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It’s so often the case that the laundry is the room that gets given the least amount of attention when we renovate. However, with this laundry, my clients wanted it to look just as beautiful as the other recently renovated rooms in their home. They liked the idea of the materials having a natural look, so bead-blasted European oak, along with a warm-grey, lacquered tongue-and-groove, was chosen for the cabinetry – the colour picked specifically to work in with the concrete-look Neolith splashback and benchtops.

Although this laundry was predominantly to be used for washing and drying clothes, it also needed to have storage for an outdoor pool cleaner on wheels and with other home-cleaning equipment. A large butler’s sink, which needed to be ‘big enough to bathe a small dog in’, was a practical solution for this 10sqm laundry. And, thanks to the ample wall space, the dryer and washer were raised, to make them more ergonomic and comfortable for my client to use.

On the opposite wall to the sink, a slender 1800mm-long benchtop provides a practical area to sit whilst folding clothes. Opposite we incorporated a shelf to give the room a more open feeling – somewhere to add some personal objects and real plants. A clear glass exterior door was located at the end of the laundry that allows natural light to flood into the space – and also give a great view out towards the rolling meadow surrounding this rural property.

NKBA Awards

2020 Spatial Innovation Award 

Completed
2019
Building style
Contemporary
Awards
Spatial Innovation Design - Residential Winner - 2020

About the
Professional

Multi award-winning designer, Natalie Du Bois, founded Du Bois Design in 2007. Her bespoke design practice is founded and focussed on creating kitchens, bathrooms and interiors that are completely ‘in tune’ with her clients. Each of her designs is unique – aesthetically, practically and ergonomically aligned to the individual and the space it occupies.

“My clients may not know what they want when they first meet me. My job is to ask questions and to understand exactly what they are asking for and what will make them happy. This is why I make every job different, created specifically for the individual.”

Qualifications & Experience

• Over 20 years work experience in kitchen, bathroom and interior design
• Qualified Interior Designer
• A member of the National Kitchens and Bathroom Association (NKBA), with five years volunteering on the Auckland committee
• A member of the Certified Designers Society (CDS)
• International design experience working for several leading interior and kitchen design companies in South Africa, England and New Zealand • A member of The Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ)

Recognition & Exposure

• Winner of over 25 kitchen, bathroom and interior design awards, both here in New Zealand and in Europe
• Front covers features on local and international interior design magazines
• Contributing writer for many magazines and news outlets, offering advice, tips and trends on kitchen and bathroom design
• Educational speaker at the NKBA Conference in New Zealand
• Specialist design tutor to Unitec interior design students on the fundamentals of kitchen design

Forefront of Design

• Active member of the local interior design Industry, with regular attendance of industry product launches and educational seminars
• International interior product supplier factory tours. Recent tours of hardware supplier Blum and Hafele showrooms in Austria
• International tradeshow visits. Recent visits to Eurocucina in Italy, DesignEX and InDesign in Australia, and The Ideal Home Show in the UK
• International supplier launches. Recent visit to the Gessi bathroom showroom opening and product launch in Singapore
• Educational visit to Apaiser and Gessi showroom launches in Singapore

Du Bois Design Ltd
Du Bois Design Ltd

Interior Designers