The secrets to creating a fresh and functional laundry

Bathroom and laundry experts ADP share six secrets to creating a fresh and functional laundry.

Located on the south coast of NSW, this fresh laundry design is the perfect combination of style and functionality. Utilising clever storage solutions and maximising the available space, this is a room we wouldn’t mind doing the laundry in.

Colour Palette

A clean colour palette, a mix of textures and some black hardware come together to create a bright and inviting room. The result is proof that a white laundry doesn’t have to be boring.

Bench space

Having bench space above your washer and dryer is the perfect place for a folding station or to rest your washing basket on when unloading.

Tall Cabinetry

Take your cabinetry all the way up to the ceiling for maximum storage. Tall cupboards are essential to store an ironing board, brooms and vacuums. If space allows add a tall cupboard with shelving to keep linen and towels, which can be folded and put away directly from the washing line or dryer for a streamlined workflow. Overhead cupboards are a perfect spot to store chemicals to keep out of reach of children.

Hanging Rail

A hanging rail above a clean workspace is a must for air drying delicates. Plus it can eliminate the need to iron with some fabrics.

Laundry Hamper

Hide your laundry hamper in the cabinetry to reduce clutter and mess. If space allows, add multiple laundry hampers to make sorting the laundry easy.

Sink & Tap

Position your sink next to the washing machine to transfer soaking items between the two. Choose a sink mixer with a pull out nozzle to make filling buckets or hand washing clothes easy. Pictured here is the ADP Martini Spring Mixer in Chrome and Black and the Bellevue Small Rectangular Sink in Matte Black.

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Creating The Perfect Coastal Boho Style Home

According to home builder Metricon, creating the perfect coastal boho style home is easier than you think – and much more affordable than taking a holiday at your favourite resort.

If we could name just two things we love about a holiday to the beach, it’d have to be the freedom and freshness. The thing we dislike the most? The sand. What if we could bring that freedom and freshness into our own home to enjoy all year round – and leave the sand behind?

That’s what the Coastal Boho home style is all about. It allows you to bring the best parts of a summer holiday home into your life all year round with a coastal theme. Add the carefree vibes, seaside living ideals and resort comfort to your design and you’ll also set the tone for a boho style design.

The following are their best suggestions to create the ideal holiday-style house, no matter where you live.

Outside The Home

To get the look of ocean freedom, you want to stick to lighter colours outside the home. Soft, neutral whites, perhaps a light shade of blue or grey, combined with large balconies or a wrap around veranda, a gable roof and weatherboard cladding. Large open windows and full size glass doors will allow you to capture the breeze and a pool is always an added “holiday” bonus.

Natural Flow

Inside and outside the home, ensure the colours you have blend well together. Having plenty of windows and natural lighting to help bring the outdoors inside, and open plan living is always a good idea to enhance your sense of freedom and space. When you walk into the front door, you want to immediately feel welcome into the open space.

Think Innovation & Space

If you can’t build out, build up. Two storey living allows you to create your own open plan living space. Include a leisure room plus abundant living space, bedrooms and office space, and spread these out over both levels for maximum comfort. A balcony on the top level, patio on the bottom, allows you to make the most of the summer sunshine, spring breezes and the crispness of autumn.

Style It Right

To benefit from ocean boho living, you need to create a home that is the epitome of cool. If you have elegant timber flooring, you can enhance this feature even further with shades of blue, white and grey. Soft furnishings that have beautifully coloured patterns and prints, such as stripes or large florals, balanced with white linen sofa covers and sheer curtains, provide luxury and light. 

Stick with a soft, raw palette for inspiration, natural textures and layers, and you’ll have the home of your dreams in no time.

EARLY SETTLER’S NEW OUTDOOR RANGE

‘Cera’ chair and terrazzo dining table

Early Settler’s new outdoor collection channels the lazy summers of our childhood with a focus on simple holidays, quiet spaces and family gatherings.   

‘Antigua’ dining table and bench seats

‘Deck’ tub chairs with reclaimed teak dining table

Styled by Heather Nette King and photographed on Victoria’s beautiful Mornington Peninsula amongst the silvery tea trees, the new range brings together down to earth comfort with clean lines and a crisp palette. Early Settler invites customers to interpret the adaptable range to suit their own outdoor spaces whether it be an inner city balcony, terrace, sprawling backyard or beach shack.

