Since when did laundries become pretty?

My laundry is pretty ugly. I admit I fantasise about a pretty one sometimes, and most of those fantasies are pretty retro and involve gingham curtains and such. Maybe because I don't read home decorating magazines or even get into the whole decor thing. So most of my ideas come from old Home Beautiful or funny old books about housekeeping. Therefore I was abit taken aback while cruising the interweb at The Boccante Home and Domicile and saw these.

Well. I never considered that washing machines could be beautiful beyond a kind of utilitarian kind of whiteness. Unless of course they were green and retro, and not at all practical. Not that I'd have something like that in my laundry as I'd find no charm in the extra labour. I once painted an ugly old fridge with hammer finish paint, it looked like a rock in the kitchen. But I never would have considered going that far in the laundry. It's not as if you sit in there and have coffee and biscuits with your friends. So my idea of decor involved the aforementioned gingham curtains and maybe a towel to sit on top of the machine, like my nan had. Now I'm considering the possibility of a more modern look in my ideal laundry fantasy.

However this styling seems all wrong to me. I know it is conceptual and maybe aimed at people who have their washing machine in their kitchen, but curtains and cushions? And potted plants on top of the washing machine?  I'd be thinking a modern but rustic dark wooded table. Some neatly folded piles in muted bright colours. What about a stylish washing basket? And maybe some imagery that hints at the technical promises of the machine. According to the LG website these washing machines are super energy efficient and eliminate ironing by using a cycle that blows steam through the clothes. Oh, beautiful and labour saving!