The laundry is one of the hardest working places in your home. A laundry can be housed in a seperate room within the home or a closet depending on where you live. 

One thing is for sure the laundry is more than just the designated space for washing and preparing clothes, it can also supplement as a place for home storage and can at times even work as a mud room. The laundry is a multifunctional space in the home and as such needs to be practical, functional and organised regardless of its size. 

When designing a laundry always consider the design and layout from the outset, so you can maximise the space you have.

Whether your renovating, building a new home or your current laundry simply needs an update these simple tips will help you plan a clever, functional space you’ll be happy to use for years to come!

The team at Balnei & Colina

Image source: Rosemount Kitchens​

1. Zone your workspace

Start by thinking about how you plan to use your laundry. Generally there are four areas of work within the laundry room these are:

1. Sorting
2. Washing & Drying
3. Ironing/folding & hanging

When thinking about layout these areas should be clearly divided so that you can easily work within each allocated zone. 

Place your washing equipment strategically within the above zones for eg arrange your appliances to improve workflow. Ensure that your washing machine, dryer, tub and benchtop are in close proximity in your laundry design so that dirty laundry can go straight from the tub to the washing machine and then through to drying and onto to folding on the benchtop. 

Mapping out these laundry zones as part of your laundry renovation will help form the basis for a truly functional design.

Design Tip: Think about locating your washing machine close to an exit point for easy access to the backyard clothes line for a home laundry renovation.  Positioning your dryer and washer as far away from the living area as possible can assist in reducing the flow of noise to this area.

 

 

Image source: Fisher & Paykel

2. Make your laundry & home style cohesive

Whether you have a dedicated room or a small closet to work with your laundry should reflect your personal style and fit in with your existing home decor. Perhaps use the same cabinetry and colour scheme you’ve used in your kitchen renovation so that the feel and look of your home are consistent. 

By making your laundry feel like another room in your home will help improve your outlook when it comes to completing those day-to-day laundry tasks.

Design Tip:  If you’re working with a smaller space keeping the tones and colour palette light will help open up the space.

Image source: Mim Design

 

 

Image source: House of Eramiha

3. Choose the right equipment

Apart from the essential washing machine and dryer people tend to forget the value of a sink in laundry design. They are terrific for hand washing delicates, soaking stained items and general cleaning including washing your pets. A stain resistant sink with a deep bowl is preferable. There are plenty of options to choose from including undermount a great option if you’re trying to achieve a seamless, clean look.

Design Tip: Choose appliances that make the best use of the space you have for eg if you have limited space a solution maybe to opt for a 2 in 1 washer/dryer.

Image source: Balnei & Colina - Peakhurst Project

 

 

Image source: Kyal & Kara

4. Don’t forget to include a workbench

Don’t underestimate the importance of a bench space in a laundry. Having the space to sort and fold clothes means that your won’t have to bring this task into other areas of your home. A simple way to increase bench space is to position your washer/dryer beneath it as opposed to stacking these appliances.

Image source: Balnei & Colina - Sans Souci Project

 

 

Image source: D&B Architecture

5. Maximise storage & organisation

Now that you’ve made the decision to renovate your laundry it’s important to spend time ensuring it’s functional with plenty of storage. The cabinetry design should allow for maximum storage and be planned to create an organised workflow within the room. Creating a space that is easy to use and flows means that your laundry work will be completed more efficiently and hopefully not feel as much of a chore. 

Custom cabinetry can maximise organisation and storage in your existing space. We take our cues from smart kitchens design and opt for both open and closed storage. In addition to laundry items, laundry rooms also house cleaning products and tools like brooms & vacuums and various random household items. Closed storage is an attractive way of keeping these items organised, accessible and out of sight.

Quality built-in cabinetry will have your laundry space working efficiently and effectively whilst maximising every inch of space. Stackable washing machines, open plan shelving, handsome storage containers can all help to achieve a design that’s both beautiful and functional no matter how big or small the space.

Design tip: Create built in cabinetry specifically to assist in sorting laundry. This will ensure your dirty laundry remains hidden; and by allocating more than one drawer you can pre-organise your clothes ready for washing. On cabinet for darks one for whites or allocate a drawer for each member of the family the choice is yours.