Before & After: A Laundry Transformed... With Extras Squeezed In
This practical and oh-so-pretty laundry makeover includes a handy drinks station and even kitchen-appliance storage
A dark and rundown laundry is unrecognisable after a makeover with luxe finishes, new custom storage and better flow. The new layout even manages to accomodate useful extras, such as storage for bulky kitchen appliances and a chilled drinks set-up.
The homeowners chose a pull-out mixer tap with a brushed-gold finish for their new laundry. “Pull-out mixers are so useful for washing,” they say. “We’ve even bathed our baby here!”
What was your brief?
What was on your clients’ wish list?
What was your brief?
- Bench space.
- Storage (the house is short on storage).
- A connection with the entertainer’s courtyard outside.
What was on your clients’ wish list?
- A ceramic butler’s sink.
- Gold-toned taps.
- The look of the laundry needed to tie in with the design of the clients’ new bathroom and ensuite, hence the gold-coloured tapware and penny-round tiles, which were used in these two other rooms.
- Space in the laundry for a bar fridge for their outdoor entertaining courtyard, plus storage space for bulky kitchen appliances in order to relieve pressure on the kitchen.
The laundry before works
What was the laundry like originally?
What did you set out to achieve?
What was the laundry like originally?
- A dark, gloomy colour scheme.
- Unreliable services.
- Cracked tiles.
- No benchtops or storage.
- Doors from the adjoining ensuite, hall and exterior all opened into the original laundry, making it feel cramped and difficult to use.
What did you set out to achieve?
- Laundry storage, in particular, was essential here as the rest of the home had limited storage.
- The bar fridge and sliding window were suggested by GDP Interior Design as this room connects to the clients’ beautiful outdoor entertaining area.
- This laundry now operates as a hybrid kitchen extension and a gateway from the garden to the interior of the house.
The laundry before works
What exactly did you do?
10 Top Design Tips for an Ergonomic Laundry
What exactly did you do?
- We collaborated with GDP Interior Design, Dreamcraft Interiors and the clients to produce a functional and beautiful laundry that also acts as a gateway between the home’s interior and the courtyard.
- Our focus was on demolishing the original laundry and the build and project management of the new one.
- GDP Interior Design created a palette consisting of calm, earthy colours with pops of glamorous gold hues to tie in with the nearby bathroom and ensuite.
- Space was borrowed from the original laundry for the layout of the new bathroom, so we had less space to work with than there was originally. However, a focus on functionality allowed us to create a more usable laundry in less space – with added extras, such as kitchen-appliance storage.
10 Top Design Tips for an Ergonomic Laundry
We love the storage here – tell us about it
As the laundry doubles as a thoroughfare between inside and out, it was important to keep the room as clear as possible. Wall storage was key, but was unfortunately in short supply. Maximising what we did have was essential in order to meet the storage requirements set out in the clients’ brief.
We installed a mixture of different cupboard and shelf types, including open and closed, to maximise the laundry’s storage potential. The owners added in a bar fridge for chilled drinks, which comes in handy when they’re entertaining in the adjacent courtyard.
We included a few open timber shelves to add warmth to the predominantly white and pale-grey scheme, and to tie in with the timber of the windows.
Owner’s verdict: “The laundry opens to our courtyard, and the room is great for storing our outdoor entertaining essentials, such as rugs and barbecue utensils. We also keep large kitchen appliances here, such as the food processor and mixers, and find ourselves doing some kitchen tasks in here thanks to the generous bench space.”
Browse more beautiful white laundries
As the laundry doubles as a thoroughfare between inside and out, it was important to keep the room as clear as possible. Wall storage was key, but was unfortunately in short supply. Maximising what we did have was essential in order to meet the storage requirements set out in the clients’ brief.
We installed a mixture of different cupboard and shelf types, including open and closed, to maximise the laundry’s storage potential. The owners added in a bar fridge for chilled drinks, which comes in handy when they’re entertaining in the adjacent courtyard.
We included a few open timber shelves to add warmth to the predominantly white and pale-grey scheme, and to tie in with the timber of the windows.
Owner’s verdict: “The laundry opens to our courtyard, and the room is great for storing our outdoor entertaining essentials, such as rugs and barbecue utensils. We also keep large kitchen appliances here, such as the food processor and mixers, and find ourselves doing some kitchen tasks in here thanks to the generous bench space.”
Browse more beautiful white laundries
Half-moon shape door pulls were chosen to complement the rounded edges of the bath and basin the nearby bathroom and ensuite
Why do you think this laundry works so well?
“It’s light, bright, elegant and inviting, with space for everything,” says Baulch.
“It’s such a well-designed space,” say the owners. “There is ample storage and enough room to iron and set up clothes-drying racks. With the large window and a bar fridge, we can serve drinks from here too, which adds another use to the room.”
Best of the Week: 29 Sensational Joinery Ideas
Why do you think this laundry works so well?
“It’s light, bright, elegant and inviting, with space for everything,” says Baulch.
“It’s such a well-designed space,” say the owners. “There is ample storage and enough room to iron and set up clothes-drying racks. With the large window and a bar fridge, we can serve drinks from here too, which adds another use to the room.”
Best of the Week: 29 Sensational Joinery Ideas
Marble mosaic penny-round tiles on the splashback add texture and contrast to the white walls
Finishes
Tell us
Which features do you love in this laundry? Tell us your favourite elements in the Comments below, save the images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Looking for more laundry design ideas? Check out Best of the Week: Lovely Laundries
Finishes
- YDL Stone Deluxe Range quartz benchtop with a waterfall edge in Arctic White (it matches the kitchen benchtop).
- Lo & Co Interiors Luna Pull handles.
- Reece Canterbury Butler’s 600 ceramic sink.
- Reece Par Taps Lugano sink mixer in a brushed-gold tone.
- Signorino Tiles Cashmere white natural-porcelain tiles.
- Signorino Tiles penny-round marble-mosaic tiles.
- National Tiles matt-white rectified wall tiles.
- Cabinetry by Dreamcraft Interiors.
Tell us
Which features do you love in this laundry? Tell us your favourite elements in the Comments below, save the images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Looking for more laundry design ideas? Check out Best of the Week: Lovely Laundries
Answers by Megan Baulch at building and bathroom-design firm Baulch Services
Who lives here: A couple with two children aged five years and 10 months, and their dog
Location: Briar Hill, Victoria
Room purpose: A laundry with storage space for kitchen appliances, plus a bar fridge and servery window to serve drinks when the owners are entertaining
Room size: 6.5 square metres
Budget: Approximately $20,000
Builder: Baulch Services
Interior designer: GDP Interior Design
Cabinet maker: Dreamcraft Interiors