Selling Houses Australia – The Ramshackle Country Mansion

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 8 Season 8

The Story: When Julienne Wilson saw her ramshackle mansion in country New South Wales, it was love at first sight. For 17 years she battled to restore its crumbling beauty, but when her husband died she decided it was time to move on. The place is falling down around her ears and Julienne doesn’t have the energy or funds to fix it. To add to her woes, country markets are slow and after 3 years and just 7 inspections, her chances of a sale are looking slim.

The Problem: This grand old home was in definite need of some tender loving care to restore it to its former glory. The home was previously a hospital and turned into a family home, which definitely took its toll on the home. The real buyer turn off was the fact that the outside of the house was decaying, which deterred buyers from even entering the house to see the interior. Even though the home had great potential and was full of history, the kitchen was in a need of a massive overhaul, and was literally falling apart. The walls were cracking, the floors needed changing and bits and pieces around the house needed restoring.

The Solution: The home was packed with potential and history, but just needed a good make-over. The concrete path leading to the home was removed and instead replaced with a deco granite path. New plants and trees were planted to give the home a more country feel, instead of a yard that was cramped by overgrown shrubs. The decaying verandah was completely replaced with new cypress wood, and the exterior of the home was refurbished and given a new paint job. Now the home looked buyer friendly from the outside.

The kitchen was given a complete makeover and a fully functional living space was created, while still maintaining the period feel with the Victorian county look. The kitchen now had all the modern components, including the Luxaflex® Tiered Modern Roman Shade in the fabric Linen Weave and Beechnut colour. Tiered Modern Roman Shades stack up, down or anywhere in between, giving you greater control of the amount of light you let into your home.

The flooring of the bedrooms were pulled apart, and instead replaced with carpet to give the rooms a lift. Luxaflex® Roller Blinds in the fabric Waratah and colour Bounty were installed in the bedrooms to give it that final finishing touch. The colour of the Roller Blinds helped in keeping the heritage of the home, but it also makes a very versatile colour scheme for any home.

The use of Roller Blinds created a simple, yet aesthetically attractive choice for the country mansion. Because of the simplicity of Roller Blinds, it fitted closely to the window, and so blends in well with the décor of the home, and allowed for sheer curtains to be placed on top of the Roller Blinds to create that little bit of special touch.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® authorised dealer Taylor Home Décor in Wellington, NSW.

Watch Selling Houses Australia every Wednesday, 8.30pm AEDT on The LifeStyle Channel, only on Foxtel. 

Selling Houses Australia - Playing Ghost Busters in Miles End

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 7 Season 8

The Story: When Carol and Michael bought their 100 year old cottage, they thought they had the perfect renovator. Then they discovered the ghost! Every time they fixed things up, the sulky spook showed its displeasure. Their renovation costs have spiraled out of control and they’re desperate to sell up, buy a cheaper place and use the rest of the funds for their wedding. Can our team turn ghost busters and evict the sulky spook to the land of the spirits?

The Problem: The problem wasn't really a ghost, but instead it was the endless list of half-done renovations. With a traditional house like this, one would expect the inside to be full of character, which it definitely lacked, and it had no street appeal whatsoever. The home also had a completely out of character spiral staircase, and complete wreck of a backyard.

The Solution: Inject character into the home. The barren front lawn full of nothing was transformed into a beautiful traditional formal garden. It became a place to relax and unwind, with attractive water features. Street appeal was created by giving the home and walls a new coat of paint.

The endless list of unfinished jobs that needed a finishing touch were tackled, and the out of character spiral staircase was too costly to remove, so instead was disguised by painting the staircase the same black colour as the black wall, which minimised the impact of the modern feature.

The modern kitchen felt very disconnected from the classic looking house, so a look of modern heritage was added into the kitchen. And the backyard was transformed from an unfinished wreck of a shed into an entertaining area.

The team from Luxaflex installed NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters in White throughout the home. The Polyresin Shutters were a perfect match for the home as it brought an elegance into the traditional home. The Polyresin Shutters created the perfect mix of contemporary and traditional, and complimented the mismatch wall colours of each and every room in the home. They are also set to withstand time, as they are guaranteed to not blister, peel, flake, corrode or flake.

Luxaflex NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters are energy efficient as they are completely adjustable, allowing you to fully control the solar energy entering your windows and doors. Their macrocellular construction creates effective dead-air insulation, and coupled with the vinyl’s low conductivity they greatly reduce heat exchange. Luxaflex Newstyle Polyresin Shutters reflect inbound solar rays back to the outside during summer, but can be opened to allow the warming sun into your home in winter, thereby reducing air-conditioning costs and making the shutters very versatile for any home.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Solomons Flooring at Gepps Cross, SA.

Watch Selling Houses Australia every Wednesday, 8.30pm AEDT on The LifeStyle Channel, only on Foxtel. 

24 Hour Make-Over with Luxaflex, Colin, Justin and Channel Ten's The Living Room

Last Friday night on Channel Ten’s The Living Room, saw interior design gurus Colin and Justin, with the help of the team from Luxaflex transform the Parramatta home – a home still stuck in the ages, into something more chic and modern. Colin and Justin have renovated some of the world’s worst homes in the USA, UK, Spain and Canada, and we got the chance to see their marvelous ideas come to life.

This home had been crying out for a good make-over for decades. From the red patterned carpet, to the red velvet chairs, and the yellow window drapes and the gold velvet couches, this house was still living in the 70s.

