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| Parents' Retreat |
| Tara turns a cold, uncomfortable laundry into a well-organised home office; all for under $500. |
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These parents often work from home, but with three small children it can be hard to find somewhere quiet. So, to escape the noise, they've decided to move to the only peaceful spot they could find — the laundry. The makeshift office is cold and uncomfortable, but with a little warmth and colour, Tara can turn this laundry into the ideal parents' retreat.
This room has lived many lives — first it was a garage, then a laundry and now it doubles as a home office. The previous owners had the garage door removed and a wall and window installed in flavour with the main house. It is cluttered, messy and in need of a facelift.
The floor is covered with terracotta coloured tiles, which are in good condition and just need cleaning. Tara decided to work with the floor and give the room a Mediterranean flavour. With this in mind, we chose Dulux Boater (yellow) for the walls and Jo Sonja's Azure (blue) for the bench, desks and cupboard doors.
The big problem in this room is clutter. There is a lot of storage space but it's messy and unattractive. With a little help from handyman, Ed Frendo, part of the old shelving will be ripped out and the remaining unit will be covered with doors. This will hide the mess and make the room more attractive.
Along one wall is a large laundry sink. The sink is a necessary part of the laundry, so pulling it out isn't practical. Tara and Ed have the perfect solution — a simple cover that is easy to remove and matches the bench top. When the sink isn't in use, the owners can slip on the cover and they have an extra long bench for storage.
This is a room for two, but with just one desk there isn't room for mum to sit down and work. She's been using the bench next to the sink, but it's not the right height and there's no leg room. This is easily solved with a new desk made from MDF and painted to match the bench.
And dad won't miss out — his desk will be extended so there's plenty of room for his computer, printer and fax machine. Because the desk is narrow, there isn't room for the computer keyboard. A small pull-out tray fitted underneath the desk means he can slide away the keyboard when he simply wants to put pen to paper.
The washing machine, fridge and freezer are used frequently so they also need to stay. Ed hides the rusty old fridge behind a wooden partition, while Tara creates a beautiful tile feature for the wall that will draw attention away from the whitegoods.
Tara's wall feature is a cheap and easy solution to hand painted ceramic tiles, and the finished product is just as attractive. Simply hand paint thin white squares of MDF and attach to a backing board. Tara chose colours and designs to complement the Mediterranean theme.
Finally, Tara made a new blind for the side window. It's held in place with velcro, so it's quick and easy to put up. A timber rod in the bottom of the blind makes it simple to roll up. For added decoration, it can be tied into place with ribbons.
Large terracotta pots of red geraniums add the finishing touch to this bright and cheery home office and laundry. It's not often washing and work become a parents' retreat, but the cosy new room certainly has appeal. And all for just $500.
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More Info
Flowers and pots supplied by Barrenjoey Nursery:
42 Old Barrenjoey Rd
Avalon NSW
Ph: 9918 7428
Barrenjoey Nursery stock a comprehensive range of indoor and outdoor plants and garden accessories.
For more information on Dulux paints contact their Customer Care Centre.
Ph: 13 2525
Timber and materials available from your local Home Timber & Hardware store.
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Disclaimer
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