Upgrade Laundry Room Storage With A Floating Shelf Alternative

The laundry room is an ideal space to maximize storage and organization in the home. While there are plenty of premade laundry room shelving ideas that will elevate your storage and decor, you can also DIY creative and frugal solutions to optimize space. One prime storage area is above top-loading washers and their dryer counterparts. Usually, half the wall is exposed behind the appliances, just begging to be utilized! Still, sometimes this space is only made more awkward by floating shelves or other storage solutions that either get in the way of the appliances or are hard to reach.

Cabinets above the appliances are a great way to make the most of this space and create a functional laundry room. However, if you have existing cabinets above your top-loading washer, you might have an underutilized space between them. Put it to work for you by building an open cabinet shelf. These trendy shelves are popular in farmhouse decor as well as sleek, modern design styles and are made to look like extensions of the cabinetry. Store your detergent and other laundry essentials in decorative containers on the shelf to add style and functionality to your daily chores. If you're handy with a saw, it's easy to DIY a shelf that extends the upper cabinet unit seamlessly. You can customize the height of the shelf to optimize it for your appliances and take advantage of that precious vertical storage space. 

To make this under-the-cabinet shelf, first measure the space between the cabinets and your appliances to determine your ideal shelf length. Keep in mind the overhang of the shelf and how that will affect access to the appliances' control panels as well as opening the lid to the top-loading washer. Then, build a simple shelf frame with sides that connects to the bottom of the cabinets, using pocket holes and screws to secure the shelf to the cabinets and the wall. You can build the shelf on its own and then attach it to the cabinets and wall in one fell swoop, but if you are dealing with unlevel cabinets or uneven walls, building it in place is the way to go. 

While a simple frame is great for this project, you can also add your own style to this DIY with features that fit your aesthetic. Instead of straight boards for the shelf's sides, use a decorative cut to add character, such as a curved edge that extends past the shelf to give the unit more of an antique hutch feel. As for the back of the shelf, you can leave it open to let the wall color show through which will add depth, or add a back panel and paint it to blend with the cabinetry. You can also wallpaper the back of the shelf with a bold pattern for a fun design element. Adding an open shelf under your laundry room cabinets provides a unique combination of open and closed cabinetry that is a growing trend among cabinetry makers and interior designers alike.