Tag: mud room

Categories
Design Furniture

Mudroom ideas: Willow & Wood introduce mix ‘n match

What’s a mudroom, I hear you ask? (I really have heard a lot of you ask this!). I think we’ve seen a few on shows like The Block, only they’re not always an actual room, are they?! So I’m here to demystify a little and tell you why you need one!

They can be a whole room of course, if you have that luxury of space. But the great thing is, you don’t need a whole room with a door on it to get the same effect. The way I look at it, it’s a place between outside and inside. So when you come home, you can sit and take off your dirty outdoor shoes, hang up your bag and coat perhaps, pop your keys and mail down, and in doing so, avoid a whole lot of mess and clutter. It’s my idea of storage heaven, which is why I have one in our entryway, which opens onto our living room!

Mudrooms, or mudroom areas, can be built into the smallest of underused spaces in a hallway or entryway, under the stairs even. And thanks to Australian brand Willow and Wood, you don’t need to go custom to get a great looking and functional solution that suits your home’s size and style, and the number of people in it! They’ve recently introduced a mix and match solution, with a variety of hooks and benches, with or without a wall panel between the two, and whether you want to hide those shoes right away or have them in open baskets. You can even choose a classic all-white solution or something a little more traditional or rustic with some unpainted timber. Or a combination of the two! For the Scandi fans, there’s even a look for you. The options are endless!

We are big fans of this Australian brand started by a father and daughter. 25 years ago, Russell Tyndall helped his 18-year-old daughter Rebecca build a wall-mounted bookshelf that, to this day, still sits in her home holding many treasured possessions. It’s been through 13 moves, five coats of paint and wax and is still as strong as ever!  “That’s because it was built with love and made to last, says Rebecca, who went on to start the family business with him. “We take great care to produce quality, functional and beautiful products, all of which are made for longevity and timeless style. Our products are designed by us, right here in our Melbourne workshop, where we hand make all of our prototypes to make sure they are just right. Both our local craftsmen and craftsmen in Vietnam then produce our products to exact specifications to ensure the quality people have come to expect from Willow & Wood.”

Rebecca Tyndall

Rebecca adds: “The Mudroom has slowly been making its way into Australian homes. As a mother, I understand the struggle families face each day to get out the door on time simply because they can’t find shoes, hats or school bags! Now that can all be solved simply and beautifully with a Willow and Wood Mudroom that can be customised through a range of mix and match pieces. Every home needs a well organised space where the family can hang their bags, backpacks, coats and hats in a central location. Our new mix and match range helps ordinary families design a custom look storage station to suit individual needs and styles.”

My own Mudroom from Willow and Wood was one of the first things we installed in our house two years ago and it is a lifesaver! (Photo by Jacqui Turk)

Willow and Wood don’t just sell Mudrooms, they have all manner of storage solutions you didn’t know you needed, trust me, with great stuff for kids’ rooms like their bestselling Bookworm Bookrack!

Shop online now (there’s currently 20% off preordered new Mudroom pieces and 10% off when you buy any three Mudroom pieces)

Categories
Kitchens RENO ADDICT Smart Home The Block

Julia & Sasha share kitchen, mudroom and laundry

Photography by Marcel Aucar

Last time we caught up, our kitchen and laundry had just been installed but the finishing touches were a mere pipedream. Fast forward to 2018 and we’re done and dusted. If we’d ever questioned the notion of love at first sight, we don’t anymore. These spaces have far exceeded our expectations and we’re walking around with all the heart eye emojis. If you’re not yet familiar with our design and installation process, you can read about it here. Go on… I’ll wait.

Kitchen

Now we’re on the same page, it’s time for the fun stuff. We’ve always loved the process of fixing stone bench tops as it pulls the entire look together and adds an element of luxe. We opted for Caesarstone in Calacatta Nuvo for its marble-like appearance and ability to blend classic meets contemporary. It’s also extremely low maintenance and more cost-effective than natural stone. At this point in the renovation, any saving is a good saving and we’re thrilled to bits with the end result. We opted for a frontal waterfall on the island as it defines the sink from the prep area and looks bangin’ to boot.

There’s still more than enough room for three stools and ample space to hang about. Our island measures 3000mm x 1200mm, the maximum when using only one slab of stone. We’re not big fans of longer benches as they require multiple slabs, resulting in an extra join on the surface.

We stuck with the same stone for the splashback in the kitchen but changed it up in the butler’s pantry. The zone opened up ten-fold by using a smoked mirror and we love how it defines the spaces. There’s still a seamlessness as the cabinetry and bench tops are consistent but the use of mirror adds depth and interest. It’s also really easy to keep clean which should always be the MO in any prep area (or so I tell a very messy Sasha).

Among our favourite things are the soaring Sierra cabinets in Matt White from Freedom Kitchens. The Sierra range is a beautiful Shaker-style profile which looks modern yet classic at the same time. We love a generously proportioned space and one of the best ways to achieve this is by taking joinery sky high. The upper cabinets are readily available and measure 1250mm. There’s more storage than you can poke a stick at and they make the room feel infinite. It’s a great trick to implement if you have limited floor space but want to increase the grandeur of your kitchen. You can thank us later, alligators.

Drawers were always big on our list of must-haves and we crammed in as many as we could. They’re so much easier than cupboards when storing everyday items like crockery, containers, and pots and pans. I once did my back while searching for a mixing bowl which was very inconvenient as I had a party to attend and wound up sitting at the dessert table with my friend’s grandma all night. There’s no chance of that happening at Little Willow as we have drawers for days! Freedom Kitchens are clever folk and added some nifty storage solutions like cutlery dividers, a walnut knife holder, and our amazing spice rack. We could buy all the spices from the supermarket and still have room left over. Clever, indeed.

Of course, cupboards are still handy for those things used less often and they’re in abundance in the butler’s pantry. I’m crazy for the corner carousel shelves they installed in the corner cupboard, previously known as the place ‘where things go to die’. It makes such perfect sense and is also really fun to play with. The added depth of our island made way for extra storage in the seating area. Big props to our designer Jack for working so hard to maximise functionality by utilising every inch of available space.

Another big hit are the white sinks. When we settled on the gold tap, we knew we had to skip the standard stainless steel as it can be hard to mix metals. White was a natural alternative and the effect it has is seamless. The sinks are made of composite granite so they’re durable and virtually scratch-resistant. We’re more than happy to share the love so if you need one in your life, head to Reece and ask for the Franke Impact Granite Undermount in White.

On The Block, we were lucky enough to work with Gaggenau and we loved them hard. We didn’t think it possible to develop an affinity with any other appliance brand until NEFF came along. Golly gumdrops, they’re amazing! Our oven stack is so impressive – the doors actually tuck themselves away when you open them. If you haven’t seen them in action, hit up our Insta for a Boomerang demonstration. Our stack includes an in-built Coffee Machine, Compact Oven with Microwave, Slide&Hide Combi-Steam Oven, and Slide&Hide Vario-Steam Oven. That’s a lot of ovens for one house so the new owners best enjoy cooking. The piece de resistance is of course the FlexInduction Cooktop with Integrated Downdraft. Rather than going up into a regular rangehood, steam is sucked down into the vent. How’s that for forward thinking?!

The kitchen is complete with two NEFF dishwashers and our double fridge/freezer from Bosch. Where are they, you ask? Hidden behind four integrated panels right near the island bench. It’s such a great way to dress large appliances and something we’ll be doing in every property moving forward.

We utilised the working triangle when designing this kitchen and it really does make a difference. The general rule of thumb is there should only be a few steps between your sink, cooktop, and fridge. Ours are positioned just so and the space sings because of it.

Of course, we’re all about lightness and brightness so we decided to splash out on three VELUX skylights. They let in a phenomenal amount of natural light and we can’t recommend them enough. Even if you’re not doing a full renovation, it’s worth considering adding a few throughout your home as they truly offer bang for buck. They’re such a focal point and amplify everything in the space, including our White Smoked boards from Royal Oak Floors. Together, they bounce the light around and are a match made in Heaven.

Laundry and Mud Room

If there’s beauty in simplicity then this is it. We carried through the Sierra profile to maintain consistency and added functional shelving to break up the look. Our penny round tiles from Beaumont work so well with the Intense White bench top from Caesarstone. The gooseneck tap from Sussex pops against all the white and marble and collectively elicits the most serene vibe. There’s a high chance I’ll be rolling around in dirt just so I can use this space. (OK, maybe not rolling around but I won’t crack it if I spill coffee on my white dress, that’s for sure).

