Lost in the Laundry

Are you renovating your home or building a new home and stuck on the laundry design? Read on to find out more!

Consider your existing storage

The laundry is a highly used, but also undervalued room in the home. We encourage our clients to plan their laundry design carefully to make sure it suits their needs. Your laundry design should be planned around what storage is available already in your home. Laundries are not only for washing clothes, but also for storing, drying, sorting and airing clothes. If you have linen closets elsewhere, you may not need as much storage space in your laundry and can instead focus on drying or airing clothes. If you can utilise ALL the nooks and crannies in your home, then you can focus your laundry design on a few key functions, rather than try to squeeze too much in. Try to limit awkward corners and angles that limit the functionality of your laundry. Mindful Homes can help with a renovation design that will get the most out of your space, or we can help design a brand new home with our experienced architects.

What capacity do you need?

How many people live in your house and will be in need of clean clothes? This is a great question to ask yourself when you begin designing your laundry. If you have kids, pets and other adults all sharing a home, it will definitely impact the demand on your laundry and similar facilities. If you need more than one washer or dryer, design your laundry with extra space in mind for these appliances. Utilise vertical space where possible and allow plenty of floor space for your laundry. You may have to sacrifice space in another room, but consider the benefits of a spacious laundry compared to a big office or guest room.

Functionality!

It is normal to find multi-use rooms that are, for all intents and purposes, the laundry room, however with added functionality. Clients are seeing dog/pet showers, pet beds, study desks, and more on Pinterest and Houzz and there is no reason why only high spec homes should have these features. You could have a hidden area for a litter tray for example. Many people incorporate the powder room into their laundry to save space. Mindful Homes can help incorporate whatever functionality you need in your laundry design.

How do you interact with the space?

Let’s get real for a minute here. Not everyone is a fan of being in a laundry because washing is a chore and laundry rooms aren’t that exciting. At Mindful Homes we believe a well-designed laundry can alleviate stress and make life easier! Orient the laundry near an exit to the yard or entrance for easy access. You can store items there like a cloakroom or mudroom and save dirt from entering the main living space. Think outside the square with built-in ironing boards and drying racks, which with careful planning can be relatively inexpensive. If you prefer to do the ironing in front of the telly, you could put one in the laundry. You could also store a full size ironing board on wall hooks to save space, but still have the option of moving it around! If folding and sorting washing for a family is a hassle, design a space that is comfortable to be in and has the right amount of bench space to make life easier! Whatever you’re priorities, it’s possible to design or renovate your home to create the perfect laundry.

Style right!

The style of your laundry should be considered at the beginning as it can dictate everything from lighting to layout. Many clients get stuck on the style of their laundry because it is first and foremost a room for practicality. However, this does not mean that it has to be boring or austere. If you have a large family or intend to make your laundry a multi-purpose room where you’ll be spending a lot of time, beautiful styling is important! Experiment with mixed metal hardware, bright, colourful wall paper, interesting tiles, and cabinetry colours. It might seem like an expensive luxury, but if your laundry room lacks natural light, consider installing a skylight or a high window. Natural light can boost mood and motivation- something definitely needed in a laundry room!