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Ideal Home has highlighted a drying-cupboard design created by London homeowner Hatty Parker, combining pull-out clothes rails with a dehumidifier and ventilation. Parker says the setup grew from a combination she had already used to dry laundry; drying times, running costs and performance in other homes have not been independently established.
Ideal Home has reported on a built-in drying cupboard designed by London homeowner Hatty Parker, which uses pull-out rails, ventilation and a dehumidifier to dry laundry while keeping it out of sight. The design offers one approach to managing indoor clothes drying during colder weather, when laundry can take longer to dry, but the source does not provide measured drying times or independently tested results.
Parker created the cupboard as part of a laundry room in her Victorian terraced house. The room was formed after the household reconfigured a bathroom and adjoining box bedroom, giving up a fifth bedroom to make more space for the bathroom and laundry area. The cupboard sits beside a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer.
The design includes pull-out rails for hanging clothes, a dehumidifier connected to the washing machine and tumble dryer waste, and a low-wattage heating element. Ventilation grilles cut into the doors allow air to circulate. Parker told Ideal Home that the arrangement was inspired by a drying cupboard she had seen on Pinterest and by her previous use of a dehumidifier alongside a heated clothes airer.
Ideal Home Senior Digital Editor Jenny McFarlane advised allowing sufficient ventilation and clearance around the dehumidifier. The article also recommends making space at the bottom of the cupboard for a dehumidifier or small radiator. It does not specify the heating element’s installation details, the cupboard’s dimensions, or the exact equipment model used in Parker’s home.
A Place to Dry Laundry Out of Sight
The design addresses two everyday problems at once: slow indoor drying in cold weather and the space taken up by a freestanding clothes rack. Tucking rails inside a cupboard can leave a laundry room or shared living area clearer, while a dehumidifier provides a way to manage moisture around drying clothes.
That does not establish that every cupboard will dry laundry quickly or use less energy. Performance depends on the appliance, airflow, room conditions and how much laundry is hung inside. The reported setup is best understood as a practical design example, not a tested guarantee or a claim that a dehumidifier makes indoor drying risk-free.
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How Parker Designed the Drying Cupboard
Parker said the idea followed experience using a dehumidifier and heated clothes airer together. She wanted to retain what she found useful about that combination while creating a more permanent, concealed space. The project also reflects the layout of her home: the laundry room is on the same floor as the bathroom and bedroom, which she described as a way to streamline household laundry.
Ideal Home presents the cupboard as adaptable rather than a fixed blueprint. The key elements described are hanging rails, a suitable place for the drying equipment and ventilation through the doors. Its article names several dehumidifiers available to shoppers, but those product listings are not evidence that Parker used any of them, nor do they establish comparative performance for this specific cupboard.
“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, in comments to Ideal Home
Performance and Installation Details Are Missing
The source does not report how long clothes take to dry in the cupboard, how much electricity the dehumidifier or heating element uses, or how results compare with a standard clothes airer. It also gives no test data on humidity levels, condensation or mould risk, and does not state how the cupboard performs when fully loaded.
Installation details remain limited. The article mentions a low-wattage heating element and connections to appliance waste, but does not explain how those components were fitted or whether specialist work was required. Readers cannot assume that the same configuration will suit every home, appliance or local installation requirement.
Plan the Space Before Building
For anyone considering a similar cupboard, the reported design suggests planning around the appliance, hanging space and airflow before choosing doors or finishes. Check the dehumidifier manufacturer’s clearance and ventilation instructions, and confirm that any drainage connection is compatible with the appliance and local requirements. The source does not announce a follow-up test or further development of Parker’s project.
Because the example includes an electrical heating element and plumbing connections, homeowners should consult qualified professionals for relevant electrical or plumbing work rather than improvising inside an enclosed cupboard. Follow appliance instructions, keep ventilation openings unobstructed and use equipment as directed. Those checks are particularly relevant where heat and moisture are being managed in a confined space.
Key Questions
What is the laundry cupboard design?
It is a cupboard fitted with pull-out clothes rails, a dehumidifier and ventilation grilles, with a low-wattage heating element also described in Parker’s setup.
Does the cupboard make clothes dry faster?
Parker told Ideal Home that her earlier combination of a dehumidifier and heated airer dried clothes quickly. The article gives no timed tests, so it does not establish how much faster this cupboard dries laundry.
Does a dehumidifier need ventilation inside a cupboard?
McFarlane advised allowing enough ventilation and clearance for the appliance. Check the specific manufacturer’s instructions before placing a dehumidifier in an enclosed space.
Can I build the same setup at home?
The source describes one homeowner’s design, not a complete building plan. The layout and equipment may need to vary by home; seek qualified help for electrical heating components or plumbing connections and follow applicable safety and installation requirements.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