The horrible yellow draped window was removed, and instead replaced with LUXAFLEX NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters. Polyresin Shutters were also used as a room divider, to divide the kitchen from the dining and lounge room area, and act as a feature wall – showing how versatile LUXAFLEX® NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters can be. The use of Polyresin Shutters brought an elegant modern touch to the Parramatta home, and was the perfect colour compliment to the fresh yellow walls.

LUXAFLEX NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters also bought a soft elegance into the room. The best part is that it guarantees to not blister, peel, flake, corrode or fade due to the technologically advanced Polyresin compound used in the shutters. It creates a soft, matte lustre finish due to the PolySatin finish of the shutters. 

Here are a few key highlights about LUXAFLEX NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters:

-          Durable: LUXAFLEX NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters are virtually maintenance free, because they are not painted, so will never blister, peel, flake, corrode or fade. They are also unaffected by water or wood-destroying organisms and are UV-stabalised.

-          Child Safe: Because there are no dangling cords, LUXAFLEX NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters are a safe window covering product for children and pets.

-          Australian Made: LUXAFLEX NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters are made in Australia and manufactured with a unique vinyl compound called polyresin to minimise impact upon the environment.

-          Easy to clean: In most cases, soap and water is all it takes to remove unsightly blemishes.

-          Energy Efficient: Their macrocellular construction creates effective dead-air insulation and heat exchange is greatly reduced due to the vinyl’s low conductivity.

-          Sustainable: The efficient design and durability of the shutters means that they will last many times longer than a traditional blind or shade.

-          Non-toxic: The safety of vinyl has been confirmed in more than 50 years of scientific study.

To learn more about LUXAFLEX NEWSTYLE® Polyresin Shutters, visit http://luxaflex.com.au/

Selling Houses Australia – Stuck in the 70s

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 6 Season 8

The Story - The Gentile’s are your typical close-knit Italian family. They all live in the same suburb and each week gather for dinner at Charlie and Silvia’s place. It’s the family home and Charlie built it with his own hands, but now the couple needs to sell up and downsize to fund their retirement. Tragically Charlie and Silvia can’t afford to stay in Reservoir, but the more money they get, the closer they can buy. Trouble is, the house has the street appeal of a loading dock and an interior straight from the 70’s - this is a tough challenge.

The Problem – Family buyers in today’s market no longer want a renovator that they can make their own, but instead want shiny and new homes. This 1970s solid but very outdated Reservoir home is therefore at the bottom of everyone’s list. Inside the home was like stepping back into time, to a place where disco and bad patterns ruled the world. The home had bad patterned floors, and the bedrooms were still stuck in the 70s. In today’s property market, bedrooms have become a real selling feature. The kitchen had good bones, but was in desperate need of a facelift, and the background was a concrete playground, not appropriate for young kids to play around.

The Solution – Take the outdated and ugly 1970s style and bring it into the next century. Street appeal was created by removing the carport and adding in some turf and plants. The turf and plants gave the exterior of the home a breath of fresh air, and made it look more inviting. The concrete background was also given a facelift. The concrete was removed and replaced with turf, making the backyard child and family friendly.

The bedrooms throughout the home were looking drab, so to give the bedrooms more appeal and selling power, a feeling of luxury in the bedrooms were created. New modern lights, beds and furniture were installed in each bedroom, along with Luxaflex® Roller Blinds in the fabrics Versailles (colour Ivory) and Calypso (colour White). Luxaflex® Roller Blinds helped to get rid of the 70s drab, and turn the home into fab. Roller Blinds were also installed in all the dining rooms to replace the old boring curtains.

The choice of the two fabrics in the colours Ivory and White make very versatile colour schemes for any home. The use of Roller Blinds creates a simple, yet aesthetically attractive choice for the Reservoir home. Because of the simplicity of Roller Blinds, it fits closely to the window, and so blends in well with the décor of the home – fashionable and functional.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Decorator Curtains & Blinds in Greensborough, VIC.

Watch Selling Houses Australia every Wednesday, 8.30pm AEDT on The LifeStyle Channel, only on Foxtel. 

Selling Houses Australia – Purgatory in Paradise

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 5 Season 8

 The Story: It should be paradise - a sub-tropical island off the coast of Brisbane, but for Raice and Chi Chi it’s more like purgatory. They need to upsize to accommodate their growing tree lopping business, but have failed to find a buyer in a whopping 6 years! To add to their woes, it seems half the island is for sale. Is this our team’s toughest challenge yet?

The Problem: When it comes to first impressions, this house was a total let down. The whole exterior of the house needed a whole revamp, from some landscaping to a new coat of paint. The kitchen was in poor conditions, where it didn’t even have an oven. The house was in need of a make-up, where all the décor was a complete mismatch, especially the colour scheme.

 The Solution: Make the house appealing to the buyer’s eyes. After a serious garden tidy-up, the exterior of the house was a lot more welcoming. A new coat of paint and landscaping automatically made the house look appealing and stand out from all the other houses in the neighbourhood. The kitchen was also turned into a blank canvas, as nothing in it was salvageable. Instead, a brand new kitchen, with new appliances and storage space was added – now potential owners would not have to cook on a portable stove.

The light blue interior paint colour echoed the exterior paint colour of the home – giving the inside of the home a light and airy feel. To complement the wall colour, Roller Blinds in the fabric Harper Blockout (colour – Polish) were used throughout the home to replace all the mismatched curtains. The colour Polish helped bring about a beach appeal to the home to match the island persona of the home. The Roller Blinds also added character, and the streamline finish of the blinds is great for smaller homes.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Lifestyle Blinds & Awnings in Tarradingi, QLD.

Watch Selling Houses Australia every Wednesday, 8.30pm AEDT on The LifeStyle Channel, only on Foxtel.