Laundry room update? Don’t mind if I do. To jog your memory: we’ve already replaced the washer and dryer, removed window shutters and cluttered shelves, frosted the door, filled some ceiling cracks, and painted the room Benjamin Moore’s Sesame—the same color as the kitchen. With that out of the way, here’s where things stand now.
Let me explain how the new shelves came to be. From our first walkthrough we knew this narrow laundry room called for built-ins to maximize function. At just 3.5 feet wide, there’s no room to put the washer and dryer on the other wall under the window or fuse box—the doors wouldn’t even open. So instead of expanding outward and colliding with doors or drying racks, we built up: a tall, narrow set of shelves tucked beside the stacked washer and dryer.
The gap we had to work with was only 14.5 inches deep, and we couldn’t find a ready-made bookshelf that fit the space or had the necessary depth. The top cabinets above the dryer are too high to reach comfortably, so more accessible vertical storage was ideal. After sketching measurements and planning cuts, we decided to split the unit’s depth: the bottom portion would match the appliance depth, while the top portion—above the window sill—would be shallow enough to avoid overlapping the window. That two-tiered profile lets us use the full available depth without covering the window.
I had Home Depot make most of the larger cuts, and we used whitewood with 1×2 poplar trim where thinner stock was required. For the vertical divider I fastened two 1×12 boards side-by-side to create a wider piece for the top and bottom sections, and used a 1×10 trimmed with 1x2s for the middle shelf that ties the two halves together. Additional 1×12 boards became the shelves, and extra 1x2s served as trim and reinforcement.
The middle shelf sits flush with the window sill, so I added 1×2 trim to create a notch that lined up with the windowsill depth. Then I secured the bottom half of the divider into the plywood floor that runs under the appliances for stability and attached it to the middle shelf with pocket screws. The divider doesn’t go all the way back to the wall to allow access to the washer and dryer hookups, so I fastened blocking pieces on the back and side walls to support the middle shelf.
While working back there I also swapped the old foil dryer duct for a rigid all-aluminum transition piece, which is a safer option and easy to install with clamps and a metal wall connector.
For adjustable shelving we used metal shelf tracks with shelf clips—four 6-foot lengths cut to fit—and mounted them to the framing. The space between the divider and the wall ended up just slightly wider than our 1×12 shelf boards, so I added 1×2 bridging pieces to tighten the fit and provide a more solid nailing surface for the tracks. That accidental reinforcement ended up being a benefit, since the tracks are much more secure when attached to wood instead of just drywall.
Painting in place would have been awkward, so we removed the pieces and painted them in the sunroom. We primed the framing with a no-VOC primer and then applied two coats of semi-gloss white paint for a clean, durable finish. The shelves received two coats of paint as well. We also painted the adjacent side wall white so the built-in feels integrated, leaving the back wall unpainted for a pop of color to show through the shelves.
Once everything was reinstalled, I nailed in the metal tracks, added the shelf clips, and set the shelves in place. I added a small lip at the back of the lower shelves to prevent small items from slipping behind the unit where they’d be hard to retrieve. Because the shelves are removable, accessing the back of the washer or dryer remains straightforward if the need arises.
Functionally this solution wins: adjustable shelves mean we can store both tall and short items, and the unit uses as much usable depth as possible without interfering with the window. It may not be the prettiest when empty compared to fixed, uniformly spaced shelves, but the ability to customize heights makes it much more practical. We’ve started filling the shelves with baskets, magazine files, a scalloped bowl, and a jar of clothespins, and we’re considering using a couple of compartments as a drop spot for mail and coupons.
Cost-wise this custom built-in was more than an off-the-shelf but slightly wrong solution, yet we think it was worth it because it looks seamless and maximizes the space. Here’s the budget breakdown:
- Wood (Home Depot & Lowe’s): $59
- Metal shelf tracks & shelf clips: $15
- Primer & paint: already owned
- Small accessories and baskets: already owned
- TOTAL: $74
The rigid aluminum dryer transition duct was about $10 from Lowe’s.
As for the laundry room to-do list, we’ve checked off painting walls and replacing the dryer hose and the new adjustable built-in shelving. Remaining tasks include replacing hinges and knobs on the upper cabinetry, installing a new light fixture, adding a window treatment, adding storage near the door for shoes and a leash, and hanging art to hide the fuse box and keep the space cheerful.
We still need to figure out a permanent spot for the ironing board, but we have a plan we’ll test soon. In the meantime, we’re curious: what storage solutions are you loving in your laundry space? Built-in cabinets, collapsible drying racks, a mounted ironing board, or a laundry sink—share what’s working for you.