Highlights include natural wood tables with communal bench seats for alfresco dining, high bar tables in ceramic, plump cushioned day beds and sofa sets - and on-trend accessories including seagrass hanging lights, rugs and planters. 

As the collection’s “Face of Outdoor Style”, Heather Nette King cites her favourite piece as the “Pod” occasional chair from the wicker collection.  “To me they are like a contemporary take on those vintage cane chairs you’d see in old luxury hotels in the tropics, and they evoke feelings of deep calm and relaxation”, she says. 

‘Pod’ occasional chair and ‘Haven’ coffee table

‘Byron’ dining chair and reclaimed teak dining table

The ‘Haven’ range including sofa, armchairs, coffee table and side table

‘Solaris’ day bed

The Early Settler Outdoor Collection 2020 is available in store or online.

Black Barn Studio Reveal

It’s been a long time coming – our new studio space from SheShedz is finally revealed in our backyard!

Photography Mark Zeidler

BEFORE: A concrete driveway and an old rusted carport and lattice screen needed to be removed

PREPARING THE GROUND AND GARDENS

It’s always a good idea to reflect on what the space looked like. I can’t believe how much this space has transformed this year! To start with we removed the lattice fence topper, painted the fence in Dulux ‘Colorbond Night Sky’ – a very rich dark black. Before the shed was built, my partner Mark decided to get a headstart on the landscaping. We hired an excavator to come and rip up the old concrete driveway and about 20cm of dirt all the way along the side to the back (where the shed currently sits). We mapped out where the shed would sit, along with the shape of the garden path with a bit of rope to get the curves just right. It’s so much easier to see how the space will work by marking it all out on the ground first and physically walking around it to see there’s enough space for garden bed etc.

For the garden edging we used White’s OxyShield flexible garden edging from Bunnings. It naturally rusts over time and is easy to bend into curved shapes. You just use steel pegs to hold it into place. Mark wanted a sturdy base so filled the back area and garden path with road base gravel (about 8cm thick) and then compacted it with a compactor hired from Kennards Hire. And then we added a top layer of deco granite (about 8cm thick) and compacted that. Then the fun part – adding soil to the garden beds and planting everything. We used a lot of the same varieties of plants in our back garden (see this blog post for the full list).

DURING: We hired an excavator guy to come and dig up the old driveway and some of the dirt too for an even base.

DURING: We used Ekodeck screening for the garden edging in this grassed area. It’s too thin though so don’t recommend using for this purpose - it’s slighly bowed

DURING: We used White’s OxyShield flexible edging for the garden footpath

OUR SHESHEDZ STUDIO

Both me and Mark work from home which isn’t an ideal situation in a small house. We had always dreamed of having a backyard studio where Mark could work from and I can work in peace and quiet inside ha! We stumbled across SheShedz online and knew it was a perfect fit with it’s barn-like feel, pitched ceiling and exposed beams. We hired a carpenter to help us put it together – it’s a bit out of our skill set. It comes as a kit so you get everything you need to build it, including the roof shingles.

As it’s Mark’s work space he chose to paint it all black (Dulux ‘Colorbond Night Sky’) – yep even the internal walls and ceiling. Whilst I was a bit hesitant at first (every part of me wanted to paint it all white), I knew this was his space and he needed to feel comfortable inside it and besides it’s just paint – we can always paint it a different colour later on if we want.

Mark has a photography/videography business so he needed a space to work from. But he also wanted a chill-out space to listen to records in his spare time, and let me tell you this. He is out there all the time, in fact some nights I have to call him to see when he’s coming inside. He just loves this shed so much. A space all to himself. Plus it works for me, because I wouldn’t have let him paint the interior of our house all black! We customised our SheShed by adding a small deck, hooked it up to electricity and also added a ‘‘Universal’ gooseneck barn light from Barn Lights Australia (which instantly gave it that barn feel we wanted).

Whilst you can use this as a normal shed – it just felt ‘too good’ to be used for storing power tools and other junk! What I love about our SheShedz studio, is that it’s given us an extra room. It’s essentially turned our three bedroom house into four bedrooms with this addition. And we didn’t even need council approval because it’s only 9 square metres. Pretty good hey?

