Powder Laundry | Studio Tate

Laundromats are mysterious places full of opportunities for chance
encounters and awkward moments, staring at your clothes swirling round
in the machine. Powder pulls the laundromat concept into the 21st century,
while recalling the retro feel of this staple of community life. Rolled out
over multiple Melbourne locations, this design has been envisaged as a kit
of parts, with human-focused modules that can be inserted into each new
space, while keeping the distinctive identity of the Powder brand.
A soft pink palette recalls the stray red sock that makes it into your load
of white sheets. Flooring merges from pink terrazzo to durable grey rubber
benches. Bar stool seating is provided, positioned just close enough to
‘accidentally’ bump into your neighbour. Power outlets and USB chargers
fitted into the joinery mean that you can distract yourself with work or
catch up on emails. The circular porthole of the washing machine becomes
a recurring motif, with joinery created from overlaying multiple circles, and
material selections such as white perforated metal backed with a soft pink.
The tactile sensibilities of this manual task have been exploited using a
variety of textures including studded rubber for countertops.