Laundries: Hard Working and Good Looking
Trends, schmends…
It is the nature of human beings that we constantly seek what is new and different. With the sheer amount of information that we are being exposed to every single day, our attention span is quickly becoming that of a gnat! This is why we are seeing design trends move from minimalism to maximalism and back again in a blink of an eye; warm friendly colours shift to cool expansive hues and back to warm again before the paint has even dried on the wall. We’ve always had changing trends but, before the advent of the internet and, more importantly, social media, these trends would last 10-20 years or more. Now, they barely stick around for a few years – if you’re lucky!
But, throughout these ever-changing trends, there is something that remains constant and this is the need for highly functional spaces that are easy to use, comfortable to be in and filled with the things that bring us joy (yes, Marie Kondo is on to something).
Over 140 years ago, William Morris, during a lecture to the Birmingham Society of Arts and School of Design, shared his defining wisdom, something that he called the Golden Rule: “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” While we have seen numerous design trends come and go, this maxim still holds true - a golden rule, indeed.
“have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
The ‘Good’ Rooms
The advent of COVID-19 relegated us to spending an unprecedented amount of time in our homes with many becoming increasingly aware of the areas in our homes that are no longer, or perhaps never were, functional, let alone truly beautiful. In most cases, the spaces that are most lacking are the ones that make up the backbone of your home. Yet these are the rooms that we need to be truly functional and, outside of the kitchen, are the ones we have not dared to dream could be beautiful. The latter has been reserved for the “living spaces” in the house.
It is generally fairly straightforward to create a functional, beautiful living or dining room and it is definitely fun to do. However, it is much harder to create true functionality in the hardest working spaces of our homes - rooms like our laundry or our wardrobes.
These rooms are the workhorses in our homes but all too often they are ignored from a design perspective, considered only as an afterthought. With most new builds or renovations, homeowners’ investment dollars are spent on the “visible” spaces of the home. When it comes to the functional spaces, there is rarely enough money left in the budget, or energy left in the tank, to do more than the basics.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. For the past several centuries, time and money have been spent on the ‘front of house’ rooms, the rooms where guests were welcomed into the home and where homeowners were able to show off their wealth and flair. The ‘back office’, or functional areas of the house, were the realm of staff and therefore didn’t warrant the cost of extraneous decoration.
In fact, if you are of a certain age (like I am), you probably remember growing up in a home that had formal rooms no one ever seemed to use, let alone be allowed to play in. These were the “good rooms” and they were reserved for entertaining guests. Well, your parents’ guests, not your mates!
Take it to Heart…
These days, we are the ‘staff’, as well as the lord and lady of the house, so don’t we deserve more than the simplest floor tile and budget sink or a single rod and shelf with a bare lightbulb overhead? While this approach certainly serves the most basic of needs it does so without thought to ergonomics, efficiency, ease or elegance. And, it’s certainly not anything that sets the heart on fire.
We believe these rooms should set the heart alight. Given the work-out these rooms get and the amount of time we spend in them, they deserve the same investment in design, and decoration, as our living rooms. We believe hard-wearing can be good-looking. Ergonomic can be sexy. Efficient can be investment worthy.
Imagine a laundry room that doesn’t look like a laundry room but an extension of the rest of your home. Where there is space for everything and everything you need is accessed easily where, and when, you need it. Picture baskets to sort whites from darks, delicates from towels. A place to hang shirts to dry. An ironing board and an iron, with a powerpoint, all in easy reach. And, whatever else you might need - a place to wash your dog, crates to store pet food, ample storage for beach gear and a safe place to store cleaning supplies. Then, imagine this space with all of the beautiful finishing touches that make it a joy to be in - gorgeous floor tile, beautiful lighting, tactile surfaces and handsome hardware.
What about your wardrobe? Imagine being able to easily find your favourite knee-length black skirt and it not need to be re-ironed when you pull it out. Or, to see all of your shoes at one time and grab the exact pair you want. A dedicated space for your workout gear that isn’t jumbled up with your underwear (or your partners for that matter!). A beautiful, full length mirror and a velvet lined jewellery drawer. Now, that would make getting ready for work in the morning something you even look forward to.
Because, You’re Worth It…
We believe all of this is not only possible but also a worthy investment. It’s an investment that will reap rewards for your home by increasing buyer desirability and therefore creating higher market value. But, more importantly, it’s an investment in you and your lifestyle. One that will reap rewards of a better, more streamlined and joyful life.
