Reader reno: A gorgeous $700 laundry makeover

With ‘80s brown walls, weird tap placement and a toilet in the middle of the room, this laundry was crying out for a makeover.

Here, we talk to Central Coast mum Alycia Funnell about how she created a luxe new look for her laundry on a $700 budget.

WATCH: Tara makes over a laundry

Tell us about your laundry

Our laundry was the last room in our house to be renovated. We needed to renovate on a budget but still wanted a designer look. My husband installed the bench top and tiling as well as removed the toilet and changed the laundry tapware. I painted the room and chose the tiles and accessories.

Alycia Funnell

Alycia Funnell

What kind of look were you after?

The rest of our house has a coastal theme, but we decided to keep the existing terracotta floor tiles to keep the renovation cost down.

We didn’t want to paint them as we did not want to end up with peeling paint, so I decided to embrace them and go with a Moroccan theme.

I knew I wanted black and white tiles and Andrew from my local tile shop, Exotique Tile Traders, suggested this pattern. I styled the room with a black and white rug, macrame plant hanger, lantern and greenery.

Alycia Funnell

What were the biggest challenges?

Figuring out the design so that we could have all the appliances together and also incorporate storage. Build-wise, the hardest thing was capping off and concealing the existing plumbing for the washing machine taps.

Alycia Funnell

Talk us through the renovation process

Stripped out the existing cupboard, shelf and toilet.
Patched up the walls.
Painted the room with two coats of white paint and painted the architraves gloss white.
Cut the timber bench top to size and installed it by screwing two pieces of wood to the wall for support.
Tiled the wall and installed a shelf with a rail for hanging clothes.
Used a grout paint pen to paint all the grout in the floor tiles white.

Alycia Funnell

Budget breakdown

We got the majority of products from Bunnings:
2200 x 600 Beech Laminated panel (bench top): $101
Bamboo fixed bathroom shelf: $55
1 door pantry: $110
Black lever handle wall sink set: $106
Black and white hall runner: $34
Tiles 2sqm @ $49m2: $98 from Exotique Tile Traders
Collapsible washing baskets: $14 each
Canvas wall art, copper coat hangers, sea grass basket: all from Spotlight

Alycia Funnell

Tell us about your choices

I chose the black and white tiles as they are gorgeous and can be styled with different accessories to get a completely different look. I love the natural look and finish of the bench top, and it gives the laundry a warm and inviting feel. The bamboo shelf is so practical and it has hooks, a shelf and a hanging rail to dry clothes. It’s an all-in-one product!