The Laundry - Often the Most Neglected Room in the House

Too often the laundry is included almost as an afterthought, with little attention paid to layout and storage requirements. Unlike the design depicted above from a Canadian magazine, Australian laundries tend to be minimal, with barely enough room for a washing machine, a dryer, a tub - and if you're lucky some 'bare-bones' storage. Fortunately with clever design, most laundries can have extra storage space added - useful storage for cleaning materials, ironing boards, clothes hampers, brooms and mops. All it takes is ingenuity and experience.

To help you with designing your laundry, whether big or small, new or an upgrade, Cousins Cabinets have acquired the services of Dianne Whitaker - an experienced home design consultant who knows what a busy woman needs to run an efficient household while raising a family.

Australian born, Di has spent the last 10 years in Canada, where she's written for magazines and web. She's now returned to Australia and has adapted many of her ideas to Australian conditions. One of her passions is the creation of the modern laundry:

"For the woman of the home, the laundry should be a special place - not tucked away in a corner. Progressive designers are incorporating the laundry into a total homemaker's centre, that includes sewing and ironing facilities, excercise machines and even TV and steroes. The modern laundry should be bright and airy, with good ventilation and, in Australia, adequate cooling. Appliances are trending towards energy efficient installations, including front loading washing machines - with the added advantage of allowing bench or storage space on top. Dryers, while still being installed, are tending to be used only during times of inclement weather, with a resurgence of clotheslines - the rollup or foldaway type being preferred - allowing natural drying with the benifit of sunlight and fresh air flow. There's now a huge range of storage systems on the market, and often these are best incorporated into purpose build cabinet storage areas. With advances in technology we're going to see huge changes in the layout, size and function of the traditional laundry - in fact the term "laundry" I believe will eventually disappear."

If you're looking to renovate or build - or simply add additional storage to your existing laundry, contact us for ideas about how we can help you.