12. Vertical Stacked Laundry with Bench Seating Niche
Introduction and Brief
By vertically stacking your washer and dryer, this clever layout frees up precious square footage to install a luxurious built-in mudroom bench seating niche right alongside the appliances.
What This Idea Means
This idea symbolizes compact luxury and smart zoning. It proves you don’t have to sacrifice comfortable boot-changing seating just because you need laundry equipment in the room.
How to Make It
- Stacking Unit: Install a secure stacked front-load washer and dryer tower enclosed in custom surrounding cabinetry.
- Seating Niche: Right next to the appliance tower, build a cozy wood-topped bench seating niche complete with wall paneling and coat hooks.
- Shoe Storage: Place pull-out sloped shoe racks or open cubbies directly beneath the bench seat.
- Upper Bridge Cabinet: Connect the appliance tower and the bench niche with an overhead bridge cabinet for cohesive built-in architecture.
Needs to Make That Thing
- Stacked washer and dryer mounting kit
- Custom surround cabinetry and overhead bridge cabinet
- Wood bench top and wall wainscoting
- Sloped shoe rack inserts
Tips
Ensure the stacked dryer venting and plumbing lines are safely accessible behind removable service panels built into the surrounding cabinetry.
Variations
- The Corner L-Niche Layout: Wrap the bench seating around the corner from the stacked laundry tower for an intimate L-shaped mud nook.
- The Open-Shelving Tower Side: Flank the stacked laundry with open wooden shelving for quick-grab laundry baskets and detergent jars.