kenn taylor captures the faded beauty of britain's vintage laundrettes

writer and creative producer kenn taylor shares a photography series documenting the ‘rex’ laundrettes of kingston upon hull in the UK. once all fitted out to a bold modern design language, the architecture has remained unchanged throughout the decades, but has developed layers of patina through years of use. capturing the once vibrant, now worn, interiors and exteriors of this local chain of laundrettes, the images shot by taylor are contemporary, yet could be from the 1970s, 80s, 90s or 2000s.

all images © kenn taylor

taylor worked in the east coast UK city of hull for three years and started to notice the various, often quite striking branches of this local laundrette chain as he walked around the city. especially the bold, if now sometimes faded, orange and the 1960s/70s modernist aesthetic, which had remained untouched while so much else around them had. the ageing of the shops adds another layer of interest to them, especially as when first opened they were clearly self-consciously modern.

taylor explains, ‘I wanted to photograph them before I thought they would inevitably be updated at some point in the future – the shops still seem popular so are unlikely to close down. I was interested in how the different shops shared the features of a chain, but all had their own unique elements through design or age. I gave the project the deliberately grand and long title to highlight the effort someone once went to make humble laundrette shops bold and bright. as well as to reference the relationship between the chain’s regal name, rex, and the city of hull’s full name, kingston upon hull.

project info:

project name: the rex laundrettes of kingston upon hull 

photography: kenn taylor

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom