Wide open spaces

One of the vagaries of building a home is how little attention is paid to service spaces, such as laundries. An essential element in any home, the design of these spaces rarely rates anything more than cursory attention.

Yet the benefits associated with a well thought out laundry make the process an obvious choice, says Royston Wilson of Royston Wilson design.

"It's all about practicality by specifically designing a laundry you end up with a really useful utility room that extends the functionality of the room."

The laundry featured on these pages is an extension to the house and as such was purposely designed to undertake a number of functions. The laundry links directly with the pool area via an American-style mudroom, which incorporates added storage as well as a toilet and shower.

"The mudroom storage is for objects associated with the pool and other outdoor items, while the toilet and shower negate the need for people using the pool to enter the house itself," says Wilson.

When the children come home wet and muddy there is another bathroom, with bath, where they can get cleaned up and the mess is contained in the one area.

Adjoining the kitchen, the laundry also serves as a scullery or overflow space when the owners are entertaining, so ample benchtops were incorporated into the design, says Wilson.

Another design feature is the cabinetry. Custom- made, extra-deep storage is achieved with drawers and cupboards offering a variety of configurations.

"The idea was to provide the maximum amount of storage in the most user-friendly way, without compromising the aesthetic. The open shelf, for example, provides storage without making the space look closed in, while the overhead cupboards were made deeper than usual," says Wilson.

Story by: Justin Foote