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Ideal Home reports on a drying cupboard designed by London homeowner Hatty Parker, combining pull-out hanging rails, ventilation, a dehumidifier and a low-wattage heating element. Parker says the setup grew from using a dehumidifier with a heated airer, but the report provides no measured drying times, energy costs or independent test results.
Ideal Home has featured a built-in drying cupboard designed by London homeowner Hatty Parker, who combined pull-out clothes rails, ventilation, a dehumidifier and a low-wattage heating element to dry laundry in a dedicated space. The design offers an alternative to leaving a freestanding drying rack in the middle of a room, though the report does not provide measured drying times or energy-use figures.
Parker, who is renovating a Victorian terraced house, said her family created a small laundry room after reconfiguring a bathroom and adjoining box bedroom. The cupboard sits beside a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer, keeping laundry equipment and hanging space together. Ideal Home describes the arrangement as a practical way to conceal wet clothes behind cupboard doors.
The cupboard has pull-out rails for hanging garments and ventilation grilles cut into its doors to let air circulate. Parker said it also contains a dehumidifier connected to the washing machine and dryer waste, along with a low-wattage heating element. The report does not specify the equipment’s exact installation details or provide performance measurements.
Parker said she had already found that a dehumidifier used alongside a heated clothes airer worked well for drying laundry, and wanted to adapt that approach into a permanent space. For other options, see dehumidifiers with laundry mode. Ideal Home senior digital editor Jenny McFarlane recommended leaving sufficient ventilation and clearance around a dehumidifier so it can operate efficiently.
Keeping Winter Laundry Off the Floor
The design addresses two familiar household problems during colder weather: slow indoor drying and the space taken up by drying racks. A cupboard can keep garments and equipment out of sight when not in use, while placing the drying area near a washer and dryer may make laundry easier to manage. Parker’s example also shows how storage can be planned around a specific household routine rather than treated as an afterthought.
However, the report presents a homeowner’s setup, not a controlled product test. It does not establish how much faster the cupboard dries clothes than an ordinary airer, whether the arrangement reduces overall energy use, or how its costs compare with other approaches. Those results will depend on the cupboard’s size, ventilation, appliances, laundry load and room conditions.
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How Parker Built the Drying Space
Parker said the family’s bathroom renovation created room for a small laundry room on the same floor. The cupboard was designed as a hybrid of a traditional airing cupboard and a dedicated drying area, with clothes stored behind doors rather than on a rack in the open room. Ideal Home’s report presents the project as one possible approach, not a standard design or a requirement for a laundry room.
The underlying method was already familiar to Parker: she had used a dehumidifier and heated airer together before planning the built-in version. She then found a drying cupboard on Pinterest as inspiration. The finished design incorporated rails, a dehumidifier, a heating element and door grilles. Ideal Home also mentioned compact dehumidifiers as possible options, but the source does not supply comparative test data for the models it lists.
“We’d been using a dehumidifier alongside a heated clothes airer for some time and found the combination worked brilliantly for drying clothes quickly.”
— Hatty Parker, homeowner
Drying Times and Running Costs
The report gives no measured drying times, energy consumption, installation cost or comparison with a standard heated airer. It also does not identify the heating element’s output, explain how the dehumidifier’s waste connection was installed, or state whether the setup has been independently assessed. Parker’s positive account is her experience and should not be read as a guarantee of the same results in other homes.
It is also unclear how the cupboard performs with different fabrics, larger loads or varied room temperatures. The report notes that ventilation and clearance matter, but does not offer a detailed specification for cupboard dimensions or airflow. Readers considering a similar design would need to check appliance instructions and seek appropriate professional advice for any plumbing or electrical work.
Planning a Similar Laundry Cupboard
Ideal Home’s report does not announce a follow-up test or further development. For readers considering the idea, the next step is to assess available space and plan for hanging rails, airflow and the appliance’s required clearance before choosing equipment. The article’s central practical point is that a dehumidifier should not be sealed into a cupboard without adequate ventilation.
Any installation involving electrical connections or plumbing should be handled by a qualified professional, with the relevant safety and building requirements checked. Until comparative measurements are available, households should treat claims about faster drying as dependent on their own setup rather than a verified performance result.
Key Questions
What is the laundry cupboard design?
It is a built-in cupboard with pull-out clothes rails, ventilation grilles, a dehumidifier and a low-wattage heating element, designed to keep drying laundry out of sight.
Who designed the cupboard featured by Ideal Home?
Hatty Parker, a web designer renovating a Victorian terraced house in London, created the setup for her family’s laundry room.
Does the report prove the cupboard dries clothes faster?
No. Parker said her earlier combination of a dehumidifier and heated airer worked well, but the report includes no measured drying times or comparison with other methods.
What should be considered before copying the design?
Plan for ventilation and appliance clearance, and check the equipment’s instructions. Use qualified professionals for electrical or plumbing work and check relevant safety and building requirements.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
