Laundry love Layouts, lighting & lust-haves

EXPLORE ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO CREATE YOUR DREAM LAUNDRY – ONE HIGH ON STYLE, THAT WASHES AND DELIVERS

The laundry used to be the most underrated room of the home, but homeowners and designers alike are starting to prioritise practical and pretty design. “They are no longer the forgotten room of the house,” says interior designer Sally Rhys-Jones, founder of Rhys/Jones Interior Architecture. “People are making laundries just as beautiful as their kitchens, using the same materials and levels of thoughtfulness.” If a room is going to soak up our time with repetitive chores, it may as well be done in comfort and style. Here, we speak to the experts for divine inspiration.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Think ahead – space is hard to come by in a laundry, so clever planning is the key to making the most of small layouts and discovering storage solutions. While planning, decide whether to incorporate an overflow behind the sink or a floor waste under the tiles to prevent flooding. Once the practical points are out of the way, interior designer Lysandra Fraser from The Design Duo suggests focusing on added luxuries such as underfloor heating, which can transform a laundry into a drying room.

For storage, Sally recommends installing pull-out drawers underneath the sink to stash washing powders and liquids. Hanging racks look glamorous beneath floating shelves and cabinets, as pictured (left) in this space designed by Home By Belle. It’s practical, too, taking up much less space than a dedicated drying cupboard. >

MAKE IT MULTI-FUNCTIONAL

Laundries are a prime area for multitasking. “It’s about how people live and how they can utilise the space really well,” says Dominique McAdam from Provincial Kitchens Home. “I incorporated a bar fridge into a laundry connected to a backyard, for easy access to drinks at barbecues.” If your laundry is sharing space with a powder room, interior designer Lysandra suggests hiding your toilet behind cabinetry so it isn’t a key feature. Looking to squeeze in a mudroom? Take flooring into account when making the laundry work double time – natural finish travertine tiles (right) are perfect for high-traffic areas.

LIGHTING THE WAY

For interior designer and Electrolux ambassador Anna-Carin McNamara, a dream laundry is flooded with sunshine streaming through modern windows or sliding glass doors leading to an outdoor zone, such as in this space by Porter Davis (left, try Stegbar for similar doors). “Ample natural light and the integration of greenery immediately makes it a more pleasant room to be in,” says Anna-Carin. When natural lighting isn’t a possibility due to layout or location, there are still plenty of opulent options to dial up the brightness. “Using white joinery can really lighten up a laundry,” advises interior architect Sally Rhys-Jones, who opts for Dulux Lexicon Half paint.

“INCLUDE POWER POINTS IN THE FULL-HEIGHT CUPBOARDS, SO appliances YOU CAN CHARGE SUCH AS STICK VACUUM CLEANERS” ~ SALLY RHYS-JONES

“PUTTING THE LAUNDRY IN AN accessible POSITION IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME THERE, SO WHY TUCK IT IN THE BACK OF THE HOUSE?” ~ ANNA-CARIN MCNAMARA, INTERIOR DESIGNER

“WE LIKE TO instant CREATE AN FEEL OF GRANDEUR THE SECOND YOU WALK IN THE DOOR” ~ LYSANDRA FRASER, INTERIOR DESIGNER

TOUCH OF LUXURY

Interior designers Lysandra and Alisa Fraser of The Design Duo prove that it’s all in the details when creating a truly alluring laundry. “You should look at styling it the same way you style a bathroom,” says Lysandra. “Don’t be afraid to put up artwork or mirrors that reflect light.” In this Melbourne renovation designed by the two sisters (below), a dark tinted mirror adorns the wall, bringing a sense of moody glamour to this modern space – try Life Interiors for similar. On ground level, marble skirting takes the luxe appeal to a whole new level.

STEAL KITCHEN STYLE

“Bringing in cohesive joinery from the kitchen into the laundry is the biggest trend we will see this year,” says Lysandra. Top of the style cohesion list? Brushed metallic tapware and large sinks that work as well in the laundry as they do in the kitchen. Sally Rhys-Jones prefers AFA ‘Flow’ kitchen sinks in place of tubs, for their affordability, generous size and smart appearance. Splash out with Smartstone Carrara benchtops and beautiful feature tile splashbacks to beautifully blend your kitchen and laundry design aesthetic. This Darren James Interiors designed space (pictured) shows exactly how it’s done.)