Designing the perfect family laundry

It’s often overlooked as a vital cog in the family machine, but ensuring your family’s laundry is designed to perfectly suit your collective needs is crucial when it comes to designing your new home. We’re here to help you create a space that you no longer dread dragging yourself into, but one that’s set up to meet the demand of your family, that you’ll waltz into with pride.

Our Aspire and Lumina ranges are built on flexibility and adaptability. No matter your home or land size, we’re here to help you build a laundry to suit your family’s needs, without compromising on sophistication.

Here are our top 5 tips when it comes to getting the most out of your laundry design:

Location, Location, location.

We recommend keeping the (often noisy) laundry away from the areas in which you sleep and entertain, such as bedrooms and living rooms. Designing your home so that your laundry space can flow on from a kitchen, pantry or main hallway is a perfect way to separate work and play without disruption, while also ensuring its placement in your house is practical and easily accessible.

Adapt to the temperamental Melbourne climate.

Taking Melbourne’s climate into consideration when designing a family laundry is imperative – there’s nothing worse than having to complete a 500-yard dash to get the laundry in when the heavens open unexpectedly!

Here are two dynamic features we love incorporating into a classic Melbourne laundry:

1. Design your laundry with a door to a side path or backyard, right near an outdoor washing line. This way, hanging your laundry up outside (or taking it down in record time when the sky grows ominous) will be both easy and practical.
2. Incorporate a drying cupboard for the colder, wetter days, when outdoor drying for your delicates is a no-go.

We’ll discuss ventilation and moisture-reducing options with you during the design process too, to ensure your laundry remains fresh and dry – whatever the weather.

Streamlining typical laundry processes

Designing a functional space with purpose and process as top of mind is crucial.  Day-to-day life is busy, so minimising the amount of time you spend in your laundry and designing with functionality in mind is crucial.

Factors that’ll work in your favour when it comes to minimising your contact hours in the laundry:

1. Plenty of bench space. Space to fold means you’ll be less tempted to take it to the dining table.
2. Room for ironing (a fold-out ironing space is always possible if you’re looking at designing a smaller laundry).
3. At least one large sink, but two if you can compromise a little extra bench space (it’s worth it, we promise!).
4. A good quality tap or mixer with a pull-out feature, making your hand washing (and sink-cleaning) duties that little bit easier.

And if there are any other additions that will help refine your laundry duties,we’re happy to discuss your options with you and adapt our recommendations, drawing on our vast experience designing functional living spaces.

The best storage

Designing your laundry’s cabinetry and storage is a key component in maintaining a clutter free environment in other areas of your home- often families will use Laundry storage as a catchall for not only linen and towels, but the odds and ends that every family finds themselves with from time to time!

When we’re talking storage, it’s good to keep the following questions in mind:

What are you planning on storing in your laundry? 

What systems are you planning on using to gather and sort dirty and clean laundry?
Will you need extra storage for muddy shoes or school bags?

If in doubt, try and remember the last time you heard someone complain about having too much storage space. We’d wager that you haven’t. Laundry storage is one of those times where less is not more, so if in doubt, err on the side of more.

The finishing touches

Choosing the perfect finishes for your cupboards and appliances can be what turns your laundry from an undesirable room to a space you’re happy to spend time in. We’re proud of the quality of our standard inclusions, and the choices we give our customers when it comes to making luxurious design features more accessible.01

From door handles to tiling and splash backs (remember, non-slip tiling is key to a safe and functional laundry), our experienced design team will take you through recommendations for making your building dollars work hard for you – including where to splurge, and where to cut back when you’re working to a budget.

It’s no secret that the laundry needs of each family are unique. As with everything we do, our goal (and our commitment to you) is to create a beautiful, well appointed space that’s fit for purpose and dare we say, even enjoyment.