Do you look at those magazine pictures of spacious laundry rooms with a place for everything and wish it could be yours? Even if you don’t have the dream laundry space you can still make it work well for you. Make the most of every inch with functional and stylish ideas.

Begin by thinking about the tasks involved and arrange things according to how you use them. Place items you use often in easy-to-reach places and near the spot where you will use it. For example, it makes the most sense to keep stain treatment products near the washer or the sink for pretreating.

In a compact space it also makes sense to keep liquid or powder detergents in smaller containers, refilling as needed from larger ones stored elsewhere. Choose decorative canisters or bottles for a stylish effect. Decorative baskets or bins can help corral small items like stain sticks or mending supplies.

If you don’t have an area on the floor for baskets or bins to sort laundry there might be space above the washer and dryer. No room for a counter or place to fold clothes? Top your front load washer and dryer with a worksurface. If your laundry pair is in the traditional format, look at ways to put in a fold-down shelf so it’s there when you need it and out of the way when you don’t.

For shelving that is more practical than beautiful, practice some creative concealment with curtains, shades or blinds that can be pulled out of the way when you’re working. For that matter, the entire laundry area can be partitioned off in this manner as well.

When you’re really short on laundry space look into purchasing a stackable laundry pair. In addition to permanently stacked units, most front load laundry pairs can be stacked leaving more room for shelving, cupboards or even a laundry sink.

Even closet-sized laundry rooms can look great and function well with some creative organization. A little time spent dreaming up resourceful solutions can help make your laundry duties less of a chore.