I used to own a washing machine. It was a hand-me-down from a friend and it was old, a bit temperamental and weighed a tonne, so we left the leaky thing behind when we moved. As such, I am back at the laundromat once a week cleaning my threads. At first it was a novelty – doing the washing with my neighbours on a Saturday morning – but now it’s just plain old boring and I go home for toast between wash and drying cycles. Unfortunately, I do not live in South Yarra; if I did I would be at Suds.
Located on the ground floor of the Bray Street residential development Society – a vertical village developed for a design-aware generation – Suds laundrette recently opened to make a mundane domestic task a more enjoyable experience.
Designed by Plus Architecture, Suds is a laundromat that looks more like a bar or retail space from the street. The bright green interior references Alice in Wonderland with mod grass-clad washing machines and walls cut out like checkerboard hills, and bubble cut-outs that double as seats for waiting washers.
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SUBSCRIBE NOWTo complement the modern lifestyle focus at Society, Suds was conceived as a social space offering full self–serve laundry services, offsite dry cleaning and wireless internet, making a menial chore more appealing.
The prices might be slightly higher than your regular rusty laundromat coin slots, but you’re getting a little bit more here. Suds is a hub of communal living, where not having a washing machine at home is a good thing.
Suds
34A Bray Street, South Yarra
(03) 9915 8233
Hours
Daily
General Public 7am–9pm
Society Residents 1am–11pm