‘Zealand’ simple cotton rug from The Modern Hut

LET’S LOOK INSIDE

Things are about to get dark and moody! Whilst the black feels like a bold move, it really does let everything else ‘pop’ against the darkness. It also has a cocooning effect so it’s a pretty cosy space to be in. And most importantly, Mark loves it! Because it’s a small space we wanted to fit it out with plenty of storage. The ‘Billy’ bookcase with ‘Bottna’ display shelves from IKEA (pictured below) is one of his favourite pieces in the studio. It’s a place he can display and store all of his favourite magazines and design books.

Another requirement for the space was a music station. Mark loves listening to music so needed a spot to stash his record collection, and Pro-ject record player. He’s used the ‘Kallax’ shelving unit from IKEA to contrast against the black wall. Above it he rotates the albums on display, creating an ever-changing work of art.

S-fold curtains in ‘Pure Linen’ and blockout blind in ‘Eclipse Black’ from Online Blinds

WINDOW COVERINGS

Our shed is north facing so it really does get hit with a lot of natural sunlight for most of the day (thankfully the big trees next door provide some shade). But it was essential to get the window treatments right. We installed a blockout blind in ‘Eclipse Black’ to match the wall colour above the french doors. I also wanted to break up all of the black, and put in these beautiful S-fold curtains in ‘Pure Linen’ - they have a light weight backing on them so they’re more private than sheers but still let in some natural light as opposed to a full blockout curtain.

We have a push-out window above the bench seat and for this style of window I felt like a roman blind would be the best fit. It comes with a nickel roller similar in style to what comes with a roller blind so it’s easy to lower and lift. We chose ‘Harrow Barley’ fabric. All window coverings are from Blinds Online. I’ve used them in parts of our house too and they’ve got great pricing and a lot of fabrics to choose from.

All furniture and lights from IKEA, custom bench seat cushion from Zenn Design

We customised a ‘Besta’ TV unit from IKEA by adding a custom made bench seat cushion from Zenn Design. The green complements all of the pops of greenery throughout the room like in the art print from Juniper, the cactus decorations from IKEA and the plants also. We also purchased two IKEA ‘Ivar’ units and painted them in the same black as the walls and added tan leather handles from IKEA.

‘Fintorp’ hanging rail and hooks from IKEA. Everything is nicely organised thanks to a range of clever storage from IKEA.

‘Skurup’ wall lights, ‘Skadis’ pegboard, and ‘Mosslanda’ picture ledge

There are so many smaller storage solutions in the shed, including this pegboard from IKEA. We’ve added the ‘Skadis’ range of hooks, containers, and shelf from IKEA too to keep smaller bits and pieces neatly organised. On both sides of the wall we’ve hung a ‘Mosslanda’ picture ledge. It’s a great spot to display art, small pot plants and decorator items. The plan is to rotate the artwork and change things up to suit Mark’s ever changing style.

Overall we are so thrilled with how it turned out. A space like this could be customised to suit almost any need. It could be a pool house, a home gym, a craft room, a home office – anything really! The possibilities are endless with this style of shed. What would you do with your very own SheShedz?

The Pros of Custom Joinery

If you’ve ever been curious about using custom joinery in your kitchen or laundry renovation, read on. We have picked the brains of seasoned renovator Kirrily Baty and why she opted for custom joinery over flat-pack.

Photography Mark Zeidler

Everyone has that friend or family member that helps them out with their reno. And for me that person is Kirrily. When I first started renovating – it was Kirrily that hooked me up with tradies she recommended and even her husband completed our bathroom and laundry demolition! She was also the person to tell me about JMK Joinery – local cabinetmakers on the northside of Brisbane who ended up doing my laundry cabinetry and guest bedroom custom study nook desk and open shelves. I asked Kirrily why she opted for custom joinery over flat pack and here’s what she said.

Tell us why you opted for custom joinery instead of flat pack for your home?
We have installed flat pack kitchens in previous renovation projects and achieved great results. However, being our own home, we felt high-end, custom joinery was the only option for this renovation.

The kitchen was an irregular size so going custom enabled us to have the joinery (i.e. cupboards and drawers) built perfectly to fit the space. This meant we didn’t have to use false panels to fill gaps, as is often the case with flat pack kitchens. We also wanted a bulkhead for a seamless look. This again required the help of a professional because we have a sloping ceiling. In addition, we both worked full time whilst undertaking the renovation, so custom joinery meant we saved a lot of time.

 Another reason we opted for custom joinery was because we wanted to use the existing joinery carcass in our laundry which was in perfect condition. JMK Joinery was able to replace the doors and bulkhead to the exact measurements of the previous joinery, which is something we could not have achieved with a flat pack.

