how would you modernise this vintage washer dryer set for the 2021 era?

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So many options for these

Pierreandreply4, I assume you mean rejuvenate or make them look amazing and not just old appliances.

If so and I am only going by what I can see in the photos so hard to tell. Caveat- any time you mess unnecessarily with vintage items you have a risk of making things worse for no gain

1 - remove the grime.
Notice how in photo 1of6 the drier looks sharper (less worn and used). It has way less grime at the junctions where materials meet around the knob/buttons and the end caps of the stand up appear white. Its lines look sharp whereas the washing machine stand up edges look blurry...its just the visual of the grime.

If you can dismantle the stand up and clean the parts (in a way that doesn't damage any of the decal) that will remove the grime from within the cracks and bring out the crisp lines of these machines. This is different to just cleaning from the surface as that never really gets it out of the cracks.

2 - Re-whitening the plastic ends on the washing machine (I assume they are plastic). There are a number of videos on re-whitening plastic on youtube particularly from vintage computer restorers.

3 - It's the room that makes them look dowdy
These machines are beautifully square and still shiny white. In the right setting that works with the visual of the machines they would sing. Your photos showed them in 2 different settings so I cant advice on any changes as I don't know which room is the one they live in. However, both settings in the photos totally deflate the look of these machines, making them look old - and not in a good way.

Imagine these machines in either:
- against an uber clean white reflective wall to make the machines part of that stage.
or
- strong accent colour wall to contrast the white boxiness with a clean single colour floor.
or
- fun and bright with a striped vinyl that wrapped seamlessly from the floor up the wall behind them. "Atrafloor" does some of the best striped vinyl.

These machines are so good as white boxes, they allow you to make a room around them. Contrast that to say the current machines where funky visuals are little details on the machines themselves. Sure the new machines are designed to look great in an add but most people cant make them look good in the home. One out of place washing basket or someone left towels out and their visual is gone. Yours on the other hand give them the right setting and their strong white shiny box will always be a strong white shiny box that shouts clean and sparkly.
 
I have had luck removing the yellowing of white paint on appliances by using a little fingernail polish remover (lacquer thinner) on a water-DAMPENED cloth and gently wiping the painted surface, following up with some spray window cleaner and a rinse and dry. My 1960 Fitrator had some darkened scratches in the porcelain top that I made all but invisible by applying a solution of Clorox and water and letting it sit for a few minutes.
 

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