It’s hard for me to admit but Sasha’s mud room came up trumps. Originally I wanted a whole bank of cupboards but she insisted on creating an Insta-worthy space so I relented and let her at it. It’s such a usable zone with outdoor access so there’s no reason for muddy footprints to be dragged through the house. After endless harping, I managed to get my way with tropical wallpaper and I love how it pops against all the white.

I’m calling it – of the four kitchens and laundries we’ve created, these are my absolute favourites. They’re so striking and functional. Some people think all-white spaces are boring but I truly believe there is nothing better. They have an elegance all their own and give off a feeling of light. As Bill Murray said, ‘There has to be a lightness; you have to be as light as you can be and not get weighed down and stuck in your emotion, stuck in your body, stuck in your head. You just want to always be trying to elevate somehow.’ Sure he was talking about something deeper than kitchens and laundries but his advice rings true. We have all the lightness there is and I hope you love our spaces as much as we do.

Our sincere gratitude to all our suppliers for working tirelessly with us. Their knowledge and commitment has made all the difference and we’re forever indebted for the time, energy, and care they’ve shown. There’s something extra special about companies that not only supply product but eagerly anticipate the end result. That kind of enthusiasm is hard to come by but they have it in spades.

Until next time,

Julia xx

More kitchens and bathrooms | Jen’s kitchen reno

Categories
Bedrooms Furniture Homewares Interviews Kids Rooms

The wall-hung shelving you never knew you needed. Until now!

After growing up with a dad who made her furniture and later living in New York, where the shopping is (let’s be honest) a lot better than in Australia, Rebecca Tyndall finally came to start her own wall-hung furniture business after having her first child.

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“The first item I designed was the Baby Bunting, which is still one of Willow and Wood’s most popular pieces. It’s a really beautiful piece of furniture for a nursery and there just wasn’t anything available to buy here in Australia that was similar. I spent nearly three years living in New York when I was younger and of course they have everything you could possibly want over there. I had serious shopping envy so I thought I would just make it myself.”

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That’s when she called on her dad, Russell, a builder, and now co-director of the business. He makes all the prototypes by hand in Sydney and most pieces are then manufactured overseas. “After I had designed a few pieces, everyone seemed to love them so much that in a moment of extreme confidence (because who would just start an online furniture company with no experience?) my Dad and I started Willow and Wood. Not that it happened overnight; in fact, it took about nine months to tweak the designs and get the company and website up and running. We launched with just six products.”

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The Bookworm Bookrack is the most popular product by far. “I designed it because we live in a small house but with heaps of wall space because the ceilings are so high. My boys just devour books and even with bookshelves everywhere we needed something more practical that would show off the artwork on the book covers. The artwork on kid’s books is so amazing and why wouldn’t you want to display them all the time? It attracts little ones to the books and because they are easy to access, more books are read. And you can never have too much storage.” Amen to that!

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Rebecca says she is her own customer which is great because she knows her well! “Pretty much everything that we design has been in my house at one time or another. It’s because I design what I need and that’s what we sell. Women are the biggest deciders on decor in the home but they don’t just want things to look good. We want things that are also practical and that make our lives easier. And in my world, storage is king.”

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Rebecca and Russell recently decided to open a bricks and mortar store in Sydney’s Willoughby, so customers could see the products for themselves. And Rebecca believes what they offer is really unique.

“Most furniture stores have some items of shelving but we are unique in that most of what we sell is wall mounted. We do this to create more floor space in a home. We also like to decorate walls with our products. The Cloud Shelf and the Alps Shelf are cute pieces to decorate kid’s rooms with. You’re killing two birds with one shelf, so to speak.”

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They have just branched out into hallway storage with their Cloak Room Series, which is a take on the traditional American mud room and they’ll soon be adding the increasingly popular barn doors to their product line.

“Willow and Wood wouldn’t exist without my dad, Russell. Most weeks, he gets handed a design that has been scribbled on a scrap of paper by me and magically, it appears in the shop a few days later.”

Rebecca with dad (and business partner) Russell and mum Veronica in her shop
Rebecca with dad (and business partner) Russell and mum Veronica in her shop

Visit Willow and Wood online or at 553 Willoughby Road, Willoughby, NSW 2068.