Small Laundry Ideas

In a perfect world, we'd all have a big and spacious laundry with plenty of room to clean, dry, iron and fold. But it turns out that small laundries can be just as good as a big one. Even if you're living in a small house or apartment with limited space you can still have a super fresh laundry. Check out some of these small laundry ideas.

Laundry in the cupboard

Isn't it funny how small homes seems to have heaps of excess cupboard space? I can't tell you how many times I've visited someone or booked an Airbnb that has heaps of cupboard space in a small apartment or house. An unused, spacious cupboard provides the perfect place to create secret laundry. Check this one out. Dryer on top, washer and the bottom and shelving for storage. They've even plumbed a sink for hand-washing!

Pop it in the bathroom

There's no rule against making the most out of your bathroom and popping the laundry in there. Make some space for a washing machine below your vanity or create a new space for it.

Laundry under the stairs

Not just for Harry Potter hay?! Setting up your washer and dryer in the space which would otherwise be filled with dusty board games and old cleaning products is a killer plan.

Shed laundry room

Okay, it's not small, but how cool is this?! A purpose bought shed for a laundry room. Painted in a fresh, crisp, linen white and pale blue. LOVE!

Kitchen laundry closet

Clear out your kitchen cupboards to make space for a laundry closet.

DIY washer and dryer surround

If you happen to have your washer and dryer floating around somewhere in your home. Try this DIY surround![embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3S-wfQRHSM[/embed]

Tips for Organising Kitchen Utensils

It's time to turn THIS...

Into THIS!

Ever opened a drawer and stuck your hand in there to find a spoon and knicked yourself on a knife? I know I have! If only the host had organised their kitchen utensils better. Perhaps people just don't know how? Never fear! Here are our tips for organising your kitchen utensils.

HACK! Start by getting rid of broken, damaged, ineffective or unused utensils. Remember! The less you have, the easier it is to keep things organised. 

Drawer Dividers

The quickest and easiest way to get more organisation is to place drawer dividers. You can get these from Ike, Kmart or even better, get in touch with custom woodworkers on Etsy. We love HeyBluey Woodworking and Happy Place Creations. Check what utensils you have before purchasing your drawers so you know how many to get.

Utensil Holders

Another quick and easy way to sort your utensils is to get a utensil holder. These come in all types of materials from stainless steel through to ceramic, bamboo and plastic (try not to buy plastic.) The with these is not to fill them up too much, if you do, you'll be back to square one. Get rid of what you don't need and just have one of each (x1 ladle, x1 flipper, x1 wooden spoon, etc.)

Utensils Wall Rack

We love these hanging wall racks! However, we can only really seeing these be used in a student apartment or for a couple OR small family who live a minimalist life.

Utensil Peg Board

Genius! Tag a pegboard and turn it into a utensil holder. This would look great in a restaurant for aesthetics too.

We hope you found out kitchen utensil organisation tips helpful! Happy organising :)

DIY Outdoor Area Ideas

We love finding affordable DIY ways to upgrade your outdoor area. If you've got the space but don't have the budget, this blog is for you! Here are some DIY outdoor area ideas to turn your outdoor area into a space you want to be.

READ: Tips for making your outdoor area cosy. 

READ: Semi-permanent outdoor are decor ideas. 

Pallet day bed

Timber pallets are an absolute Godsend! They are versatile and can be turned in beds, coaches, tables and verticle garden walls. Did we mention they are FREE?! Check out Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace for free pallets to use for your outdoor area

Turn a pallet into an outdoor daybed. You can either stack the pallet beds on top of one another as is or for a more high-end look sand them down, nail them together and paint them. They make a great day bed/seating area for you and your guests. Top the day bed with pillows, cushions and rugs.

TIP: Add wheels to your pallet day bed to move it out the way or to a chase the sun!

Wooden Crate Side Tables

Upcycle old wooden crates into a table, side tables or storage boxes. The beauty of these is that they look great in a rustic style which means you don't have to sand, paint and/or varnish it if you don't want to.

Mason Jar Lights

Grab some fairy lights and place them in some old mason jars to light up your outdoor area. Cost effective and oh so romantic!

READ: Outdoor Kitchen Lighting Tips

Low Maintenance Pot Plants

Decorate your outdoor area with nature's beauty! Find some low maintenance pot plants or herbs to decorate your outdoor area. Pansies and violas, palms and herbs like mint and Rosemarie are easy to take care of. If you have some leftover pallets you can create a vertical garden wall.

Upcycled Furniture

Got any old furniture you were thinking of throwing out? Dust them off. Give them a wipe and chuck some chalk paint onto them. Chalk paint is brilliant. You don't need to prime or sand the wood beforehand which is great.

