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ChatLet’s be honest: laundry rooms are probably the most overlooked area when it comes to lighting. You’re stuck squinting at stains, guessing if that shirt is clean, or searching through dark corners for that missing sock. But here’s what we’ve learned after working with hundreds of homeowners: the right laundry room light fixtures can genuinely make your laundry routine faster and less frustrating.
I’m not talking about making your laundry room look like something out of a magazine (though that’s a nice bonus). I’m talking about practical, functional lighting that helps you see what you’re doing. When you can clearly see stains, read care labels without holding them up to a window, and properly sort colors, you’re going to save time and avoid ruining your favorite clothes.
Why Laundry Room Lighting Is Non-Negotiable
Most laundry rooms come with a single overhead bulb that casts shadows everywhere you don’t want them. When you’re folding clothes or pre-treating stains, you need light that hits your work surface directly. When you’re loading the washer, you need to see inside those dark drum interiors. And when you’re hanging delicate items, you need enough brightness to check for any remaining spots.
Good lighting means putting illumination exactly where you need it. Instead of one sad ceiling bulb trying to do everything, you want a combination of overhead lighting and task lighting that works together. The Gardena is a perfect example of what a primary ceiling fixture should do. This overhead pendant features a 16″ dome with a customizable rigid stem that you can adjust based on your ceiling height.
Too high and you lose intensity; too low and you’ll bump your head while carrying laundry baskets. The handmade steel construction with powder-coated finish means it’ll handle humidity and last for years.
Start with a Pendant Over Your Folding Area
Here’s what we’ve found works really well: a solid pendant light positioned over your main work area. If you have a folding counter or table in your laundry room, hanging a pendant directly above it means you won’t be working in your own shadow anymore.
The key is choosing a pendant that’s wide enough to spread light across your entire workspace. The Malibu, with its 14″ dome, provides excellent coverage without hanging too low. This vintage gas station-style fixture has become a crowd favorite in laundry rooms because it delivers serious illumination while adding character.
Add Wall-Mounted Lights for Specific Tasks
This is where things get really practical. Wall-mounted lights with adjustable arms let you direct light exactly where you need it. Optimize your workflow: Do you have a sink for pre-treating stains? That needs its own light source. Do you have open shelving for storing supplies? Lighting that area makes everything easier to find.
The Colfax is perfect for this kind of task lighting. This farmhouse-style barn light comes with your choice of gooseneck lengths (11″, 16″, or 23″) or a straight arm, so you can customize how far the light extends based on your room layout. Mount one above your utility sink, and suddenly you can see every spot you’re scrubbing.
Install one near your sorting area, and color sorting becomes way less of a guessing game. What makes wall-mounted lights especially valuable is that they free up your countertops while still providing focused illumination.
Consider a Flexible Mid-Size Option
If you’re working with a small laundry room or want something versatile that can handle multiple zones, a mid-size fixture offers the best of both worlds. These lights provide enough coverage without overwhelming the room.
The El Segundo, with its 12″ dome, hits that sweet spot for laundry rooms. This fixture works beautifully when mounted over your machines or above an entryway. Its size makes it flexible enough for tight rooms while still delivering plenty of light.
It is not uncommon for our customers to use this in combination with larger fixtures to create layered lighting that covers every corner. My go-to approach is to use a fixture like this over the washer and dryer area. You get direct overhead light where you’re loading and unloading, which makes checking pockets and inspecting clothes much easier.
Layer in Wall Sconces for Even Coverage
Wall sconces might not be the first thing you think of for laundry rooms, but they can make a huge difference in how evenly lit the room feels. These fixtures fill in gaps that overhead lighting misses.
The Westchester is a sturdy industrial wall light with a 12″ dome that comes standard with your choice of arm styles (straight or gooseneck in various lengths). This fixture works beautifully for illuminating doorways, highlighting your folding station from the side, your shelves or lighting up dark corners where your overhead fixtures don’t quite reach.
Combine Multiple Fixtures for Larger Rooms
If you have a larger laundry room (or even a long, narrow one), a single ceiling light probably isn’t cutting it. We’ve found that installing two or three overhead fixtures creates much more even lighting with fewer shadows.
This approach works particularly well when you have your washer and dryer on one side and a folding area on the other. Put overhead lighting above each zone, and you’re covered no matter what task you’re doing. It might seem like overkill, but when you’re spending time in there sorting through multiple loads, the difference is noticeable.
Some of our customers have gotten creative with fixture sizing by using a larger pendant over the folding counter and smaller pendants over the machines. This creates visual interest while remaining fully functional.
The Bottom Line
Good laundry room light fixtures go beyond following trends. They are more about making a tedious chore less annoying. When you can see what you’re doing clearly, you work faster, make fewer mistakes, and honestly, the whole process feels less like a burden.
Consider your specific workflow and what tasks feel most difficult with your current lighting. That’s where you need to start. Sometimes one well-placed fixture makes all the difference. Other times, you need a combination of overhead and task lighting to cover all your bases.
The goal is simple: get enough light where you need it. Your future self (the one who’s not rewashing clothes because you missed a stain) will thank you.
