How to Create the Laundry of Your Dreams

From great storage and generous benchtops to luxe touches, discover the must-have elements that will take your laundry from ordinary to extraordinary.

A beautifully designed laundry not only makes the chore of washing more enjoyable, but it can significantly boost the value of your home. A laundry that’s both pretty and practical is a feature many buyers want, making it a smart investment if you ever decide to sell.

So, if you’re ready to make your #laundrygoals a reality, here are the main elements you’ll want to include.

Plenty of bench space

A laundry is more than just a place to wash and dry clothes – it’s also where you fold items, sort them into hampers, treat stains, iron and more. As such, you’ll want to include sufficient benchspace to spread out and pop a basket or two. Aim for a depth of at least 650mm – this ensures most laundry appliances will sit flush with the front of your benchtop and create a seamless walkway flow.

Ample storage

In a busy family laundry, you can never have enough storage. In addition to washing supplies like powder and detergent, chances are you may also need to store linens, pet supplies, bulk goods, cleaning supplies, the vacuum cleaner and ironing board.

Keep the space pristine and serene by choosing a floorplan that includes enough storage to keep it all neatly organised and readily accessible.

At Carlisle Homes, all the laundries feature generous cabinetry in quality finishes, making it easy to house all your essentials, along with space for handy extras like a pull-out hamper or two. With over 200 floorplans to choose from, you’ll also find special features to streamline everyday family life, such as laundries with walk-in linen cupboards lined floor to ceiling with open shelving, walk-through laundries you can access directly from the garage, and one’s big enough to double as a mudroom.

The right location

Building your own home allows you to choose a floorplan with the laundry positioned exactly where you want it – no compromises necessary.

So, what is the ideal position? A hardworking room like a laundry that gets used every day should be centrally located on your lower level, with easy outdoor access so you can hang clothes on the line without having to carry heavy baskets through the house.

If you have pets or children that track mud and dirt into the house, you may also want it to be located close to your internal garage door. This way, the the kids can pull off their muddy shoes and boots in the laundry after the game and you can wipe down the pets’ muddy paws before they enter the rest of the house. Similarly, if you store a lot of bulk goods in your laundry, having the laundry next to the garage means less distance to travel with heavy bags.

At Carlisle Homes, they understand how important the laundry is to the running of your busy household. That’s why you’ll always find the laundry located near the centre of the floorplans, with direct access to the backyard so you can hang out the wash, and easy access to the kitchen, main living area and garage.

A stylish sink and tap

The tap and sink are key components in any laundry. And while they need to be practical, they also give you an opportunity to bring in the style of the rest of your house.

Create a chic, contemporary look with a matt black tap and a minimalist square stainless-steel sink. Or complement warm oak cabinetry with a curvaceous chrome tap and a rounded stainless-steel sink. Alternatively, add a touch of glam with a brushed-gold tap or one in a two-tone black and steel or black and copper finish.

Make sure your selections are practical too. For example, it’s wise to choose a sink deep enough to soak woollen items and delicates and to specify a swivel or pull-out tap that’s tall enough to accommodate a bucket or an indoor plant that needs watering.

When you build a Carlisle Home, you’ll have the freedom to customise every room of your home, including the laundry, with the latest and greatest products from the biggest design brands at the Spectra Showroom. Start making your shortlist today with the Spectra Online tool.

A mix of open and closed cabinets

Include a generous run of closed cabinets to store less-sightly items like buckets, laundry powder, detergents, cleaning supplies and bulk goods.

To bring in some personality and break up the straight lines of the joinery, incorporate one or two open shelves in a contrasting finish where you can put a created display or special items, a cascading plant or a pretty woven peg basket.

Design details

Create a seamless sense of style by carrying the same colours and finishes you’ve used in your kitchen and bathrooms into your laundry. It not only makes your home feel more cohesive, but elevates your laundry beyond the purely practical.

Evoke a sophisticated Hamptons feel with crisp white cabinets and a pale-grey stone-look benchtop, add some individuality with a two-tone scheme that pairs parchment-toned overhead cabinetry with warm timber base units, or make a statement with black-stained cabinets and a light-grey stone-effect benchtops. Love the idea of drawing nature inside? Try warm oak-effect laminate running right from your cabinets to your benchtops.

Dial up the luxe factor further with a beautiful, tiled splashback. Consider large stone-effect tiles for an earthy yet sophisticated look, or oversized subway tiles for a crisp, contemporary feel.

A touch of luxury

Some beautiful framed prints, a decorative mirror, a display of family photographs – special pieces like these are no longer restricted to your living spaces and bedrooms. For an instant dose of colour and personality, try adding one or two to your laundry walls.

Good lighting

Decent light is a must in a laundry. It allows you to see and fight stains better and move comfortably and safely through the space. Aim for a mix of discreet under-cabinet LED lighting to illuminate your benchtops and ambient ceiling lighting, to ensure no corner is left in the dark.

Easy-care flooring

The occasional spill and splash are inevitable in a laundry, but with the right flooring, you can mitigate potential damage and make clean-up a breeze.

Opting for water-resistant and easy-to-clean flooring like porcelain or ceramic tiles, water-resistant laminate or hybrid flooring is essential. These materials are hardwearing and perfect for withstanding the rigours of a laundry environment where moisture and occasional spills happen. Not to mention, their smooth surfaces make wiping spills a cinch. At Carlisle, you can take your pick from a range of stunning stone-look tiles and warm, timber-look laminate and hybrid floor colours – log into the Spectra Online tool to see your options.