Just more convenient. It will be quieter in the family room when I am doing laundry, I'll gain a second pantry, and the extra chest freezer, which was in the spare room, is now in one end of the kitchen where the dryer cupboard used to be. I'll also have more room for doing laundry and I can close the door to the spare room if someone shows up during a wash... and it only takes up a foot in one corner of that room, so it isn't obtrusive... and for a washer/dryer, it is really beautiful. It's platinum black steel.