5 Marvellous Mantelpiece Decorations

There are few things as wonderful as snuggling up near a warm and crackling fire in winter. Fireplaces bring warmth and comfort to your lounge room and deserve to be decorated. Mantelpieces are a great space to display some decor or add interest to the room. Here are five marvellous mantelpiece decorations we love. Which is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

A simple mirror above your mantelpiece can make the room look bigger and decorate the space. There are no rules when it comes to picking out a mirror for your mantelpiece, although we will say that it probably deserved something a bit unique or grand (as opposed to a standard square frame.) Like this branch/antler inspired circular mirror.

Naked with Nature

A simple but effective way to decorate your mantelpiece is to add some flowers. It's up to you whether you'd like fresh flowers or synthetic flowers that will last forever. Choose a vintage vase and some artificial flowers for the minimalist look or choose your favourite pot plants to decorate the space.

Mantelpiece Memories

You can't go wrong with framed photos on your mantelpiece. As a main focal point in the room, your favourite Kodak moments will be clearly visible to warm your heart and home.

Time for a Fire

Decorate your mantelpiece with a clock. Make sure the clock takes up a decent amount of space making it a real statement in the room. Select a clock that suits the style of the rest of the room. We love the vintage look!

Book Warm

Perfect for book worms. Books are useful and decorative. Stack up your books side by side or on top of each other to decorate your mantelpiece.

Laundry Storage Ideas

We were pleased to hear such positive feedback on our last blog, READ: Laundry Room Make Over Ideas, that we decided to give you some more fresh laundry room tips! Here are some terrific laundry storage ideas to keep your laundry neat and tidy.

Fold away drying racks

We're obsessed with this idea! Run out of space in your laundry and need extra places to hang clothes? Looking for somewhere to hang clothes on a rainy day or for drying your delicates? Add some fold away drying racks to the wall or the back of your door. Genius! Check out this DIY video on how to build your own fold away drying rack.

Indoor clothesline

If you've got some space between cupboards, rig up a simple wooden or tension pole to create extra hanging space in the room. Simple, easy and oh so effective.

Laundry storage baskets

Storage baskets keep your laundry bits and bobs hidden away, creating a neat, tidy and minimalist space. This is an easy and cost-effective way to create additional storage in your laundry room.

Somewhere for the lost laundry

Everyone needs a place for the single socks to hang. We love this 'lost socks' sign. You can DIY your own or browse through a great selection on Etsy.

Verticle drying racks

Veritlce drying racks are great for smaller laundries that can't accommodate a wide horizontal rack. These can be attached to the wall and pulled out as needed.

Something for the pooches

If your pup likes to keep you company while you do the laundry, why not give him his own little kennel in there?

Laundry Room Makeover Ideas

Let's face it. No one likes spending time in the laundry. But what if you transformed your dark and dingy laundry room into a beautiful space to enjoy the cathartic clothes cleaning experience? Our theory: the nicer you make your laundry room, the less tedious laundry will seem. Here are our laundry room makeover ideas.

Make it light

Use light colours to make your laundry calm, peaceful and welcoming. Avoid dark colours that make the room feel pokey and dingy. If you have a window in your laundry room, keep it open for fresh air and give the blinds a miss. This room deserves lots of natural light.

Build from the ground up

Older homes tend to have those brown tiles from the 1970s. The floor alone created a dreary atmosphere in the laundry. Start by replacing dark tiles with light ones. Polished concrete flooring is also a popular choice for modern, revamped laundries. Contact us here to find out more about our polished concrete projects. You can paint over ceramic tiles if you like, however, this will require a bit of work. You'll need to clean, sand and remove dust from the tiles before carefully painting the tiles with Epoxy or Latex paint. Laminated wooden flooring also looks gorgeous, although be mindful that this flooring can lift if there's any water damage in the room.

Storage space

Like any area in the home, keeping it tidy will help inspire you to be in that space. If you don't have cupboard space, keep your laundry room organised with storage baskets for your cleaning products. Shelving also comes in handy to keep the space organised.

Spacious sinks

A spacious laundry sink is essential. Even though modern washing machines have a handwash cycle, I personally still prefer to hand wash certain delicates in a sink.  I also clean my shoes in the laundry sink. Adelaide Outdoor Kitchens designs and creates beautiful polished concrete sinks in a range of sizes and colours.

Benchtops

Install sleek and modern benchtops to sort, fold or hold your storage baskets. Guidance for laundry benchtops if much the same as in the kitchen. It should be durable, water resistant and suit your laundry room's style. Older homes tend to have the laminated benchtops which tend to look a bit tacky. Modernise your laundry room with a protected timber or published concrete benchtop. We can help with this.READ: Multi-material benchtops.

