Brunswick Parlour transforms a Victorian cottage into a hard-working, personalised home for a family of four. Our clients loved the character of their Brunswick terrace home, but not its inefficient floor plan and poor year-round thermal control. They didn't need more space, they just needed their space to work harder. The front bedrooms remain largely untouched, retaining their Victorian features and only introducing new cabinetry. Meanwhile, the main bedroom’s previously pokey en suite and wardrobe have been expanded, adorned with custom cabinetry and illuminated via a generous skylight. At the rear of the house, we reimagined the floor plan to establish shared spaces suited to the family’s lifestyle. Flanked by the dining and living rooms, the kitchen has been reoriented into a more efficient layout and features custom cabinetry that uses every available inch. In the dining room, the Swiss Army Knife of utility cabinets unfolds to reveal a laundry, more custom cabinetry, and a craft station with a retractable desk. Beautiful materiality throughout infuses the home with warmth and personality, featuring Blackbutt timber flooring and cabinetry, and selective pops of green and pink tones. The house now works hard in a thermal sense too. Insulation and glazing were updated to best practice standard, and we’ve introduced several temperature control tools. Hydronic heating installed throughout the house is complemented by an evaporative cooling system and operable skylight. The result is a lush, tactile home that increases the effectiveness of every existing inch to enhance daily life for our clients, proving that good design doesn’t need to add space to add value.

Inspiration for a contemporary single-wall dedicated laundry room in Sydney with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, grey splashback, subway tile splashback, white walls, beige floor, white benchtop and planked wall panelling.

These clients were referred to us by some very nice past clients, and contacted us to share their vision of how they wanted to transform their home. With their input, we expanded their front entry and added a large covered front veranda. The exterior of the entire home was re-clad in bold blue premium siding with white trim, stone accents, and new windows and doors. The kitchen was expanded with beautiful custom cabinetry in white and seafoam green, including incorporating an old dining room buffet belonging to the family, creating a very unique feature. The rest of the main floor was also renovated, including new floors, new a railing to the second level, and a completely re-designed laundry area. We think the end result looks fantastic!

This Condo has been in the family since it was first built. And it was in desperate need of being renovated. The kitchen was isolated from the rest of the condo. The laundry space was an old pantry that was converted. We needed to open up the kitchen to living space to make the space feel larger. By changing the entrance to the first guest bedroom and turn in a den with a wonderful walk in owners closet. Then we removed the old owners closet, adding that space to the guest bath to allow us to make the shower bigger. In addition giving the vanity more space. The rest of the condo was updated. The master bath again was tight, but by removing walls and changing door swings we were able to make it functional and beautiful all that the same time.

Photo of a large contemporary u-shaped dedicated laundry room in Toronto with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, white walls, porcelain floors, a side-by-side washer and dryer, white floor and white benchtop.

Laundry with concealed washer and dryer behind doors one could think this was a butlers pantry instead. Open shelving to give a lived in personal look.

This is an example of a mid-sized modern single-wall dedicated laundry room in Sydney with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, ceramic splashback, white walls, ceramic floors, a side-by-side washer and dryer, beige floor and grey benchtop.

Custom Built home designed to fit on an undesirable lot provided a great opportunity to think outside of the box with creating a large open concept living space with a kitchen, dining room, living room, and sitting area. This space has extra high ceilings with concrete radiant heat flooring and custom IKEA cabinetry throughout. The master suite sits tucked away on one side of the house while the other bedrooms are upstairs with a large flex space, great for a kids play area!

This is an example of a large contemporary l-shaped dedicated laundry room in Tampa with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, engineered quartz splashback, grey walls, porcelain floors, a side-by-side washer and dryer, grey floor and grey benchtop.

Mid-sized transitional galley dedicated laundry room in Dallas with white cabinets, a side-by-side washer and dryer, grey floor, quartzite benchtops, ceramic splashback, white benchtop, grey splashback, white walls and light hardwood floors.

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall utility room in Other with flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, white benchtop, a single-bowl sink, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, beige walls, porcelain floors, a concealed washer and dryer, grey floor, wallpaper and wallpaper.

This is a hidden cat feeding and liter box area in the cabinetry of the laundry room. This is an excellent way to contain the smell and mess of a cat.

  Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Lakefront property in the northwest suburbs of Chicago is hard to come by, so when we were hired by this young family with exactly that, we were immediately inspired by not just the unusually large footprint of this 1950’s colonial revival but also the lovely views of the manmade lake it was sited on. The large 5-bedroom home was solidly stuck in the 1980’s, but we saw tons of potential. We started out by updating the existing staircase with a fresh coat of paint and adding new herringbone slate to the entry hall. The powder room off the entryway also got a refresh - new flooring, new cabinets and fixtures. We ran the new slate right through into this space for some consistency. A fun wallpaper and shiplap trim add a welcoming feel and set the tone for the home. Next, we tackled the kitchen. Located away from the rest of the first floor, the kitchen felt a little isolated, so we immediately began planning for how to better connect it to the rest of the first floor. We landed on removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and designed a modified galley style space with separate cooking and clean up zones. The cooking zone consists of the refrigerator, prep sink and cooktop, along with a nice long run of prep space at the island. The cleanup side of the kitchen consists of the main sink and dishwasher. Both areas are situated so that the user can view the lake during prep work and cleanup! One of the home’s main puzzles was how to incorporate the mudroom and area in front of the patio doors at the back of the house. We already had a breakfast table area, so the space by the patio doors was a bit of a no man’s land. We decided to separate the kitchen proper from what became the new mudroom with a large set of barn doors. That way you can quickly hide any mudroom messes but have easy access to the light coming in through the patio doors as well as the outdoor grilling station. We also love the impact the barn doors add to the overall space. The homeowners’ first words to us were “it’s time to ditch the brown,” so we did! We chose a lovely blue pallet that reflects the home’s location on the lake which is also vibrant yet easy on the eye. Countertops are white quartz, and the natural oak floor works well with the other honey accents. The breakfast table was given a refresh with new chairs, chandelier and window treatments that frame the gorgeous views of the lake out the back. We coordinated the slate mudroom flooring with that used in the home’s main entrance for a consistent feel. The storage area consists of open and closed storage to allow for some clutter control as needed. Next on our “to do” list was revamping the dated brown bar area in the neighboring dining room. We eliminated the clutter by adding some closed cabinets and did some easy updates to help the space feel more current. One snag we ran into here was the discovery of a beam above the existing open shelving that had to be modified with a smaller structural beam to allow for our new design to work. This was an unexpected surprise, but in the end we think it was well worth it! We kept the colors here a bit more muted to blend with the homeowner’s existing furnishings. Open shelving and polished nickel hardware add some simple detail to the new entertainment zone which also looks out onto the lake! Next we tackled the upstairs starting with the homeowner’s son’s bath. The bath originally had both a tub shower and a separate shower, so we decided to swap out the shower for a new laundry area. This freed up some space downstairs in what used to be the mudroom/laundry room and is much more convenient for daily laundry needs. We continued the blue palette here with navy cabinetry and the navy tile in the shower. Porcelain floor tile and chrome fixtures keep maintenance to a minimum while matte black mirrors and lighting add some depth the design. A low maintenance runner adds some warmth underfoot and ties the whole space together. We added a pocket door to the bathroom to minimize interference with the door swings. The left door of the laundry closet is on a 180 degree hinge to allow for easy full access to the machines. Next we tackled the master bath which is an en suite arrangement. The original was typical of the 1980’s with the vanity outside of the bathroom, situated near the master closet. And the brown theme continued here with multiple shades of brown. Our first move was to segment off the bath and the closet from the master bedroom. We created a short hall from the bedroom to the bathroom with his and hers walk-in closets on the left and right as well as a separate toilet closet outside of the main bathroom for privacy and flexibility. The original bathroom had a giant soaking tub with steps (dangerous!) as well as a small shower that did not work well for our homeowner who is 6’3”. With other bathtubs in the home, they decided to eliminate the tub and create an oversized shower which takes up the space where the old tub was located. The double vanity is on the opposite wall and a bench is located under the window for morning conversations and a place to set a couple of towels. The pallet in here is light and airy with a mix of blond wood, creamy porcelain and marble tile, and brass accents. A simple roman shade adds some texture and it’s top-down mechanism allows for light and privacy. This large whole house remodel gave our homeowners not only the ability to maximize the potential of their home but also created a lovely new frame from which to view their fabulous lake views. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Laundry Room
Mid-sized traditional single-wall utility room in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, ceramic splashback, white walls, ceramic floors, a stacked washer and dryer, grey floor and white benchtop.

This is an example of a small contemporary single-wall laundry room in Sydney with an undermount sink, quartz benchtops, a side-by-side washer and dryer, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, grey splashback, white walls, grey floor and white benchtop.

Large industrial galley utility room in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, distressed cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, brick splashback, white walls, ceramic floors, white floor, white benchtop and brick walls.

Mudroom room featuring gray and white Spanish floor tiles and custom built-in cabinetry.
Design ideas for a small eclectic u-shaped dedicated laundry room in Los Angeles with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, grey splashback, ceramic splashback, white walls, ceramic floors, a side-by-side washer and dryer and multi-coloured floor.

LOUD & BOLD - Custom designed and manufactured kitchen, with a slimline handless detail (shadowline) - Matte black polyurethane - Feature nook area with custom floating shelves and recessed strip lighting - Talostone's 'Super White' used throughout the whole job, splashback, benches and island (80mm thick) - Blum hardware Sheree Bounassif, Kitchens by Emanuel

Inspiration for an industrial l-shaped dedicated laundry room in Other with a single-bowl sink, white cabinets, wood benchtops, grey splashback, ceramic splashback, white walls, ceramic floors, grey floor and orange benchtop.