpose rooms are a way of getting more out of a home without necessarily increasing its footprint. Flexible spaces allow a home to evolve without major renovations.” – Emma Mackie, interior designer
To get the most out of this trend, you need to look at your floor plan.
In some homes, a laundry-cum-mudroom will suit, creating an additional entryway with plenty of storage for bags, shoes, and other daily accessories. As Kate Cooper of Kate Cooper Interiors says, if a laundry is accessed from the garage, it often becomes the first entry point into the home, becoming a drop zone for all your bits and bobs. Kate adds, “having the laundry and mudroom in a dual zone makes so much sense.”
For other abodes, a laundry-cum-scullery is just the ticket, helping to conceal mess from the kitchen while also creating a hidden space to house a washer and dryer.
And of course, if space allows, a layout that incorporates a scullery or pantry, which leads into a laundry-cum-mudrom, can give you the best of both worlds.
Pull-outs and pet-friendly features
“A place for everything and everything in its place” has long been a proverb. But our desire to design, or install, cabinets that perfectly fit specific items has only grown stronger in recent years.
“Homeowners are increasingly wanting their laundries to look and feel beautiful, and function well,” says Emma Mackie. “Everything is within reach when you need it and neatly tucked away when you don’t.”
“Reducing visual clutter restores a feeling of order and a sense of having everything under control – it’s less overwhelming.” – Emma Mackie
Options are varied, such as concealed pull-out drying racks, pull-out shelves or sliding trays (which can create extra bench space), and a mix of cabinet sizes designed specifically to fit your cleaning tools. But Emma does have a word of warning: “Pull-outs need adequate clearance, drying racks need sufficient airflow, and concealed storage needs to remain easy to access. When these details are considered from the outset, clever features become more than a novelty — they make the room function better.”
If you have a furry friend, then one built-in trend will likely entice you more than the others. Enter the pet feeding and washing station. A built-in nook with food bowls and a large sink with pull-out mixers will serve your furry friend’s needs (and keep mess strictly delegated to the laundry instead of the rest of the house).
Sink skirts
The cottage-inspired sink skirt is officially back, and we couldn’t be more excited. While this feature is inherently decorative, it also serves a practical function. In small spaces, especially small laundries, they look less obtrusive than joinery and can break up a run of cabinet fronts.
“It helps soften the space,” says Carlene Duffy, director of Carlene Duffy Studio. “It’s another opportunity for pattern and colour, for some softness and playfulness.”
Sink skirts are a clever way to prettily conceal plumbing (especially where freestanding basins are concerned), but they don’t have to be attached to a sink. They can also hide washers and dryers, plus general laundry clutter.
“People are wanting more from their interiors,” reveals Carlene, who adds that the addition of soft furnishings can help a space look more layered and complete.
Earthy colours and materials
When you’re working with a utilitarian space like a laundry, evoking calm through soothing hues and earthy materials is essential. Colours that take inspiration from clay, soil, stone, and botanicals all feel effortlessly peaceful and often speak to the home’s surrounds. “I feel like these tones create such a sense of home and old world charm,” explains Kate Cooper. “They feel lived in, like they have always been there.”
For some, this can be created with coats of paint in cosy, comforting colours. For others, natural stone paired with warm brass tapware and hardware and timber (or timber-look) fixtures are just the ticket.
If you’re interested in this trend but looking for a less permanent way to incorporate it, Carlene Duffy suggests adding some artwork to your laundry. “I think those really utilitarian spaces deserve a little bit of softness that you can achieve from hanging a sweet piece of art.”
“It feels like a missed opportunity to not hang a piece of art if you’ve got the wall space.” – Carlene Duffy
Statement sinks
Across all the laundry trends we’ve noticed lately, there’s an overarching theme. Homeowners want these rooms to be as beautiful as they are functional. But how can you achieve that in a small laundry? A statement sink can add a structural element, while still providing function.
“As the often-forgotten room in the past, laundries are coming into their own now, and including a statement sink not only makes the space look beautiful but is useful for all of the tasks like soaking clothes or washing the family dog,” says Kate Cooper.
Bold materials can suit this trend, such as an antique bronze finish or a boldly veined stone.
A more cost-effective option can be as simple as a ceramic farmer’s sink with a fluted profile. Kate says that this works so well because it is so simple. “Essentially, you are revealing the front of the sink that would always be there, so it takes up no more space, and you get an amazing outcome,” she explains.