Have you used flat pack before and if so how do you think it compares to custom joinery?
Yes, we have used flat pack previously, but only in small and not overly complex projects. From our experience the quality was really good for the price. For example, the drawers were soft closing and the finishes were better than we expected. We did need to use false panels where drawers or cupboards wouldn’t fit, so we didn’t necessarily achieve the same high-end, custom result.

Joiners are experts at what they do so they can also make suggestions, give advice and come up with good ideas for a space. JMK Joinery found with our design we had additional space under our benchtop. So, they created a large hidden cupboard for extra storage. This expertise is something you miss out on with the flat pack option.

It’s probably worth noting, we found the installation process, from ordering, to assembling the individual components, to installing the joinery, really time consuming with flat pack kitchens. On top of this we had to manage and coordinate our own trades. In our opinion there’s no comparison between custom joinery and flat packs if you have a reasonable budget, especially if you are working to deadlines.

Did JMK Joinery take care of everything for you including stone install and mirrored splash back and if so what did you like about that kind of service? 
Yes, JMK Joinery took care of everything. In addition to ordering, coordinating and arranging the installation of the stone benchtop and mirrored splash back, they organised the plumber and electrician.

That kind of service was a god send. Not only did we save time, it meant our benchtop and mirror were sized and installed perfectly. The quote we received for our kitchen and laundry also covered everything. We knew the costs up front and there were no nasty surprises at the end.

What colour is your cabinetry in the kitchen and laundry?
Our kitchen and laundry are both Dulux Vivid White. Our benchtop is Smartstone Statuario Venato.

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JMK Joinery are based in Clontarf, QLD and service Brisbane and surrounds.

Shed Essentials

1 HOOKS / 2 SHELVING / 3 DRAWER / 4 BUCKET / 5 HOSE / 6 TROWEL
7 WATERING CAN / 8 BROOM / 9 CRATE / 10 DUSTPAN & BRUSH
11 WEEDER TOOL / 12 BRUSHES / 13 POT / 14 STEP LADDER

STILLA Backyard Tool Shed Reveal

Our cute backyard garden/tool shed from STILLA is finished and I’m sharing my tips on how to organise a compact space.

Photography Mark Zeidler

‘Ivar’ shelving unit, ‘Ivar’ drawers and ‘Ivar’ hooks from IKEA

BEFORE: Old tin shed had to go!

We originally had an old tin shed out the back (pictured opposite). Even though it was bigger than my new shed, it wasn’t organised – everything was strewn all over the floor. Oh and it was filled with geckos and cockroaches galore, and even a small snake was spotted under the paved floor of the shed (does it get any scarier). So it was an easy decision to get rid of it – we listed it on Gumtree for free and of course it got snapped up straight away. Not only did it save us money in demolition costs, it’s a good feeling knowing someone else can get use out of it and not creating more waste in the world.

I looked around a bit for a new garden shed, and I stumbled across STILLA’s sheds at Bunnings. I hopped onto their website to see the full range and loved their selection. I’ve always loved the look of a timber shed over a tin one. They just have a sturdiness and timelessness to them that really appealed to me. We had a small space for the shed so I opted for the Birch 6x3 shed (1.9m long x 0.9m wide). I liked that it was narrow, but knew I had to be clever with storage to make all our stuff fit. Luckily our lawnmower is a light battery-powered one and the handles fold down, so it actually fits neatly inside on the floor, along with our line trimmer (not shown in these images because let’s be honest fluro yellow/lime Ryobi tools are so not attractive haha).

I find timber sheds so easy to personalise. We painted ours and had a carpenter add some timber battens to give the insides of the doors a barn-like feel. We also got him to line the back wall with cheap pegboard from Bunnings. I painted the shed exterior and interior in Dulux Colorbond Night Sky to blend in with the fence and picked up a sample pot of Taubmans ‘Blue Shamrock’ paint to affordably change the insides of the doors and the timber crates from IKEA. I like the idea of changing these up in the future when I get sick of the duck egg blue and it’s pretty cheap to do so!

I knew I could fit all of my gardening and power tools, tins of paint, lawnmower and other bits and bobs in a smaller size shed if I used the space smartly. I’ve used a tall open ‘Ivar’ shelving unit from IKEA combined with a pegboard wall and hooks on the side walls to get everything off the floor and at eye level. There’s even a narrow shelf (installed with black brackets to disappear into the wall) for our Ryobi power tools.

