Airing Your Dream Laundry in Public
All too often the laundry doesn’t get the attention we give to the rest of our home space. Making the best use of what is often a small area, requires a little bit of thought and can make a huge difference to the tedious business of laundry.
words: : Pattie Pegler images: essence & supplied
All too often the laundry doesn’t get the attention we give to the rest of our home space. Making the best use of what is often a small area, requires a little bit of thought and can make a huge difference to the tedious business of laundry.
“It’s not uncommon for people to do a reasonably extensive renovation and overlook the laundry,” says Jeremy Gray, Marketing Manager for online tradies hub, Builderscrack.co.nz. And, when he and partner, Alana Shinn, were renovating their 1960s fixer-upper in Christchurch, he admits they initially treated the idea of a laundry as a bit of an ‘after thought’.
It can be well worth getting some professional help with the laundry design to help make the best use of every inch of space and avoid wasted gaps between appliances or unusable corner spaces. Professional designers also know about what works well in laundries –things like narrow, vertical cupboards to store the ironing board; smaller size sinks to maximise space; corner units that swing out of cupboards.
For Jeremy and Alana, the laundry is a small space at the end of the kitchen that serves the dual purpose of laundry and pantry storage. On one side a washing machine, sink and benchtop provide space to pop a basket of laundry and rinse off muddy kids’ clothes. Whilst on the opposite side, floor-to-ceiling cupboards provide additional pantry storage for tinned items. And tucked away behind the shelves is the hot water cylinder – which would have otherwise eaten into the living room space. It’s a hard-working area and Jeremy is clear that getting some professional design input was really important.
However, there were some compromises, after all you can only fit so much into a small space. The couple thought about a drier on the wall, but it would have made the counter space hard to use. They thought about fitting a drier under the counter, but it would have lost the cupboard space under the sink. In the end they decided that the counter space and the cupboard were more important and they put their drier in the garage.
Aesthetically, the white benchtop and vinyl plank flooring continue the look of the kitchen area. The flooring is “brilliant, mid-range for cost and very durable”.
Jeremy sees a lot of people post laundry jobs on Builderscrack.co.nz. “Depending on the extent of the work, there are potentially a lot of trades involved, builder, plumber, electrician, plasterer, painter” he says.
“So it’s often good to get it done as part of a larger reno.”
North Canterbury-based interior designer, Andrea Robertson, took a DIY approach to revamping her laundry space and estimates it took a couple of months to complete the project.
“I wanted it to be stylish because it’s just off the living area,” says Andrea. With this in mind, she opted for a light, white engineered stone countertop, white cabinetry with sleek black handles and the lush green of botanical look wallpaper.
A cavity slider door saves space and 3-metre-high ceilings provide vertical space. This has been cleverly used with chunky, wooden shelves made from double-thickness ply and storage cupboards that run right to the top of the space with a rolling ladder for easy access. Above the sink there is a sleek, modern take on the old pulley style clothes dryer, that takes advantage of both the high ceiling and the sunny aspect of the room.
Whilst this laundry has the benefits of external windows and plenty of natural light – many laundry spaces are internal. In cases like these says Andrea – it’s best to opt for light-coloured benches, cabinetry and walls. And also, think about ventilation – particularly if you have a drier in the space.
And, as with the rest of the house, you can pretty it up with accessories – baskets can provide attractive storage, tins or jars can be used to store washing powder. Andrea has houseplants, precisely folded linens and towels and pretty, scented candles – helping the space pull together style and functionality.
“I am probably in here every five minutes,” says Andrea. “A laundry should be a nice space, it needs to be stylish.”