Life can feel like a continuous cycle of washing, drying and folding when you live in a busy home with lots of family. It’s safe to say that a home filled with adults and children is a household with loads of washing.  

Whether you do a daily load or stick to a schedule a few times a week, the team at Balnei & Colina know a well-designed laundry can streamline the workflow and minimise the stress and mess of laundry. The right laundry design can take the frustration out of washing day!

In this month’s B&C Home Journal, our laundry design experts have compiled need-to-know advice for a family-friendly laundry renovation. Enjoy!

The team at Balnei & Colina

 

Balnei & Colina | Coogee Laundry Renovation

How to design a family-friendly laundry

Maximise the storage 

Organised storage is vital for a family home, especially in a laundry, where clutter accumulates. With careful planning and a custom joinery design, even the most compact laundry space can provide loads of functional storage while maintaining a relaxed and stylish look. When you work with the Balnei & Colina renovation Sydney team on a bespoke laundry design, every spare centimetre of the space is utilised. 

Upper cabinetry gives you space to store cleaning products and chemicals up high, away from the reach of little ones. Built-in laundry hampers make it easy to sort white and dark loads. A tall, narrow niche can become a cupboard for brooms and mops or the location of a drop-down ironing board. 

Design Tip: To allow optimal air circulation around the washer and dryer, leave 2.5 cm of clear space between the units and any joinery.

 

Image via Oak and Orange 

 

Balnei & Colina | Laundry Renovation Sydney

 

Image Credit: Kristina Soljo Photography

Optimise your benchtop depth

Ample bench space gives you a spot to rest the washing basket and sort and fold clothes. A benchtop that is at least 650mm deep is ideal, as it will allow for the seamless integration of the under-bench washer and dryer. It will also give you the space for a large utility sink, which comes in handy for spot washing and soaking garments and textiles.

Design Tip: Your usable surface is maximised by positioning the sink at one end of the bench rather than in the middle.

 

Balnei & Colina | Phillip Bay Laundry Renovation

 

 

Image Credit: Oak and Orange

Design for cleanliness 

As a location that often contends with dirt, chemicals, and moisture, it’s important to prioritise durability in a laundry design. Especially for a busy home filled with adults, children, and pets! Choose non-porous finishes that are easy to wipe clean and hardwearing. 

Engineered quartz or reconstituted stone surfaces are solid choices for benchtops, while semi-gloss paint and gloss-coated ceramic and porcelain tiles work well for walls. If you prefer natural stone or concrete finishes, choose products that are suitably sealed to prevent staining and aging.

 

Balnei & Colina | Laundry Renovation Sydney

 

Image via Style Curator 

 

 

Balnei & Colina | Penshurst Laundry Renovation

Go multipurpose 

A laundry room renovation located at your home’s back entry can double as a mudroom when you incorporate hanging space and shoe storage. Family members won’t trudge mud and muck through the house when they can toss dirty clothes straight into the washer. Optimise your available space with a customised joinery solution designed by the expert laundry renovation team at Balnei & Colina renovations Sydney. 

 

Image via Studio McGee

 

 

Image via Three Birds Renovations 

Laundry chutes 

Consider adding laundry chutes if your laundry redesign is part of a more extensive renovation in a multistorey home. If you have a clear internal pathway between the floors, with no wiring, plumbing or ductwork to contend with, laundry chutes can eliminate the hassle of collecting dirty clothes. You’ll wonder why you didn’t install them sooner! Chat with a Balnei & Colina renovation expert today to explore your laundry renovation options.

 

Image credit: Three Birds Renovations

 

 

Image Credit: Mindi Cooke Photography

The right appliances 

Reliable washers and dryers are a blessing for copious amounts of laundry and daily washing. It’s worth paying a premium for a unit that will provide years of hassle-free laundry work. Look for well-known brands and research online and in-store to make sure you select a machine that matches your requirements and will go the distance. 

The space-saving aspect of a combination washer-dryer is appealing, but keep in mind the drying capacity is typically only half the washing capacity. Once you wash a full load, you will have to separate the load and dry it in two halves. If you have the room, go with standalone appliances. 

 

Image Credit: Studio Gorman

Adding a laundry renovation to your bathroom and kitchen renovation plans? Let the experts at Balnei & Colina Laundry Renovations Sydney help. 

Book a laundry design consultation today with a renovation expert today at 1300 450 320, send us your project details via this contact form, or book a call to discuss your bathroom project in more detail. You can also email us direct via info@balneiandcolina.com.au 

To keep up with the latest laundry storage solution trends, follow us on Facebook and Instagram or sign-up for our newsletter.

 

Image via The Interiors Addict 

Image via Studio McGee

 

Image credit: Louise Roche