162 Victoria Avenue Chatswood, NSW, 2067
Homeowners Tony and Sandie built their classic 'Queenslander replica' from the ground up, in the affluent Brisbane suburb of The Gap. In addition to 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a 4 car garage, the home featured a resort-style pool, tennis court and 10 acres of lush surrounding bushland.
While they loved the home, they had happily raised their three sons in, the amount of work involved to maintain such a massive property was becoming all too much for them. Tony and Sandie were determined to start a new chapter and move on to something much smaller and more comfortable for them and their dogs.
However, selling such a distinctive home was proving to be difficult. With an asking price of over $3 million, Tony and Sandie's traditional Queenslander sat on the market for nearly a year. Sadly, the perks of the couple's retreat-style home and even a price drop, weren't enough to secure an offer
Although the interior layout was perfect and in immaculate condition, it was a niche home within a niche market. With a set budget of $80k, it was up to the Selling Houses Australia team to modernise the house and broaden the appeal. Shaynna was able to achieve this by making some major enhancements to the overall look and feel of the home.
Improvements included:
Stylish new window treatments - Shaynna replaced all of the dated drapes around the home with Luxaflex® Silhouette® Shadings in a translucent fabric opacity. Featuring Signature S-Vanes that appear to be floating between two sheer facings, these shades combine elegance with functional design, to transform harsh sunlight into a gentle, diffused glow. The horizontal vanes of these shades also provided the look of a shutter from the outside, which worked perfectly with the horizontal weather boards of the classic Queenslander. For added luxury and convenience, Shaynna opted for motorised control of these shades. With PowerView® Motorisation, all of the blinds within the home could be opened and closed with the touch of a button!
Shaynna had all of the kitchen cupboards painted in a fresh whitewash and added new refined brass handles to top this off. The existing island bench was replaced with one of a much larger scale, this better filled the space and added to the overall grandeur of the kitchen. To break up all of the white, Shaynna selected a navy tile for the new splash back. The gloss finish of these tiles also helped to softly reflect the light around the space.
A major transformation of the Master suite - In order to meet the high end expectations of the modern buyer, Shaynna decided to completely gut the master bathroom and start from scratch. As the room lacked natural light, she included two large sky lights and opted for a window covering solution which would provide the ultimate light and privacy control. Luxaflex® PolySatin Shutters proved to be the ideal solution for this space, as the shutter louvres can be easily adjusted by hand as required. PolySatin Shutters are also impervious to moisture and will not warp, fade, crack or peel, even when exposed to the harshest environments.
Gorgeous white stone and herringbone marble tiles were used for the floor and walls of the revamped bathroom. This tile choice in addition to the modern free standing bath Shaynna selected, certainly helped to create a sense of opulence. A touch of navy blue in the cabinetry also added sophistication and helped to perfectly tie in the high impact navy wall Shaynna painted in the master bedroom.
New carpet - To further enhance the luxurious look and feel of the home, Shaynna had high end wool carpet in a neutral hue, laid in the formal lounge, dining room and all throughout the Master wing.
Modern styling - Fresh linens and accents in navy and neutral tones were incorporated all throughout the home. This helped to achieve a modern look, whilst keeping the space feeling light and airy. Although the changes were mostly superficial, the impact they had on the house were enormous!
One of the biggest improvements made to the house was the revamp of the exterior colour scheme. Charlie had the roof and house painted in a crisp white colour palette, which helped to modernise the property dramatically. The stain glass windows in the front door were also swapped out for clear glass, and the original outdoor lights replaced with a sleek black alternative.
After being on the market for only a few weeks post renovation, Sandie and Tony happily accepted an offer of $2.8 million!
Get the look with this shopping list of suppliers trusted by Selling Houses Australia!
The products in this episode were proudly supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Window Fashions Gallery Dealer, CBD Blinds.
