In Australia they’re called laundries – a place to do the washing and ironing that often becomes a dumping ground for all the family’s stuff. But in many countries, this room is called a “mud room”. Miraculously, Sydney families are learning how this simple change of name, when combined with good design, can transform the family dumping ground into a multi-purpose oasis.
Say goodbye to tripping over the kids’ stuff!
Like traditional Aussie laundries, mud rooms are usually located with side, rear or garage access. As a result, they act as the main entrance for family members. This makes the room an ideal place to shed shoes, beach towels, backpacks, coats and sporting equipment which keeps the rest of the house neat and clean.
But unlike a typical Aussie laundry, a well-designed mud room has a place for everything so it can be neatly put away. Just imagine being able to throw sports clothes directly into the laundry basket as soon as you or the kids get home. Or less chaos and fewer lost shoes during the morning rush to leave for school.
While European laundries are often compact spaces that are virtually a cupboard, mud room design features are strongly influencing Australian laundry renovations – especially on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Efficiency vs space
The great thing about a well designed laundry is that it doesn’t need to be a huge room. It all comes down to how well you utilise the space. Just as it does when designing a kitchen. That’s why many families ask Collaroy Kitchen Centre to design and build their new laundry renovation.
Popular Australian mud room laundry room storage trends include:
- Hooks on the wall to hang coats, scarves and beach towels
- Individual storage compartments so each family member has their own space
- A small built-in seat with drawers or cupboards beneath it to make the most of the space and storage opportunities
- Shoe cupboards or shoe racks to keep pairs together
- Linen folding benches with built-in laundry and ironing baskets
- Laundry shelves to combine style and functionality
- Broom cupboards to store the vacuum cleaner, mop etc.
- Linen cupboards so you can wash, fold and store your linen in the same room
- Built-in ironing boards that are ready and waiting for you (or anyone else in the family) to use
- Vertical or horizontal washer/dryer units – depending on how you want to utilise the space
- Laundry sinks with retractable spray taps to quickly wash mud, grass or sand off shoes before it spreads into the rest of the house
- Some even incorporate a dog washing station for canine friends who love the surf or rolling in mud
As you can see, your options are endless if you know how to maximise the available space. But that can be the hardest part – unless you have the designers from Collaroy Kitchen Centre to help you.
Design expertise gained over decades
At Collaroy Kitchen Centre, our designers will help you work out the best use of your laundry space so you can create a combination mud room laundry room. Importantly, we don’t hire sales people. Our team are qualified and experienced designers and cabinet makers so you can be sure you’re in good hands.
Even better, we are licensed builders so we can add additional space to your home or reconfigure your existing floor plan to build the efficient, hard-working laundry of your dreams.
If a functional, custom-built laundry and a neater, cleaner home are on your wish list, contact Collaroy Kitchen Centre by email or call 02 9972 9300
