It’s a sad truth that the design of laundries is often overlooked, much to the dismay of those of us who spend way to much time in them, particularly if you have young children. With many of the teams also juggling families – and their accompanying loads of washing – it’s not surprising that thought and attention went into creating beautiful solutions for this, the most practical of spaces.
“People don’t really design their laundries very often,” says House Rules judge Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. “They feel, ‘No one’s going to see it so why bother?’, but actually your house should be about you. You need to spend as much time designing a corridor, a downstairs loo, a coat cupboard or a laundry, as you do a living room, because actually, those spaces are about you. Everywhere else is about showing off to people, but actually, your personal private spaces should be special.”
Here we share our favourite laundries of the series.
1. Katie & Alex – Gundaroo
The spacious, well-designed laundry was a thoughtful element of the renovation of Katie and Alex’s home, situated in one of Australia’s prettiest rural areas. The subtle splashback of ‘Devonshire’ matte subway tiles in Sky, from Beaumont Tiles, complemented the soft palette of blues featured in the rest of the house. There was plenty of storage included, too, which is always essential in laundries and really helps to keep the space tidy. “All the cabinetry has been really great on the show,” says Jamie Durie. “You’re dealing with suburban homes that don’t have a lot of space. When you’ve got floor to ceiling storage you’re really maximising the capacity of those spaces.”
2. Shayn & Carly – Aroona
The laundry design in Shayn and Carly’s Sunshine Coast home was a hit with all the judges. Wendy Moore said the tiles – Beaumont Tiles ‘Devonshire” gloss tiles in Sky – were a perfect match with the wallpapered feature wall that was placed opposite. “It’s nice to put that little bit of luxury on what is really a utilitarian space,” she says. Running the tiles vertically – the same way as the kitchen – adds a twist to the splashback, a subtlety that Laurence applauded. “Because they again used the subway tiles vertically, it became something of an understated sub-motif throughout the house that you recognised it as you went along – which I really enjoyed,” he says.
3. Pete & Courtney – Ferntree Gully
“It’s nice to put that little bit of luxury on what is really a utilitarian space.”
Wendy Moore, House Rules judge
Moody metallics were the order of the day in the Ferntree Gully laundry – the splashback of gold tiles was a glamorous take on a prosaic space that the judges loved. Pete and Courtney’s home, nestled in the foothills of Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges, was transformed with rich jewel tones and subtle metallic touches – and the laundry had its fair share. The show-stopping feature wall included Mosaic Glass Hexa Rose Gold Tiles from Beaumont Tiles.
“It’s a deliberate attempt to impose theatrical glamour, which I think is fine,” says Laurence. Jamie Durie agreed. It’s not everyday you get gold mosaics running through the laundry. It took us all by surprise to begin with, but then we thought, you know what? Absolutely.”
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