Let’s be honest—most store-bought drying racks lack a certain pizazz. Sure, they’re meant to be purely utilitarian objects, but in our world, we want even our most practical household items to still look beautiful. So, when we came across a DIY drying rack that’s both super simple to make AND gorgeous, we knew we had to share it with you!

Our trusty friends over at House Made Simple have come up with a drying rack design that’s not only cool and shabby-chic, it’s also super functional. You see, on top of providing a space to safely dry your delicates, the rack also folds away for easy, retractable storage. It’s like the Murphy Bed of drying racks!

Make your own DIY foldable drying rack

To get started on your own, you will first need to locate a wall space that will serve as the home for your drying rack. The beautiful thing about this project is that, because it’s foldable – and attractive! – you can technically place it anywhere in your house. It’s a great option for those who don’t have a dedicated laundry room.

As far as the wall space goes, you will need to devote around 2 feet for the contraption, with an equal amount of room for it to fold out away from the wall.

From there, gather together all of your required materials. (For a full list, click here.) Remember, if you do choose to stain your wood, do it BEFORE you begin assembling the drying rack. Not only will this step protect the finish, it will also prep the lumber for drilling in later steps.

Once your material is looking its best, it’s time for you to create holes for your wooden dowels, which will serve as your hangers’ racks when complete. This tutorial calls for five holes on each side, which will hold five wooden dowels—enough room for about 15 hanging pieces, give or take.

To secure the dowels, squeeze a generous amount of wood glue into each drilled hole and quickly hammer each cylindrical piece of wood with a mallet before the glue dries to shift them into place.

Next, join your flat piece of wood to the side with the dowels using a couple of well-placed metal hinges and two decorative chains. To ensure that the rack stays closed when not in use, add a simple hook and eye clasp to either the left or right side of the foldable rack. Easy as pie!

Now that you’ve read the basics, you’re on the road to making your very own rustic, foldable drying rack. To get the full tutorial for yourself, be sure to watch House Made Simple’s video below. Drying your delicates AND conserving energy has never been easier!

We can’t wait to hear what you have to say about this DIY laundry room hack! Have you ever made something similar? If so, do you have any advice in terms of execution? Do you have any tips for washing and drying delicate clothing?