Laundromats are a strange thing... only the USA.... all the other "lower and middle class people with limited floor space" in the world seem to have their own washing machines. Why is that?
Likewise, the big American laundry machine risked overflow and drew a lot of water and power that a lot of old buildings couldn't handle, so landlords banned them. Nowadays, even though laundry machines have evolved so that there are models that use less water and power and overflow less, the housing situation in cities like NYC and SF is so competitive that landlords don't really need to adjust their policies to get the tenants they want. And our minimum wage is very low, so labor-intensive services like laundry are relatively cheap for middle class urbanites to outsource.
You can buy a washing machine in just about any size that you would need [1]. They offer stackable units to fit in small closets.
I visited friends in Europe before and they had to buy a dryer that you would empty the water manually because they didnt have a access to a dryer vent.
[1]http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Dryer5-5-6-6lbs-Compact-Apar...
This bothers me to no end, I'm continually amazed that the standard of apartments in SF is so very, very crappy. You're charging several thousand dollars per month, yet the stove and the fridge and the in-apt washing machine is either 20 years old or the cheapest shit you can buy. And since the market is the way it is where most people don't care about these things, this is what you get. :-/
In any case, they aren't common in Denmark, though a few buildings have them. The basement is more often given over to bike parking and storage cages. In Copenhagen, coin laundromats are extremely common as a result. I go to one that's about 2 blocks away. It's getting more common for people to install an in-apartment washing machine if they remodel, though, and newly built buildings all come with the appropriate hookups installed.
Yes, I agree this isn't great. The kitchen is a place to prepare food, not the place to handle laundry. However, most flats (and houses) in the UK don't have space in the bathroom for a washing machine. And most don't have dedicated utitility storage space; so the kitchen is the only place left. In an open-plan kitchen/living area, this is even less ideal. New build flats tend to have a utility cupboard for the washing maching (often in the hallway). But most blocks of flats don't have communal laundry facilities, and I suspect they wouldn't be particularly appealing to many flat dwellers. Even in a studio flat, I'd rather have my own washing machine.
One thing I have noticed about the US is that front-loading washing machines are very expensive. In the UK, the cheapest front-loading washing machines start from about £160 (approx $240 or €215) and then go up. At the £200 - £350 price range, there's a large number of models to choose from. What's keeping prices so high in the US?
I remember in college there was a chain (Duds -n- Suds?) that moved into town with really nice commercial equipment that server food while you did you laundry. I think they closed because they couldn't get an alcohol license. It was very clean, nice, and took a lot less time than the apartments laundry.
I often wonder about opening a coffee shop / laundromat with commercial washer / dryers. I think it might work.