Clean laundry design

Laundries are all about work but that doesn’t mean they can’t be stylish. There are some simple ways to make your laundry a functional and organised space.

Decluttering

Before you look at storage options it is important to declutter, according to Finer Details Concierge and Organiser Services co-directors Sara Hall and Heather Gibson

“Many people head to the store to buy storage containers to organise the laundry but without decluttering and assessing what will go where, it is often a waste of time and money,” Ms Hall says.

Unused storage becomes clutter in itself.

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Great storage

Mark Wood, manager/owner of Veejay’s Renovations, says the most common request for laundry spaces is more storage.

“Some of the latest trends in laundries are pull-out dirty laundry baskets and overhead cabinets to really add as much storage as possible,” he says. “Also, (consider) a pull-down iron board, which can be hidden in a custom-made cabinet with its own power outlet and timer switch, so you never have to worry about leaving the iron on.”

Freeing up the floor is a great way to create more space and Mr Wood says one of the best options to create more floor space is to either hang your dryer on the wall or put it in the carport, or opt for a washing machine and dryer stack.

“The other important thing in a laundry is making sure you have a tall cupboard to store your brooms and mops, so not taking up further floor space,” he adds. “Within this cupboard you can add pull-out shelving for easy access to your cleaning products.”

Looking for a simple way to create storage? Ms Gibson says the area under the sink is under-utilised in many households.

“By introducing effective storage, you can create an easy access area ideal for storing cleaning paraphernalia,” she says.

“By simply adding a pull-out drawer system or expandable under-the-sink shelf, you can instantly create effective storage.”

Getting out the creases

You might be spending a lot of time using your iron, so it is important to choose one that suits your needs.

Daniel Evans, manager at Harvey Norman Joondalup, says when choosing an iron people consider how heavy the iron is, the steam pressure, water tank capacity (he says the bigger the capacity the longer you can iron without the interruption of refilling), the material of the soleplate and whether the iron has an auto-off safety function.

Thinking about a steam station? Steam stations are larger than traditional irons, so Mr Evans recommends you consider how often you iron when making a decision.

“Do you iron one shirt every day, or is it a family load,” he says. “Steam stations have good capacity and good steam pressure. They are better if you are doing more ironing, and they give a continuous steam.”

Adding fun

Even though it’s a working area, that doesn’t mean your laundry shouldn’t have some fun elements. Mr Wood says mounting a small television in the laundry creates a more inviting space to be in.

“Gone are the days of the laundry being dark, a room you hated going in to. It can be a light, bright often tranquil room within the house,” he says.

Recently we have seen a trend in funky tiling within the laundry creating a fun and inviting area.

Inspiring rooms

Interior designer Sarah Knox of Eskay Design says laundries need not be all white and clinical.

• Be bold. Add colour and have fun. Even adding a vibrant piece of art will make a difference.
• Add practical elements such as pull-out ironing boards and pull-out hamper baskets, a practical solution that hides bigger, messy items.
• Don’t over clutter the benchtop — only keep what is needed there, like a hand wash.
• Hooks, rails and shelves look great and keep items in their place. Hooks are great for hanging brooms and brushes, rails are practical when ironing, and shelves create extra storage.
• Introduce greenery, whether real or fake. Trail greenery off a shelf, or put a small plant on the bench.

Laundry tips

Finer Details Concierge and Organiser Services’ Sara Hall and Heather Gibson offer tips to keep the laundry organised:

• Store matching bed linen in one of the pillow slips for easy identification and to keep them together. This will save you a lot of time and effort when it comes to making the beds.
• Use a laundry marker to note single, queen or king on the label of sheets when you first buy them. Ensure the sheets are folded so that the label is visible. The whole family will be able to easily find the right size — no excuses!
• Consider having a labelled basket for each family member for clean clothes. Create a family routine for everyone to put away their own laundry. House the baskets on an easily accessible shelf.
• Use coloured baskets for white items, coloured and black for dirty laundry. Having spaces easily identifiable makes this task easy for all.