Don’t get me wrong, I love my Victorian house, but perfecting the layout in a long and narrow building is a challenge. I am finally in a position to add an extension to our kitchen and renovate our bedroom. And for what seems like forever I’ve been puzzled over one particular question: where to look Utility room go?
Will he eat in the kitchen? Can I push it down the stairs? Should I sacrifice part of the entertaining space next to our shiny new garden? In the end, I decided to completely ignore all those options and put the utility room upstairs.
Controversial? Maybe, but it makes a lot of sense in my book. These are the main reasons why I’ve come to this decision, and I’ve also asked a few experts to weigh in on whether I’m doing the right thing.
1. Doesn’t make sense to wash clothes close to where they are stored?
When you really think about it, most laundry is generated upstairs. Clothes are removed before you shower, towels are used in the bathroom, sheets and pillows are removed from the bed. So why carry everything down dirty, only to bring it back up clean? Sure, you’ll want to line-dry some items—especially towels and bedding that get UV exposure for whiteness and cleanliness. But, on wet days when you depend on one Tumble dryerIt really seems like a waste of time.
“Positioning the utility room next to the bathroom eliminates unnecessary circulation around the house and creates a more intuitive and streamlined daily routine,” agrees Charlotte Tilby, head of marketing at Calypso. LochAnna Kitchen.
“It also future-proofs the house to an extent. Carrying heavy laundry baskets up and down the stairs several times a week is not particularly practical long-term, especially if you’re starting to struggle with mobility and modernity. Home renovation increasingly prioritize the ease of everyday life.”
Woodstock Co., parent company of LochAnna Kitchens and Calypso brands. As Head of Marketing for, Charlotte has her finger on the pulse for the latest design solutions for any bathroom and kitchen space. Championing both of the company’s brands gives her a wealth of knowledge about new and innovative products coming to market.
2. It gives me more space in my kitchen
Designing a kitchen Not easy at the best of times. And nowadays, there seem to be more gadgets to add to the mix. Wine coolers, American-style fridge freezers, air fryers, bean-to-cup coffee machines – how do we find space for it all?
Eating laundry appliances, that’s how. “Kitchens today have become more than purely functional cooking spaces,” says Charlotte Tilby. “They’re entertaining areas; family hubs. Because of that, there’s a growing desire for the kitchen to feel calmer and less dominant.” Household appliances.
“In many UK properties, washing machines and tumble dryers are still fitted downstairs Kitchen worktopsBut it can compromise storage, add noise and bring a very practical function to a room that is often designed for cooking, gathering and hosting,” adds Charlotte Butler, Kitchen Design Manager. BK eleven. “Moving those appliances upstairs gives the kitchen more breathing room, while allowing the utility area to be properly organized around laundry, linen and household storage.”
“It also removes a level of visual clutter that can make a kitchen look overly practical rather than sociable,” she adds.
“Integrated laundry appliances may seem like a convenience in the kitchen, but in practice they often get in the way of functional parts of everyday life such as cooking, dining and entertaining,” agrees Rikki Fothergill, bathroom design expert. A large bathroom store.
“Keep Laundry room upstairs Using visible laundry and free time is a perfect way to avoid demanding chores. As in many Mediterranean homes, siting the utility areas near the bathroom helps create a calmer, more considered layout where practical tasks can be discreetly placed in the background of everyday life,” adds Ricci.
Charlotte has a background in hotel interiors and a degree in interior design. After moving into bespoke handmade kitchens in 2014, she has spent over 14 years designing kitchens that balance daily functionality with strong visual character.
3. It keeps noisy devices away from entertaining areas
A romantic dinner for two isn’t guaranteed to spoil like a zoom meeting, cinema night or spin cycle. So if you spend most of your day working, eating and lounging downstairs, it makes a lot of sense to keep laundry appliances as far away as possible. And where better than upstairs?
“Washing machines and tumble dryers are inherently noisy appliances, and particularly in open-plan homes, they can disrupt conversation, hosting or just a quiet evening at home,” says Charlotte Tilby.
“Moving those appliances upstairs completely removes that background noise from the kitchen and main entertaining areas. It helps maintain a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere downstairs, while creating a clear distinction between areas of the home for chores and spaces intended for socializing or relaxing.”
Naturally, you’re not going to Run your devices at night As you’re sleeping next to them (and it pays to leave them for safety reasons), so that can pose a bit of a problem if you’ve previously taken advantage of a cheap nightly tariff. Likewise, if you have young children or work shifts, it may not be as practical. But for my lifestyle, it’s a perfect fit.
4. Plumbing is already close at hand
Trying to find space for utilities below can be complicated by your plumbing setup. All well and good if your kitchen is right next door. But otherwise, you may have limitations.
“Putting a utility area inside or next to a bathroom is probably the most space efficient option because you’re already in a wet area and you’re usually closest to the clay stack and existing hot and cold supplies,” explains Matthew Powell, plumbing expert and installer. Wormzilla.
“That means shorter pipe runs for both water and waste, less floor or ceiling penetration and less chance of slow drains because the route can be smoother and straighter.”
“Putting utility next to the bathroom Instead it can give you a better day-to-day result,” he says. “You can still be close to the soil pile and water supply, but the room is drier, easier to service and easier to electric and store. It also gives you greater control over noise by using solid doors, linings and anti-vibration measures without compromising the bathroom experience.”
In this scenario, Matthew recommends back-to-back separate utilities with bathrooms so they share a wet wall. “Having piles of soil, waste, and hot and cold feeds on one side of the wall reduces complexity and makes it easier to find faults,” he says.
“Design a shallow service void so the pipes can run straight with gentle bends and so you can add access hatches where traps and valves sit,” adds Mathew. “It also pays to place devices so that the waste path is short and direct to the stack connection, rather than taking a long scenic route around the room.”
Starting as a plumbing apprentice, Matthew spent over 20 years building and scaling heating and plumbing businesses across the UK, covering everything from boiler installations and heating systems to high-end bathroom projects. Combining business experience with technology, he launched WarmZilla to change how homeowners buy and manage boilers, plumbing and wider home services.
5. If it is good enough for Europeans
I have happily holidayed in Spain, Italy, Croatia and Greece over the decades. And in many cases, I’ve seen laundry facilities inside or next to bathrooms on the first floor. In fact, in most of these countries, having a washing machine in the kitchen is a rarity.
And I’m not the only one to notice. “This type of setup is really common in Mediterranean homes where the kitchen is 100% focused on preparing food,” says the London- and Majorca-based interior designer. Claire Morton tells me “Cooking is a very different job to doing laundry in the Med!”
“In the UK, we grew up with a washing machine in the kitchen, but thinking differently can enhance a home! In my own property, I put a utility next to it. Master bathroom – it sits naturally close to the bedroom, which makes laundry very easy to process, organize and put away everyday,” she states. “A plumbing setup next to the bathroom is perfect because it’s easy to access the washing machine.”
And Claire’s top design tip? “I would also design the utility so that it feels elevated and integrated rather than too “spare room”. Housework is much more enjoyable in a nice environment!”
Claire Morton is an award-winning British interior architect and interior designer, who lives in Mallorca and works in both Mallorca and London. She is known for her meticulous eye for detail, professionalism and creativity.
If your home is crying out for a separate laundry space – whether you choose to locate it upstairs or on the ground floor, make sure you avoid this one. Utility room bugsAnd get an idea Utility room expenses With our guide to budgeting.
