13 laundry lighting ideas for 2024

Good lighting design should illuminate and inspire in ideal circumstances yet when it comes to lighting for laundry rooms, this is rarely the case. A couple of standard overhead lights is what you’ll often find, contributing little with respect to style and sometimes barely enough for the tasks at hand. As you’ll see, more can and should be done in this space with a lot less effort required than you might think.

For laundry rooms with a suspended or drop ceiling, a drop ceiling light fixture is an excellent option to consider. These are typically panels of light that can be rectangular or square-shaped.

A great advantage of these is that the panel lighting will naturally blend in with your ceiling. Their large size also provides more than enough task lighting to help you do your daily chores. Many are now lit with LEDs too, making them an energy-efficient solution.

A recessed laundry room ceiling light fits snugly inside your ceiling for a very sleek aesthetic. The light’s housing, bulb and trim are usually all concealed within the ceiling. This means there’s no lighting fixture to obstruct the space which is incredibly helpful when working with laundry rooms with low ceilings.

Their design gives any room a clean, sleek finish. You can get light dimmers for recessed lights, controlling the lighting based on your needs. They can also be used on walls and under shelves and/or cabinets if desired.

Laundry rooms have a tendency to be a bit dark and dull so any opportunity to freshen them up should be embraced. The bulbs you chose for your laundry room can completely change the feel of the room in this way.

Cool white bulbs at a colour temperature of around 4000K look great in a modern space and will brighten any room, especially one without windows or natural light. It's also a great stain detector - a plus in any laundry room.

Related article: 6 tips for great mood lighting in your home

Modern laundry rooms often include trendy accent pieces along the walls. If yours does too, it could be a great chance to bring them to the fore with some well-placed wall lights. Wall sconces are a great option to highlight these while brightening the room.

You can change these wall fixtures based on the covers you choose. Most usually have a glass cover but a solid finish will work for a more industrial finish.

Glassbox fixtures are a very stylish option that provides decent illumination as well as a visual point of interest. They usually have unique metal framing covered with glass that houses a row of bulbs or LED lights.

Light is spread evenly throughout the room with interesting frames of shadows cast out, creating depth with layers.

Chandelier lights are possibly the last thing you might’ve considered for your laundry room, typically seen at opposite ends of the style spectrum.

As far as laundry room lighting ideas go, it’s arguably the most extravagant choice featured, but one that will instantly elevate your space to something special.

It will need to be sized appropriately of course as you don’t want it to overwhelm the area but, if chosen well, it will add a classic feel to your laundry area.

For those who think a chandelier will be too much no matter what its size, then a classy pendant light might be a great alternative.

A more modern form of suspended lighting, pendant lights are available in a wide range of styles and designs meaning there’s something for everyone. This is a great opportunity to personalise a space in a way that’s unique to you.

When doing your laundry room renovation, lampshades are a great way to make a bold statement. Most will go with muted, inconspicuous picks but you can stand apart with something more expressive and fun.

It can be a focal point as a feature in the room or it can enthusiastically stay on theme, matching your specific interior design style (Farmhouse, Hamptons, Victorian etc) should you have one.

Speaking of style, industrial style lighting is a great option to consider for those wanting to achieve an especially modern laundry room look. Sleek but durable unfinished metal frames and finishes are common traits of this style that really give your space a designed feel.

Dual-purpose laundry room lighting fixtures with industrial-grade ceiling fans are another option to match this style. In a room that generates excess heat with a washer and dryer, it becomes a practical and functional addition to the space.

Under-cabinet lighting is a practical option for a wall lined with cabinets. Cabinets provide great storage, but they can also block out natural light. In such cases, ceiling lights alone might not be able to cover the dark spots they create.

LED strip lighting can provide a modern finish when used under cabinets. You can also add adjustable spotlights underneath to boost your lighting even further. They’ll not only look great but brighten your work areas over your sink, countertop and laundry machines.

Recessed downlights are a popular option in many Australian homes. However, surface mount downlights are becoming an appealing alternative for those wanting something a bit more distinctive.

While providing a similar source of light to recessed downlights, surface mount down lights give more prominence to the fixture itself which can come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. They won’t necessarily capture the eye but they’ll add an extra bit of detail for an approach that is more balanced for some.

LED strip lighting has already been mentioned as a practical option for under cabinet lighting but it can also be an expressive and artistic one. The light strips themselves can often be shaped quite freely, enabling a range of different designs to be achieved.

You could even consider LED fairy lights for a magical touch, again a quick way to inject a bit of fun and imagination into a space. LEDs can also be lit in different colours, providing many different creative avenues to explore. LED panels are often installed in this way, creating walls of colourful light which are both practical and stylish.

Related article: LED lights - the definitive guide

Laundry lighting ideas aren’t limited to permanent fixtures either and table lamps are a perfect example of that. Regularly found in living rooms, studies and bedrooms, table lamps can also be helpful for utility room lighting like that of a laundry. Positioned in the right way they can provide excellent task lighting around your laundry sink or laundry appliances, giving you great visibility when spotting stains for handwashing or loading/unloading your machines.

They also now come in a wide range of stylish designs giving you to find something totally unique for your space.

A few years ago, a survey found that Australians spent a minimum of three hours a week doing laundry. Over the course of a year, that’s a lot of time spent in this space so its important that it works well and keeps you feeling positive. As these laundry lighting ideas show, you can achieve both those goals, quickly and easily, elevating your space to one that stands out.

Related article: 8 tips for great room lighting in your home