Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Subscribe
YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

16 colour combinations for using red in your interiors

16 colour combinations for using red in your interiors

These are the most popular paint colours in Australia right now

These are the most popular paint colours in Australia right now

Reader reno: A combined bathroom and laundry makeover for $3,000

Reader reno: A combined bathroom and laundry makeover for $3,000

The sunflower Christmas tree trend of 2020

The sunflower Christmas tree trend of 2020

{headline}

{headline}

5 new home design trends we’ll be seeing in 2021

5 new home design trends we’ll be seeing in 2021

The only 3 colour trends you need to know about for 2021

The only 3 colour trends you need to know about for 2021

What is the correct date to put up your Christmas tree?

What is the correct date to put up your Christmas tree?

{headline}

{headline}

5 Christmas tree decorating mistakes everyone makes

5 Christmas tree decorating mistakes everyone makes

Three easy ways to personalise your bedroom

Three easy ways to personalise your bedroom

Tara’s tiny laundry makeover

Tara’s tiny laundry makeover

This $15 Kmart hack is taking Aussie laundries by storm

This $15 Kmart hack is taking Aussie laundries by storm

This mum’s Kmart hack cuts laundry time by hours

This mum’s Kmart hack cuts laundry time by hours

8 gorgeous products we want from the 2021 Ikea catalogue

8 gorgeous products we want from the 2021 Ikea catalogue

Reader reno: A Scandi-style budget laundry makeover for $1300

Reader reno: A Scandi-style budget laundry makeover for $1300

  1. Home
  2. Renovating

3 modern laundry ideas: spend or save

Three famous renovators give their advice. - by Diana Moore
  • 11 Mar 2019
3 modern laundry ideas: spend or save
Three Birds Renovations

Depending on the amount of room you have in your home, the laundry can go from purely functional to seriously fabulous in the style stakes. No-one knows this better than serial successful house flippers Erin, Lana and Bonnie from Three Birds Renovations, who have just finished renovating their 9th house renovation in a row! 

They’ve seen a laundry or two and always look to renovate with the buyer in mind, but also understand what will work best in the bigger picture of the home’s functionality, as they tackle their own 'forever homes' one by one.

House 9 was originally built and designed as a family home and within the scope of the whole-home renovation, the Three Birds explore the age-old question of whether to save or splurge on the laundry? From the layout to appliances and tiles, here are their recommendations for where you should be injecting cash into the laundry and when to keep it in your pocket for a rainy day (or a fabulous sofa).

grey and white laundry renovation Three Birds Renovations
Three Birds Renovations

“What’s funny about laundries is that we’re in them almost daily, yet people often approach these spaces as an afterthought,” explains Three Birds Renovations Co-founder and Marketing Director Lana Taylor. Whilst there are no hard and fast rules about how much a laundry should cost, there’s a good guide to consider to help you stick to a budget.

“The best place to start is either with how the room looks or how it works, but every decision is interlinked. It’s not a linear sequence and you need all those elements to all work together,” says Lana.

In planning your budget consider the following:

  1. Whether it’s a new build or renovation
  2. Whether it’s the makeover of an existing footprint or a complete overhaul
  3. The size of the space and the materials you choose

“Your tiles, benchtop, cabinetry and tapware choices could take your reno into the tens of thousands or you could do it on the cheap for under $5k,” Lana taylor, Three Birds Renovations

Here are the Three Birds Renovations top tips for when to save and when to spend:

1. Layout

You can never plan too much! This should define what you want the design to look like and how you want to feel in your new space.

Save: Use flat pack cabinetry

Look at flat-pack cabinetry options that suit your needs and engineer a timber slab from your local hardware store, which you can keep natural or paint all white.

