Practically chic Melissa Penfold puts the luxe factor into the laundry.
EVERYTHING IS MORE informal these days with high-performing, workhorse spaces such as laundries and mudrooms becoming the final frontier of luxury, a shrine of efficiency, organisation and a joy to use.
It’s about a well-designed room where the focus is on storage – plus clean surfaces, organisation and creating a great design you don’t mind spending time in. LAUNDRY LOVERS (OR NOT) Those who want to get the job done with maximum efficiency are installing multiple washers and dryers, lots of benchtop space for sorting and folding, custom drying racks, streamlined cabinets and even rotary irons that press tableware and bed linens within minutes. Chutes are increasingly being asked for. IT’S ALL ABOUT AESTHETICS Doing laundry is a mundane task but people want to give the room a look that is anything but drab – and ties in with the rest of the house. GO FOR PRACTICALITY We recommend seeking out durable floor tiles to withstand daily floor traffic. Ceramic or cement are also great looks that resist moisture and require little care. You want storage that is a combination of closed cabinets and open shelving to boost organisation. Multiple baskets that are easily accessible can hide smaller items. A working surface that can withstand heat and liquids is ideal, such as stainless steel, wood or ceramic.
Drying racks are the laundry accessory du jour – they can be easily lowered then raised up and out of the way thanks to smart pulley systems. There are metal ones that pull out from walls or cupboards.
1 Mudroom in Vaucluse, Sydney by Lynda Kerry Interior Design features seat cushion in Raoul Textiles ‘Hideko’ in Indigo, ascraft.com.au, with cushions in Kravet ‘Seafan-island’ by Lilly Pulitzer, elliottclarke.com.au 2 Whitewash laundry basket, $125, orienthouse.com.au 3 Atta baskets, $210 each, orienthouse.com.au 4 Mudroom by US architect Gil P. Schafer. 5 Fisher & Paykel ‘WH1260F1’ 12kg front loader washing machine with Activeintelligence LCD display, POA, fisherpaykel.com 6 Laurastar ‘Smart M’ ironing system, $2999, laurastar.com.au 7 Caesarstone ‘Nougat 6600’ quartz surface and ‘Topus’ concrete surface (background) both from 2019 collection, POA, caesarstone.com.au 8 Hunter original Wellington boots, $140, rideawaystore.com 9 Zara Home laundry room from Feel at Home spring summer 2019, zarahome.com.au 10 Batik Indian linen cushion, 55x55cm, Walter.g Textiles, $161, saltliving.com.au 11 Atta rectangular boxes, $145/small and $195/large, orienthouse.com.au