One of the greatest joys of living in your own home is the convenience of doing laundry in your bathrobe while you are also busy doing other things. But what if your home is small and there's no dedicated utility room?

Good space planning demands clever thinking and thorough knowledge of what appliances are available in order to problem-solve effectively. Fortunately there are appliances on the market that are designed for cramped rooms and allow for the incorporation of dual functions into one space without sacrificing style or purpose.

My favorite way to save on space is to incorporate the laundry into the kitchen. The first thing to remember when you embark on this journey is that you want an appliance that is quiet and serves as both your washing machine and dryer.

There are many on the market, from under-the-counter models - such as the one in the photo shown here - to stacking units. One of the good things about putting the laundry into the kitchen is that a folding surface - the countertop - is already built into the design. Sturdy rolling laundry baskets can allow you to wheel the dirty clothes right into the center of the kitchen and begin the wash. Kitchen floors are, for the most part, friendly to spills, so cleaning up spilled liquid detergent would be easy.

The kitchen in this photo is in a home that previously had no laundry room. In fact, the washing machine and dryer had previously been outside on the patio, which was both inconvenient and an eyesore. With very little sacrifice of space in the kitchen, it was possible to achieve a much more up-to-date and sophisticated planning solution to the laundry-room dilemma for these homeowners.

If you face a similar challenge, look for machines with small dimensions. Ariston makes one of the most quiet machines on the market with a noise level of 46 decibels and a 16-pound capacity. The sound quality is important, not only for a washer/dryer but also for a dishwasher when the kitchen is exposed to the dining room or family room. It is worth extra money to invest in the least noisy appliances you can afford when you're trying to stretch small space.

ASKO, the prominent Swedish manufacturer, offers the Combination Washer/Dryer for people who have dreamed of having in-home laundry capabilities but don't have space for full-size machines. The ASKO WCAM1812 is perfect for tight quarters. The fact that ASKO doesn't require a vent makes it possible to plan for the appliance nearly anywhere in the house.

Haier, a Chinese-owned manufacturer and the largest supplier of refrigeration units in the world, is another company that offers an all-in-one washer/dryer. LG makes the WM3431HS all-in-one, and Equator, a manufacturer of very small and often portable appliances, offers their Combo Washer/Dryer, too.

Other areas in a house in which to position a combo washer/dryer could be in a master bedroom suite or bathroom, if space allows. Some homes have tiny butler's pantry areas that could also double as a laundry room.

With the flexibility offered by these state-of-the-art appliances you could even squeeze a machine like this into a hall linen closet area. Here, again, keep sound quality in mind. You don't want your new laundry setup to make you lose sleep.

Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Big Ideas for Small Spaces." Send questions and comments to her by e-mail at cbaintdes@hotmail.com or to Copley News Service, P.O. Box 120190, San Diego, CA 92112.

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