How to optimise your laundry yard

We’ve talked about how to choose a washing machine for different life stages: Singleton, couple and family. But how do you optimise your laundry yard – an area that is often an afterthought?

Who better to ask than a professional? Interior designer Megan Zhang, the director of Atelier M ID studio shares tips on making the best use of the laundry space.

What should homeowners consider when planning the layout?

Homeowners should avoid overcrowding the laundry space. Visualise the amount of space left after everything is moved in. Also take into consideration the area needed for drying, since that takes up a lot of space.

What are some creative ways to maximise the use of the laundry area?

If the space allows, consider building a washing bay area for easy access to a water point for washing of mops, shoes or hand washing of clothes. Do so by varying the floor height or adding a kerb to keep the dry and wet areas separate.

ALSO READ: Laundry hacks you should know

Many homeowners are choosing to combine the service yard with the kitchen. When would it be recommended to do so?

This is not recommended if homeowners often air-dry their laundry and do heavy cooking concurrently. Cooking grease will likely get trapped on the laundry, resulting in unwanted odour.

Combining the yard and kitchen is possible if homeowners do minimal or no cooking, and the air-drying laundry will not be visible from the living and dining hall. However, it is still subject to every home’s individual layout.

What are your tips for a well-organised laundry area for families with frequent or large laundry loads?

Allocate sufficient space to accommodate large laundry loads to avoid overcrowding, especially for air drying of clothes.

Other than planning for the usual big items like the washer, dryer and clothes hanging system, have sufficient smart storage for items like the laundry basket, clothes pegs, detergent and even the ironing board. 

ALSO READ: A singleton's guide to choosing a washing machine

When buying laundry equipment, what should homeowners note?

Homeowner should take measurements at the actual site with the selected model’s dimensions to ensure the existing site conditions like water pipes or kerbs are being considered.

Homeowners should also take note that if they would like to stack the dryer above the washer, natural lighting might be blocked from the window, which may not be optimal depending on individual layouts.

This article was first published in Home & Decor.