Architectural Design is about solving the BIG little issues…
I have designed many houses for clients that don’t understand the logic of the iconic New Zealand rotary clothesline in the backyard. If the clothes aren’t blown off the line, then it rains on them. Or, if left in full sun, they become stiff as a board. So, why would you put them outside to dry? Maybe in the old days with stay-at-home mums it worked, although my mum complained about the long cold walk to the clothesline.
Drying clothes in the winter has always been an issue.
In the last house I designed, the brief was to get the clothes horses out of the north facing lounge, which drove the husband crazy. So, when designing their laundry,
I suggested an ASKO drying cabinet.
Drying cabinets are common in Scandinavia with their colder climate. Drying rooms are a must in snow ski clubs and resorts.
A DIY friend has a Dampchaser wall heater fitted inside an old wardrobe which does dry clothes but doesn’t address the moisture issue. Getting rid of the moisture inside a house is a must.
The drying cabinet doesn’t replace a drier which is faster at drying items such as towels. The main benefit of a drying cabinet is that they are gentler on your delicate clothing and fabrics such as shirts, silks, and linens, and because they are gentle, they give them a longer life. You can also dry leather and rubber items. The drying cabinets can be vented, be a condenser, or a heat pump type.
But wait, there is another laundry appliance which is the home dry cleaner, for want of another name. It deodorises with steam, think silk shirts. There are several models on the market, the LG styler, the Samsung air dresser, and Fisher & Paykel are launching their one later this year.
paul@leuschkekahn.co.nz
021 894 895
leuschkekahn.co.nz
