If this were my laundry area, here's what I'd do. Remove the pan from under the washer. It doesn't look big enough to actually contain a washer leak, so why is it there? Over the washer and dryer, I'd replace the open shelf with a cabinet with doors. I'd use well-labeled bins or baskets to store laundry supplies. You could attach a fabric valance to the bottom of the cabinet to cover the outlets and water connection.

In that nook, I'd mount the fire extinguisher just inside that wall. It's not very helpful where it is, and it's always a good idea to have one handy.

Can you add open shelving above the clothes rod, or can it be lowered so that you can? That would give you another area for storage without losing the clothes bar or the space beneath.

You can get a pan large enough to fit under both the washer and dryer together, so you can have pedestals. If you do get pedestals, the outlets will be hidden by the washer and dryer.

Here is a link that might be useful: combo washer dryer drip pan

Franksmom - the pan is there to drain any water that may leak - there is a pipe that the water would go down instead of the ceiling below the laundry room. It has to be there. BUT...Suero - my DH is checking out the double pan right now! Thanks for sending that link. I told DH that the people on this forum are THE BEST and are so helpful.
In the nook, the bar is just one of those adjustable spring bars to hang wet shirts that need to be drip dried. I would definitely want something like that somewhere in the room.
I looked at examples of laundry rooms where people posted pictures. I really like the white subway tile but will most likely just paint. There was one picture where they had a silver backsplash and silver cabinets that looked see-through almost like they were IKEA cabinets. Then I saw a few with beadboard and I have always liked beadboard. I am planning on getting the stainless silver Samsung in lieu of the red though I also like the red. I am just beginning so that is why I am asking for advice.

Thanks so much!!

Hi, Hoyamom

My washer and dryer are on pedestals. It is great if you have a bad back like I do. However, it means they are too high to have a shelf for folding clothes. So there is a trade-off. You will have drawers in the pedestals, so the soap, etc. can be stored there.

I agree that beadboard is nice. I have some on the end wall in my kitchen.

Colorcrazy - I do think I want the extra folding space so I don't think I will get the pedestals. I think beadboard will be the easiest and will make the small room look brighter. White beadboard with a silver/blue gray paint and white cabinets. How does that sound?? I can put the beadboard further up the wall and incorporate that "water hose hole" and the plugs. I will also have to find someone to do all this construction.
DH says he thinks the washer and dryer can be switched but the dryer will have to go tight into the right side.
Stay tuned...

I got the LG front loaders that are stackable. They were the largest model we could buy (4 years ago) and had the capability of stacking. Once we move them to the main level in the coming weeks, we will finally be able to stack them as intended. That takes up less ground space and leave you free to do the rest of the room as you see fit. It is so easy to move the laundry from the washer right above to the dryer.
Our current laundry room is set up all wrong for them and has a low ceiling. I have to lean over the door currently to get the wash in or out of the washer and then move it to the left to get in the dryer. Having them stack will be heaven ;)
IKEA has great closet organizers that we just bought for our master bedroom that are entirely adjustable rods and components. They also have a ton of wardrobe and/or kitchen cabs that could work in your laundry room.

DH built this handy spot for our small laundry room:

Did you buy the Samsung 448 models, if so I believe the doors are reversible according to the specs I've seen on this model?

Are you already committed to the Samsung?

I think the idea of stackables is great. I would move the washer and dryer stacked to the left side of the closet, after taking down the wire shelf. Then on the right I would put in lower cabinets with pull-out shelves to hold laundry detergent and other products, a countertop (stainless steel would be great), and then cabinets above. Folding would be possible on the countertop, but being stainless it would not be harmed by wet things, laundry chemicals, etc.

In the nook I would hang a permanent rod down lower for drip-drying, if that is something you need. It would, as suggested, be the right spot to hang the fire extinguisher. The ironing board and iron could be mounted on the side of the cabinets between them and the stackable units.

I would be sure you have undercabinet lighting to help when you are treating stains or doing other detail tasks, and great overhead lighting for general use and ironing. Also see about plug mould underneath the top cabinet to allow you to plug in things like the iron, a small coffeemaker or other items easily, rather than having to stretch cords around other things.

Paint the walls a fun color to make you smile when you open those closet doors!

If you need a cheap storage solution in the nook, you can use wire cubes or a plastic cart with drawers. I have both in my craft room. I got a piece of pine cut at HD to sit right on the top, and then in the front edge of the pine, I screwed in two cup hooks (one on either end) and placed a dowel on them with finials on either end. Then I hung a curtain on the dowel to cover the ugliness of the shelves and what's on them. Then you just flip up the curtain to get into it. If that made any sense, LOL.

Wow, what great ideas!! Les, once again you come through but...I don't think I can stack them on the left side bc the drain pipe is on the right side where the washer is. Plus I wonder if they are stacked (even on the right side) if I would be able to reach all the way inside the dryer without a step stool. I love your idea about the lighting I will definitely have some sort of lighting put in below the cabinets.
I really am leaning toward white beadboard and demeron's is a great example. I want something that looks good because the laundry closet is at the top of my second floor landing. Right now it just doesn't fit with the style of the rest of my home and I want it to be great. I don't mind spending money (within reason) on this project to make it look like the rest of the house.
DH wants to go out right now and buy the w/d but I said we need to find someone to put the beadboard in, decide on a paint color, I would LOVE new floor too and then put the cabinets and shelves in.
XC60 - I will have to check about the other Samsung's but the guy at Sears said they could only switch the DRYER door.

I will keep you posted!!

Check into getting a flood alarm for your washer. They are battery powered units that only run about 15 dollars at your hardware store. Good to have back up in case the water gushes quicker than it can go down the drain, or worse the drain plugs.

