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?

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.