If you’re all for modern and trendy European styles, perhaps a new laundry design will see your home transferred into a contemporary space that projects a northern appeal.

Like Americans, Aussies like our stuff BIG. Big cars, big houses, big TVs – big washing machines. In Europe, on the other hand, the humble washer and dryer are just that: humble. From Rome to Reykjavik, they toil away under kitchen benchtops and in bathroom cupboards, barely seen and rarely heard.

Indeed, in compact cities where space is at a premium, pint-sized European laundries (a fancy name for front-loading washer/dryer combos) make perfect sense. But in Australia, where the separate laundry has long been sacrosanct, they’ve failed to make significant inroads.

Until now.

According to whitegoods retailer Paul Savona, the European laundry is gaining ground here faster than you can say ‘fois gras’. "The front loader market is growing rapidly," he says. "When I first entered the business 20 years ago, it made up only 1 to 2 per cent. Now that’s probably somewhere between 15 and 20 per cent."

Paul attributes much of this new-found popularity to space-smart, European design.

"Most European laundries are more stylish than ours," he says. "Because Europeans don’t have separate laundries, they have to incorporate the washer and dryer into their kitchens and that means they have to have the same compact style as a dishwasher."

It’s not just their stick-me-anywhere size that makes European laundries so appealing. According to the Australian Consumers Association, compared with top loaders, front loaders use up to three times less water, roughly half the detergent, are cheaper to run, use less energy, have more programs, faster spin speeds and are gentler on clothes. On the down side, most have longer wash cycles and smaller capacities, and because there are fewer of them around, are often more expensive.

As far as dryers go, there are generally two types: vented and condenser. Vented dryers allow steam to escape into the room and therefore require ventilation. Condenser dryers cool the steam back into liquid, which is then collected in a separate receptacle for disposal.

"In apartments, condensers are ideal because they often have inadequate ventilation," says Paul.

If you decide a European laundry is for you, then bear in mind that front loaders are quite heavy and need to be placed on solid ground. You then have the option of either stacking the dryer on top, or running both units side by side.

"The advantage of having them side by side is you can build a benchtop or cabinet over the whole thing and have all your plumbing hidden underneath," says Paul.

Finally, if your pad is particularly petite, there are several two-in-one washer/dryers now available. But, if you go through jocks and socks like there’s no tomorrow, be aware that their drying capacities are often half their wash capacities.

Contact a washing machine retailer in your area to find out how you can go European in the laundry.