Demeron I think your DH ought to sell his basket holder design to all contractors. EVERY laundry room ought to have space to set full baskets of clothes for before and after washing. I love the folding space you have! Very nicely designed and carried out. I think your DH deserves a gold star!

The construction guy is coming over next week to give me an estimate so I should probably be ready with some ideas. The Samsung's are the stainless steel color.

I *think* I want white beadboard with some blue/gray color above the white. EK's Wheat is painted on the landing off the laundry room. It's a very light yellow color so I suppose I need some sort of *warm* blue/gray???

The floor is a white/beigy laminate (you can see it in the first photo). I was planning on keeping it but it is such a small space I don't think it would be very expensive to put something else down.

I also am planning to have a counter put across the w/d for folding. Did I read somewhere that the counter should be the same color as the floor? Any suggestions???

I am going to get white cabinets with frosted glass fronts to keep it from being too dark since there isn't a window in there.

So my questions are:
1. What color for the walls that would go with stainless and white beadboard?
2. What color counter across the top?
3. Should I change the floor?

btw - SUERO - DH ordered the double pan to put the washer and dryer in!

Thanks!

if you're not going to stack the washer and dryer, i highly recommend the pedestals! the frontloading washers and dryers are really low(and i'm pretty flexible/in shape and don't have a bad back!)...i'm 5'8 1/2", so maybe taller than you, but i could easily have the washer/dryer another 5-6" higher and be comfortable...they're great for storing rags and laundry products,etc in too! then the cabinets above are used to store other stuff. (i keep a stepstool in laundry room so i can reach upper cabinets!)

i don't fold on a table tho...i "airfold" right out of the dryer and stack on top of the washer and dryer...if you need a surface to fold on, then the pedestals will make it too tall.

your floor is pretty neutral...i would probably just keep it...with the double pan i would probably just put down a nice looking rug in front...makes it more comfortable to stand on!

Weird that your washer pan is on the right. It's not something I even thought about when we built.

Not sure I'd be comfortable with a stacked w/d on the 2nd floor; that's a lot of weight if you're doing washing & drying at the same time. My concern would be if the floor was reinforced to hold it.

Currently I have similar to what you have; I use the wire shelf for hangers & putting shirt straight out of the dryer. At my old house I had the bar that you have; I miss it so much; I could hang shirts & not have to put clothes away.

Anyway, think about how you use the laundry room. I have a regular washer with pedestal dryer; I fold on top of the washer. I put my detergent in the drawer under the dryer; not sure if it will hold the large BJ's size bottles as I keep them elsewhere.

Hoyamom, I'm working on our laundry room now, too. We got the Kenmore FL set (really a relabeled LG). I was shocked at how much more space these take up than our old top loader. They come out into the room a few more inches which is a lot when the room is small.

We decided to stack ours, but it's not ideal. The washer is so low to the ground that it is awkward to get the clothes in/out (even though I don't have back problems). I'm 5'4" and don't have any trouble getting all of the clothes out of the dryer, but I can see that if you're any shorter than that, it could be a problem. Honestly, I almost wish I'd stuck with a top loader! I don't notice much difference in the wash and the top loader fit so much better in the space.

Also, since our laundry room is on the 2nd floor, we have our washer sitting in a pan like yours, but there is no drain beneath, and instead, we have a valve shut-off alarm kit which works beautifully!

Good luck with your new laundry room!

Here is a link that might be useful: Smart Home valve shutoff kit

Just painted the laundry room BM Eternity in the Aura formula. The chip looked perfect but I am not happy. I wanted a cool gray with a slight blue and this came out a greenish/blue. I don't want to repaint so will have to live with it. I think this is the first room where I am not happy with the color.
I am supposed to get white glass front cabinets so hopefully that will take away some of the blue/green.
Sorry, just complaining...

Another thing you might want to think about with putting your FL washer on a laminate floor. We did that and it really shakes on the high spin. We do have pedestals.

grandma - I need to keep the same floor. It is vinyl and in good shape. The W/D will sit in a double pan that is pretty thick so hopefully that should keep it quiet. Right now I don't have any issues with my old washer noise.
I am still waiting on another estimate from the guy who is going to put up the cabinets. I will take pictures when it's finished.

I don't think you want a double pan unless you want your dryer to sit in water also if there is a water leak / hose leak with your washer. I'm surprised there is such a thing as a double pan.

When we bought our Bosch front loaders, the salesman tried to sell me the pedestal drawers for storage. I did not like how high they boosted the machines, and if it is easier on your back to transfer the laundry up higher, surely that is offset by having to bend down almost to the floor and
pull out a drawer every time you want detergent?

We've had every kind of laundry room, from a closet / nook like yours to a 15 x 17 to die for room, and I can tell you that size is MUCH less
important than good planning and organization aids. You have gotten a lot of good advice on how to make the most of your space.

kswl - open for any suggestions.
The washer pan has a drain hole so it won't sit in water. I thought of that myself but here's hoping there's no leak.

In the 29x29 recessed area I am putting in a base cabinet with a counter top and then above that I will have a hanging bar to hang clothes. I feel like I should have something else in there and feel like it will be wasted empty space above the cabinet. The ceilings are 9 feet so I can go pretty high.

Above the w/d there will be 2 - 42 inch glass front cabinets. I think they are 12 inches deep. Any suggestions on how high ABOVE the countertop (that runs across the w/d) I should put the bottom of the cabinets? I want them fairly low so I can use them.

Thanks for your help. I am anxious for this to get started/finished. The new w/d were supposed to be delivered Feb 1 but had to postpone until Feb 21 so the workman can get those cabinets up and the countertop built (it will be removeable).

Am I missing something? Suggestions?