Ivystudio’s clean design for White’s laundry in Montreal
Clean, bright white interiors are a successful marketing tool for this Montreal-based laundry, that has opened its first walk-in service counter. The shop’s high ceilings, coupled with minimalist white décor (and that incredible smell of freshly washed clothes), create the sensation of walking through a washing-line of white sheets – laundry heaven.
White’s was founded by a couple with a vision for a modern dry-cleaning service that would have a fully transparent production line, eco-friendly products and an upscale user experience. As well as the inner city factory located for easy distribution, White’s also required a ‘front of house’ to complete the brand vision. Local design and interior firm Ivystudio was tasked to translate this vision into design.
Working within a period building, in a south shore neighbourhood of the city, Ivystudio decided to strip back and white wash the space to create a pure aesthetic. Elements of the architecture’s existing heritage were preserved – such as molding details and ceiling volumes, with an elegance akin to traditional Parisian apartments.
Transparency of the founding vision can be found in the fully glazed façade and the 14 ft display cases showing the library of eco-friendly products, also available to purchase for home use, complete with the kind of sliding ladder found in apothecaries. An interior window reveals the activity of the seamstress’ counter and a frosted glass strip displaying the movement of clothes on the conveyor – it’s workings smoothly concealed into the design.
Meanwhile, domestic and craft-led touches give the White’s flagship the feeling of an old-fashioned, family-run business. Low hanging globe lighting emits a warm glow into the space, anchored with a black marble counter, a brass Lambert et Fils lighting fixture and handmade terracotta ceramic flooring tiles in herringbone pattern.
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Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
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