How to integrate kitchen with laundry? CASACOR SP architects answer!

A strong trend in small spaces is to integrate spaces: living room with dining room, bedrooms with bathrooms, and, especially, kitchens with laundry rooms . The most common layouts in small apartments have a narrow space for creating kitchens on a single wall . This makes it easier to move around and, generally, the space is integrated with the social areas or the balcony. In these cases, integrating the laundry room brings even more practicality .

After all, how to integrate the kitchen with the laundry room?

For architects Fredy Terzian and Daniel Szego , who are participating in CASACOR São Paulo 2023, it is important to consider the layout and also the behavior of the residents, especially taking into account the organization of the residents . "The laundry room ends up becoming a place that is visited and not just for service. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain visual harmony between the two environments. It is worth thinking about a countertop and coverings that guarantee this continuity between the environments", they explain. The integration of the kitchen with the laundry room needs to have, above all, a functional solution . This is because both environments receive a large flow of activities , which need to be ensured in the project so that one environment does not compromise the other.

It is important to seek uniformity between the integrated kitchen and laundry room , from the color of the carpentry to the coverings (floors and tiles). This way, the second room becomes a continuation of the first, and not something separate.

Solutions to optimize space

One of the biggest concerns about integrating the kitchen with the laundry room is the amount of "clutter" that the space can carry. Cleaning products and even clotheslines can create visual clutter. To do this, it is a good idea to have a separate cabinet dedicated exclusively to laundry items. In the case of clotheslines, there are now several options that can be hidden and are retractable . This way, when the resident wants to use them, they can open them and, when the drying is finished, store them away. There is also the option of investing in a washer and dryer , and doing away with this element entirely. The architects offer another tip for improving organization: creating a large drawer to store brooms and other cleaning items.

Isolated but still integrated

The noise of the washing machine can be annoying and if the resident is not happy with the visual aspect, it is possible to create small barriers that do not compromise the integration of the spaces , and at the same time provide more privacy . Architects recommend using screen-printed glass or polycarbonate when the aim is to reduce noise and the smell of cleaning products. "If it is a visual sectorization, you can opt for hollow elements, cement or even wood, which are laser cut", they say.