Episode: "The Laundry Room," season 1 

I love laundry! It's a passion I've been cultivating since I was 10 years old. As an entrepreneurial grade fiver I decided I should help my working mom out and do the household laundry (this idea came shortly after I suggested that my brother and I were grown up enough to take care of ourselves and no longer needed a full-time caregiver). I negotiated that I would not only wash and fold, but also iron... for a fee.

My client was pleased with the level of service and happily paid her weekly tab, until she realized that her 10-year-old regarded herself as somewhat of a fashionista, changed her clothes at lunch and after school, and tossed any worn item directly into the laundry for a refresh (whether soiled or perfectly clean and ready to be reworn). Here ended the paying side of my laundry business, but my passion for fresh, clean, perfectly folded clothes endures. The current obsession with designer laundry rooms tells me I'm not alone in my love of "fluff and fold."

Create a laundry lab

I've seen many rooms that are inspired by east coast/country cottage style, but that doesn't really work in a more contemporary home, so I opted to style my laundry centre in keeping with the stark, efficient, cool, clean lines of a lab. Forget bead board and crown moulding — give me stainless steel and glass.

Front load it

In the past I've always had a top-loading washer. They're great for huge capacity loads, but anyone who's owned one has inevitably experienced a few casualties of delicate items caught around the agitator and stretched beyond recognition to new, wacky and unwearable articles of clothing. Fortunately this is not a threat with a front loader, plus they use about 40 per cent less water and power. You can tuck them under a counter to capture a huge folding space, and best of all you don't have to settle for a boring white washer and dryer (my "arctic blue" pair with sparkling metallic finish look more like sports cars than cleaning machines).



Get cool on a budget

The great news is that having a stunning laundry room doesn't have to cost the earth if you get creative about it. As I neared the end of my renovation there was clearly no money left in the budget for a bespoke approach. Those clever Swedes had some very stylish options for cabinets that helped me achieve my "get the look for less" goal. I opted for stainless steel doors below the counters and opaque glass with aluminum frames for the uppers. Once dressed with retro styled blue glass knobs, I think they looked mighty chic. In addition to selecting ready-to-go, in-stock cabinets, I also cheaped out on the counters. Let's face it — there is no need to install a stone counter in your laundry room. It's not a space for entertaining, and no one really cares what the counter is made of. It has to be good for one thing — folding! Instead of settling for speckled, pseudo-stone I discovered a pale grey plastic laminate with a stainless steel edge detail — looks modern and cool for the same price as the average options in stock at the hardware store.

Have a sense of humour

Every project has its mascot and mine was a gentleman named Umberto who came by the site twice (or three times) daily honking his horn and lifting up the side of his catering truck to tempt my crew with the delights of hot coffee, sticky "honey buns" and comforting egg and bacon sandwiches. When it came time to select the appropriate backsplash for my laundry "lab" I decided to order up a piece of the very same quilted, stainless sheeting that adorns Umberto's truck. It's less expensive than tile, it's easy to wipe clean, quick to install, and will always be a reminder of all the hours and hands that made my house what it is. The good news is that if food service isn't your aesthetic, there are plenty of patterns and textures to choose from.

Make it disappear

Every basement has a few cosmetic blemishes in need of some concealer. In my case it manifested itself in the form of an electrical panel that could not be relocated (problem was, it was directly in the line of vision from the door and didn't add the flavour I was looking for). After being told that there was no hope for a re-location, I settled on a new and more innovative solution … I disguised it with original artwork. I found two magnificent photos of misty Tuscan fields and framed them with an extra large mat. Then I attached a frame to the drywall opening around the electrical panel, and connected the framed art to the surround of the electrical panel using a piano hinge and magnetic closure. My laundry room now has easy access to the panel in case of an popped circuit, and I've turned an unsightly blemish into a beautiful vista.

Save here, splurge there

The best part of being thrifty when selecting counters and cabinets is that you'll have funds left over for the good stuff, such as original art (to hide that ugly breaker panel), and a natural stone floor. Instead of opting for a bargain-priced ceramic floor, I was able to splurge on a warm, "Lagos gold" stone floor that makes my lowly laundry room look like a chic kitchen, as well as fancy appliances.

If you are going to have a laundry obsession, might as well have a pretty place to spend all your time fluffing and folding!