Smaller and not so pretty items are stashed away inside the ‘Ivar’ drawers, ‘Knagglig’ crates and ‘Klamtare’ boxes from IKEA. And wall hooks get things like the shovels off the ground and easy to reach. Everything’s so much easier to find now.

Pegboard and pegboard hooks from Bunnings

Curry plant inside of a tin bucket from Target.

I absolutely love our STILLA shed. It comes as a kit so anyone handy can put it together themselves. And because it’s timber it’s easy to customise and make it your own. The possibilities are endless – imagine hooking this little shed up to electricity and turning it into an outdoor bar/drinks shed by a pool. They’ve got plenty of other size sheds too for those who have more to store, plus a range of work studios, cubby houses, pergolas and even a chicken coop!

Watch the video below.

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Love my compact garden shed?
You can shop the same one from
STILLA. Click here to buy.

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10 SECRETS TO DESIGNING A BATHROOM

Bathroom and laundry experts ADP share their top 10 tips to creating a stand out bathroom.

ADP ‘Arch’ mirror and ‘Martini Ritz’ basin mixer in brushed gold

1. STYLE
Be confident in the style you choose, dare to be bold and really commit to it. Don’t be afraid to use colour, combine textures and be playful. Styles we’re loving at the moment are retro glam, classic coastal and boho chic.

2. MIRROR CHOICE
You always need a mirror in the bathroom, so why not make a feature of it? Think unusual shapes, frames and LED lights. We love that Arches are making a comeback in interiors.

3. ATTENTION TO DETAIL
When planning your bathroom don’t be afraid to play with textured tiles or cabinetry details to elevate the space. We love V-Groove and shaker front vanities which will stand the test of time. Don’t forget the finishing touches – towels, soaps, candles and plants can really complete a space.

4. PAIR YOUR FINISHES
Repeating elements throughout the space helps create a cohesive style. If you choose a brushed finished vanity handle, go with brushed tapware througout the whole bathroom. You might even go as far as matching a feature light to tie all the finishes together throughout the space.

ADP ‘Placido’ bath in gloss white and ‘Martini Ritz’ swivel bath spout and wall mixer in brushed gold

5. COLOUR
Colour is very emotive, so think about what sort of mood you are trying to acheive in the space which will help narrow down your colour selection. Warm colours can spark a sense of comfort, while cool colours help create a feeling of calmness.

6. FREESTANDING BATH
A freestanding bath exudes luxury and makes for a great statement piece. Make sure you choose one that is as comfortable as it is beautiful. To take it to the next level look out for material qualities. The ADP Placido Bath is made with a cast marble core which preserves water temperature longer than other acrylic alternatives, keeping you soaking even longer.

ADP ‘Ashley’ vanity (900 Centre Bowl) in matte white polyurethane cabinet finish with Caesarstone ‘Cloudburst Concrete’ benchtop and ‘Blaze’ handle in brushed brass

7. PRACTICALITY
Think about the details that could make your day-to-day life more seamless. Think a handy shelf for everyday knick knacks, a bath spout that swivels, an internal power point in your vanity or mirrored cabinet to easily access power. An all-drawer vanity is a practical way to maximise storage without compromising on style.

8. MATERIAL CHOICES
Play with texture by choosing all matte finishes, or experiment with a mix of gloss, matte and textured surfaces. High quality materials will instantly give your bathroom a luxe feel, while also being durable. Think solid surface basins, textured tiles, and brushed tapware and accessories.

9. PLANTS
Bring some life and personality into your bathroom with indoor plants. Look for plants with interesting foliage, different textures and leaf shapes. Devil’s Ivy, Spider Plants and Birds Nest Ferns are a few of our favourites that will thrive in a bathroom and help purify the air.

10. EXTRA FEATURES
Take your bathroom to the next level with a few luxury features. Keep your bin inside the vanity instead of on the floor, and consider where you could use LED lights. Some of our favourites are underneath a mirrored cabinet, LED vanity drawer sides, under the vanity, or on the mirror.

Shop the look

Love this bathroom? You can find all the products
featured from ADP, from a stockist near you.

Top 8 Dining Chairs

1 AVERY MAJA / 2 PIPER / 3 LEATHER STRAPPING / 4 SAXON
5 TULA / 6 SAFARI / 7 RAFFLES / 8 ANTOINE