162 Victoria Avenue Chatswood, NSW, 2067
Having raised ten children in their vast family home in the quiet suburb of Safety Beach—in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula—Jackie and Terry were looking to sell, purchase a motor home and travel around Australia.
However, there was just one thing standing in their way: they couldn’t seem to sell their home.
While it was an ideal home in which to raise ten children, the enormous scale of the interior, and the work associated with this, was deterring potential buyers. While the home had solid foundations and a contemporary layout, it also had a 90s aesthetic that required updates, dated furnishings, and a small kitchen that was at odds with the scale of the home.
To help Jackie and Terry move onto the next phase of their life, the team at Selling Houses stepped in to help.
A key priority for this large home was modernising its frontage. While neat and tidy, home’s facade was somewhat bland and uninviting—in need of a contemporary refresh. Dennis and his team set to work, clearing some of the foliage and tidying up the front garden. The home was painted in a bright, light colour, with blue-grey accents giving it a more modern feel.
Dennis’ view was to keep the frontage simple, using traditional-style plants to create a “regal” feel.
On paper, this home’s rear space was a winner – a large covered entertaining area, inground pool, spa, and a level lawn. However, the greenery was a little overgrown, the aesthetic lacked visual consistency, and the space needed a lift to give it the modern, coastal look that potential buyers would be looking for.
Some of the large palms were removed to create a more open and expansive feel, and a row of trees was planted the perimeter. The fences were all pained in a dark grey to make them recede and create more of an illusion of space, and new grey pavers gave the overall space a much more modern feel.
A fire pit, with a red panelled feature wall was also added to the rear of the space, to add an extra dimension. And the overall space was completed with a new BBQ, table, and some comfy outdoor furniture.
A main problem with this home was that it was quite dark in some areas – especially the interior staircase.
“Previously, some areas felt dark and dated,” says Wendy.
“Fresh paint has helped, but carefully selected window furnishings will bring in more light, and modernise rooms,” she adds.
Luxaflex window coverings were used in various rooms to allow Wendy and the team to emit light into the interiors – while also retaining privacy. All the window coverings were chosen in Chamomile Rd Linen fabric, to create consistency throughout the home.
Luxaflex® Duette Shades were used in the bedrooms and upstairs living area, to add softness and a stylish aesthetic. For a home of this size, taking smart measures to minimise energy costs is also essential. The Duette Shades are an important selling feature to assist with this. Their smart honeycomb-like structure retains air within its cells, which helps keep the interiors warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Several other Luxaflex® window coverings were used to bring light into this vast home:
Luxaflex® Lumishades – which combine the versatility of a vertical blind with the elegant appeal of a soft window furnishing and are ideal for sliding doors or long, vertical windows.
Luxaflex® Curtains – were also to soften the interiors and create a billowy, romantic feel.
Luxaflex® Pirouette Shades – have a soft, sheer aesthetic that complements the Luxaflex® Duette shades and creates a consistent look throughout the home. These innovative shades feature softly contoured, front-facing fabric vanes attached to a single sheer backing. During opening and closing, the vanes move in tandem for a fluid, graceful effect. Three-dimensional fabric vanes also provide a striking and uniform interior look, while softly filtering sunlight and providing privacy.
According to feedback garnered from open homes, a major barrier for the sale of this home was its small kitchen – which simply didn’t seem to fit with the large expanse of the home itself. Tackling this was a key priority for Wendy.
The team knocked out the existing kitchen wall through to the dining room, to create a much larger space with an adjoining butler’s pantry – disguised behind a nib wall.
An oversized island bench, family-size oven and new seating were also installed, as was a new awning window, to create a connection between the kitchen and the deck.
Durable Luxaflex® Roller Blinds, also in Chamomile Rd Linen fabric, were chosen for the windows in the kitchen. A great advantage of these blinds is that they can be fully retracted during the day – letting light flow into the kitchen – and then completely closed in the evening, for maximum privacy. They also add a neutral and contemporary aesthetic to the space.
“Previously this house had a real case of the ‘blahs’”, says Wendy. “It was just one single colour. It was really boring.”
The interior walls were therefore sanded and painted throughout, and Wendy laid several rugs throughout to cover the orange-toned floorboards which previously dominated the interior aesthetic.
Wendy added some personality and a classy edge with some dark coloured feature walls and new lighting.
With the renovation complete, Terry and Jacki were able to sell their much-loved family home for a very respectable $1.55 million—enough for both of them to finally retire and hit the road.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the window coverings used in this renovation, please get in touch with the team at Luxaflex today.
