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A laundry cupboard designed by London homeowner Hatty Parker combines pull-out clothes rails, ventilation and a dehumidifier to dry laundry while keeping it out of view. Parker says the setup adapts a dehumidifier and heated-airer combination her household had already found useful; drying times and energy costs for the cupboard have not been reported.
Ideal Home has reported on a built-in laundry cupboard designed by London homeowner Hatty Parker to dry clothes using pull-out rails, ventilation and a dehumidifier. The arrangement keeps laundry behind cupboard doors and may appeal to households seeking a winter alternative to leaving a drying rack in the middle of a room, although no measured drying-time or energy-use results were provided.
Parker, a web designer renovating a Victorian terraced house in London, created a small laundry room after reconfiguring a family bathroom and an adjoining box bedroom. The cupboard sits beside a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer. Parker said the room’s location near the bedrooms and bathroom helps streamline the household’s laundry routine.
The drying cupboard has pull-out rails for hanging clothes, a dehumidifier connected to the washing machine and dryer waste, and a low-wattage heating element. Parker said ventilation grilles were cut into the doors to let air circulate. The design was based on her household’s earlier use of a dehumidifier alongside a heated clothes airer.
Ideal Home’s Senior Digital Editor Jenny McFarlane said a dehumidifier or small radiator at the bottom of a cupboard is central to making this kind of setup work. She recommended leaving enough ventilation and clearance around the appliance. The article names a SmartAir model as one option, but the report does not provide independent performance tests or establish that one model suits every cupboard.
The cupboard addresses two practical problems for people drying clothes indoors in cold weather: wet laundry can take up space for days, and a rack can make a room feel cluttered. Enclosing the rails makes laundry less visible, while the dehumidifier and ventilation are intended to help manage moisture around drying clothes.
It is a design example, not evidence that a cupboard will dry every load faster or cost less to run than other methods. Results may depend on the room, airflow, appliance capacity, load size and how the system is used. Anyone considering the idea should treat ventilation and adequate appliance clearance as functional requirements rather than decorative details.
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From Spare Room to Drying Cupboard
Parker said the family created the laundry room while enlarging its bathroom, giving up a fifth bedroom to make space. The cupboard was intended as a hybrid: part traditional airing cupboard, part dedicated drying area. She said the household had already found a dehumidifier and heated airer worked well together, then used a drying cupboard she found on Pinterest as inspiration for a more permanent arrangement.
Ideal Home’s report presents the project as one way to incorporate drying into a utility or laundry room, rather than leaving a freestanding rack in a shared space. The article also points to built-in storage and door style as ways to make the room look more finished. Those are design considerations; the practical feature is the combination of hanging rails, moisture removal and air circulation.
“The idea for the drying cupboard … came from wanting a cross between a traditional airing cupboard and a dedicated space where clothes could dry efficiently, but remain neatly out of sight.”
— Hatty Parker, homeowner
Performance and Costs Not Reported
The article does not give measured drying times, energy consumption, installation costs or a comparison with a standard heated airer or tumble dryer. Parker’s account that the combination worked well is her household’s experience, not a controlled test. The report also does not specify the cupboard’s dimensions, the heating element’s output, or how much laundry it can hold.
It is also unclear how the dehumidifier’s waste connection was installed or whether the exact arrangement would be suitable for other homes. Appliance requirements and room conditions vary. Readers should check manufacturer instructions and consider airflow, drainage and safe placement before adapting the design.
Check the Space Before Building
The report does not announce a product launch or planned follow-up; it describes a completed home project. For households considering a similar cupboard, the next step is to measure the available space and check the chosen appliance’s ventilation and clearance requirements. A setup should allow air to circulate and provide a suitable way to handle collected water or drainage.
Any heating element or electrical work should be planned and installed in line with local requirements, with a licensed professional used where needed. The cupboard’s real-world value will depend on how it performs in each home: drying time, moisture control and running costs remain unquantified in the report.
Key Questions
What is the laundry cupboard hack?
It is a cupboard fitted with pull-out clothes rails, ventilation grilles and a dehumidifier, with a low-wattage heating element in Parker’s version. The aim is to dry laundry in a dedicated space while keeping it out of sight.
Does a dehumidifier make clothes dry faster?
Parker said her household found a dehumidifier paired with a heated clothes airer useful for drying clothes quickly. The Ideal Home report does not include measured drying times, so it does not establish how much faster this cupboard dries laundry.
Does the cupboard need ventilation?
Yes. Parker’s cupboard has ventilation grilles in its doors, and Ideal Home’s Jenny McFarlane advised allowing enough airflow and clearance around the dehumidifier. Follow the appliance maker’s instructions for the specific model.
Can any cupboard be converted for drying laundry?
The report does not say that every cupboard is suitable. Available space, airflow, drainage and appliance requirements all matter. Check the product instructions and seek professional advice for electrical, heating or plumbing work when needed.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