Looking to revamp your laundry room? Get in touch with us. We can help with benchtops, sinks and more.

Tips for Reducing Plastics in the Home

When a problem seems so big, it feels like the only way to fix it is with a big solution. But single-use plastic waste can be easily reduced or better managed through some simple changes in your home. Start small. Sometimes it's the small things that have a great impact. Here are our tips for reducing plastics in the home room by room.

Kitchen

Go for glass!

Opt for glass or stainless steel containers instead of plastic. Although some plastics are recyclable, they aren't recyclable forever. They can often only be recycled between one and three times before they end up landfill. Glass can be recycled seven to nine times more than plastic.

Poo poo the pods!

Avoid using coffee pods in the kitchen. Many of them cannot be recycled at all. Although some coffee pods (like Nespresso coffee pods) are recyclable, many of them don't actually get recycled and therefore end up in landfill anyway. Instead of using coffee pods, use filter coffee.

That's a wrap

Instead of cling wrap, use bee's wax or vegan wax food covers. There are many overseas and local suppliers of this product. Try using re-useable sandwich bags too. Hello Fred has some great reusable sandwich bags (and other eco-friendly baby products.)

Bedroom and Living Room

Be mindful

When purchasing products for your home, be mindful of their source and content. Try purchase ethical products that are low in plastic or that can be recycled or re-used (like wood products). Adelaide Outdoor Kitchens uses a lot of reclaimed jetty timber in their products and can create custom furniture from reclaimed wood.

Be minimalist

Living with less is kind to the environment and kind to your wallet. The money spent buying and maintaining things can be used to buy experiences. New furniture or products are wrapped up in heaps of cardboard and plastic so buying second hand is also a good idea!

Bathroom

Go green clean!

Make your own body wash using sugar and coconut oil. The ingredients can be purchased in bulk and last for ages. Use bi-carb and vinegar to clean the bathroom reducing plastic waste and saving your lungs from harmful chemicals.

Colour Appliances That Make Your Kitchen Pop

Colour Appliances That Make Your Kitchen Pop

We all go through phases. And when the change isn’t in the haircut, it’s something we look for in the spaces we live in. Usually folk think that change in the kitchen requires costly and time-consuming renovations. To everyone’s relief, it is not.Here are a few ideas, design tips and appliance brands to consider when getting that change you’ve been wanting with minimal effort and just a pop of colour.

Start small

If you feel that there’s just a little something missing but you’re not ready for massive changes, look for smaller appliances that will give that colour pop. SMEG offers cheery, vintage-inspired appliances like kettles, toasters and traditional mixers in colours ranging from the traditional pastel colours to funky, vibrant colours. Not only will this particular brand provide what you’re looking for, but their quality and overall presentation is also a step above the rest.

Seasonal hues are in

Colours representing the seasons of the year have made their way on to kitchen appliances. There is something incredibly satisfying about walking into a kitchen that treats your eyes to the colours of your favourite season, even if the outdoors don’t match. BLUESTAR has over 759 colours available in their appliances, including refrigerators. They’ve also come out with their seasonal pallets, one being the Autumn Abundance pallet which sports colours of turmeric, spelt, bluefish and orange.

Build up the buttercup

A yellow on the walls can be a bit too loud for everyday space, and quite cliche for an area where you consume food. However, a soft buttercup yellow when used in the right way and with your appliances can give your kitchen the facelift it needs and bring in a warm and inviting light. The pastel yellow traditionally gives a 50’s look and appliances from NORTHSTAR provides a retro-inspired look. The overall feel is soft, cheerful and elegant. Match the buttercup appliances with some white cabinets and a colourful, loud backsplash wall and you’re in for business.

Mixing the old with the new

We’re big into the come back of the gorgeous olive green. Used frequently in the 70’s, this colour brings depth and earthiness to your space. Pair an olive green SMEG stove with white cabinets and silver or marble backsplash to give a very simple but very effective and classy pop of colour to your kitchen.Also fitting in with the retro-mod mode is the collection from Veronaappliances. Their burgundy duel fuel double oven range provides an entirely unique look with the perfect accent colors to up liven up your kitchen.

Trending with Citron yellow

If it’s in your blood, a more dramatic look can be obtained by using two contrasting colors. Again SMEG comes in with a citron yellow for its appliances. Pair this color with dark gray or midnight blue cabinets and walls to give a dramatic, artistic and vibrant finish.Colorful appliances are truly the perfect way to bring the change that you’re wanting. There are endless options of brands and colors to perfectly fit your needs and wants.