Spend: Double tub

 If you have the space, dedicate more space to the laundry instead of making it a pokey and ill-equipped afterthought. Natural light is always a good idea.

threebirdsrenovations View Profile
3,622 likes - View Post on Instagram
When you're renovating, everything doesn't have to be NEW 😉 Bonnie salvaged this concrete trough from House 5, resealed it and reinstalled it in her new laundry 🧺 🙌 #bonniesdreamhome #moderncoastalbarn #house8
threebirdsrenovations View Profile
5,628 likes - View Post on Instagram
Oh Peanut Butter!! Why so sad? Is it because there's a new puppy in the house? #truestory #hernameispiglet 🐷 #revealcomingsoon There's plenty of room in that bath for both of you!! Speaking of laundries .... what are your must haves in a laundry?? 💕 Check out Stories for some of ours👆#bonniesdreamhome #moderncoastalbarn #house8

Top tips:

  • Allow room to store washing powder tucked away in cupboards, rather than out on a bench.
  • Include a tall cupboard for the ironing board and broom (with a light) and bench space for sorting and folding clothes.

2. Appliances

"Your choice of a top or front loader washing machine will straight away impact your layout and design. We love a front loader because we prefer how they look and they can also be stacked or under-bench to save on space."

Spend: Choose a matching set

"We always like to purchase the same brand of washer and dryer to ensure a seamless aesthetic. It also means you can purchase handy accessories like pull-out benches and pedestal draws for your washer to sit on and maximise space within your laundry."

Three Birds Renovations laundry
Three Birds Renovations

3. Tiles

"Create a moodboard to ensure that all your laundry elements complement each other. Continue to revisit your decisions but don’t actually buy anything until you’ve decided on all elements."

Save: Save on tiles

"Don’t waste your budget on tiles if you’re strapped for cash. You can use simple 60x60cm porcelain marble-look tiles on the floor, with a tile skirt and painted walls. Subway tiles always look great for a splash back and there are some very affordable choices around."

Splurge: Invest in feature tiles

"On the other hand, because it’s typically a small room, you can actually get away with adding more design features for less. Invest in those fabulous feature tiles from Sardinia for your splashback - because it’s such a small area you get more impact."

“When you find a tap you love, add it to your moodboard and make sure it matches your tiles.”

This story originally appeared on Home Beautiful 

You might also like:

This year's hottest trends to inspire your laundry renovation 

10 laundry decorating ideas worth stealing 

Laundry trends taking over Instagram 

  • Renovating
  • Decorating
Diana Moore
Diana Moore
Content expert, florist and interior decorator Diana Moore has been passionate about helping others make the perfect home ever since she moved into her own. From styling her local bar to feel like your best friend’s lounge room, to randomly restyling people’s bookshelves, Diana is a firm believer in making the best of what you have in front of you.

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

16 colour combinations for using red in your interiors

16 colour combinations for using red in your interiors

These are the most popular paint colours in Australia right now

These are the most popular paint colours in Australia right now

Reader reno: A combined bathroom and laundry makeover for $3,000

Reader reno: A combined bathroom and laundry makeover for $3,000

The sunflower Christmas tree trend of 2020

The sunflower Christmas tree trend of 2020

{headline}

{headline}

5 new home design trends we’ll be seeing in 2021

5 new home design trends we’ll be seeing in 2021

The only 3 colour trends you need to know about for 2021

The only 3 colour trends you need to know about for 2021

What is the correct date to put up your Christmas tree?

What is the correct date to put up your Christmas tree?

{headline}

{headline}

5 Christmas tree decorating mistakes everyone makes

5 Christmas tree decorating mistakes everyone makes

Three easy ways to personalise your bedroom

Three easy ways to personalise your bedroom

Tara’s tiny laundry makeover

Tara’s tiny laundry makeover

This $15 Kmart hack is taking Aussie laundries by storm

This $15 Kmart hack is taking Aussie laundries by storm

This mum’s Kmart hack cuts laundry time by hours

This mum’s Kmart hack cuts laundry time by hours

8 gorgeous products we want from the 2021 Ikea catalogue

8 gorgeous products we want from the 2021 Ikea catalogue

Reader reno: A Scandi-style budget laundry makeover for $1300

Reader reno: A Scandi-style budget laundry makeover for $1300

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • marie claire
  • Instyle
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Shop This Offer
Get your mag delivered!