Selling Houses Australia - Yallingup

The LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia Episode 3 Season 9

The Story: Trevor and Susan bought this house with the intention of living a dream of running it as an art gallery/home. Unfortunately, one year after they bought the house, Susan was told the cancer that she thought was in remission was back again, and this time it is terminal. Their dreams of retiring at the gallery were shattered, so they decided to put the house on the market.

Sadly, it has not sold. This is putting extra pressure on their son (who has a young family of his own) and the extra stress of earning enough to pay all the bills plus his parents mortgage. Susan and Trevor feel very guilty about the situation.

The Problem: The floor plan of the property needed a lot of addressing to allow potential buyers to see past the 'Gallery' section of the house, and to create a more residential feel, because as a conventional family home, it just did not work. In such a large property, it did not even have a main bathroom.

The property also had a lot of windows, which was great for natural light, but absolutely horrible for privacy and insulation. The property was screaming out for new window coverings to replace the ugly retro patterned curtains.

The entrance of the property did not look very impressive and needed a bit more warmth. The back entertaining area lacked any character and felt very disconnected from the rest of the house.

The Solution: Take the 'Gallery' out of the house, and make it feel more residential. This was done by converting a large bedroom into a family size bathroom, as well as another bedroom. Dual Roller Blinds with Qmotion Qsync in Caspian Blockout fabric (Oxford) and Ultraweave Sunscreen (Midnight) were installed in the bedrooms. A new main bathroom with new bathware including a freestanding bath and shower were added, which automatically turned the 'Gallery' into a family home.

The motorised Dual Roller Blinds allowed for the combination of two different fabrics in the one Roller Blind system. This offered flexibility to adjust both light levels and night time privacy in the one application.

The part of the house that had been the gallery was transformed into a living area and kitchen. This area had no shortage of windows, which was very good for natural light, but absolutely horrible for privacy and insulation.

Duette Architella Shades in a mixture of PowerRise and LiteRise operating systems (20mm Architella Elan in Daisy White) were installed on the large doors in the lounge due to its insulating benefits. Duette Architella Shades feature a patented honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb construction, dramatically increasing the product's ability to insulate in the winter and keep cool against the summer heat.

The kitchen received a make-over with new appliances, increased bench space, and a stainless steel island for that added touch of industrial charm. The industrial charm was continued, and taken outside to the entertaining area. A new concrete top table and furniture were placed in the entertaining area. The property was brought in-line with a conventional family property, but also retaining its uniqueness - a perfect blend that buyers are sure to like.


All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Kings Window Gallery in Busselton, WA.

Reduce your heating and cooling costs with Duette Architella Shades

Windows can make up 10% of a home's insulated shell. Did you know that up to 30%# of the unwanted heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer occurs through uncovered windows?

In summer, Duette Architella Shades filter unwanted glare while deflecting heat, keeping your room cooler. In winter, Duette Architella Shades reduce heat loss, keeping your room warmer.

The Duette Architella Collection features a patented cell within-a-cell construction providing superior energy efficiency and increased insulation, reducing heat loss in winter and keeping the home cooler in summer.

Reception - The latest Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® Shades fabric range

The latest Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® Shades fabric range Reception offers a soft suede texture with an element of shimmer and is sure to make a strong statement on any window with its luxurious look and feel.

The Reception range is available in translucent and blockout opacities. The colour palette is distinctively neutral and subdued to suit any home décor and design.

It’s not every day that you come across a fabric range that provides a modern take on suede with an element of shimmer!

A Fish Out Of Water

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 11 Season 8

The Story: Margarita’s Art Deco home is a fish out of water. Nestled amidst an industrial suburb, it’s hardly your standard offering. The style is quirky, the floor plan crazy and the décor plain outlandish. It’s a sale that would challenge the most seasoned agent, yet Margarita wants to sell the place herself.

The Problem:  The art deco home had a lot of difficult issues, where the art deco design and look of the home polarised buyers. The house lacked street appeal because the garden was messy and the front fence was literally falling apart.

Also, in a million dollar plus home, buyers expect a big kitchen, and the kitchen in this home was far from big. There was also a bedroom that was literally in the middle of the house, which wasn’t very functional, and the home had a very dark and heavy feel.

The Solution: Broaden the appeal of the home without losing the home’s wow factor as the Brookvale house demands a grand approach.

The backyard was given that little special touch – new landscaping, plants and a beautiful pergola. Recycled timber posts were used to enhance the aged and worn in look. The pergola looked formal, yet still keeping with the heritage feel of the home, giving the backyard a whole lot of character.

The wall in between the kitchen and dining room was taken away and the floors were levelled to create a fantastic looking kitchen with more room and an island bench. High end finishes and kitchen appliances along with the dramatic black and white floor tiles added to the big money feel and the prefect compliment for the era of the house.

Traditional and Tiered Modern Roman Shades in the fabric Sheer Linen and colour White Dawn were also installed throughout the home to add a modern, yet classic touch, perfect for the art deco home. The neutral tone of the Modern Roman Shades made it easy to match any tone of colour. 

The non-functional bedroom in the middle of the house was changed into a living room, which made a lot more sense. A feature wall was painted a rich teal colour to add that pop of colour, which was a huge transformation from the old looking shades of brown, cream and maroon. Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® Shades in the fabric Menage and colour Daisy White were installed into the new living room. The neutral colour of the shade was the perfect complement to the colourful teal feature wall. Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® shades feature a patented honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb construction dramatically increasing the product’s ability to insulate in the winter and cool against the summer heart.

Duette Shades in the fabric Sheer Linen were also installed throughout the home. It gave the home a more open and airy feel, as a lot of the rooms throughout the Brookvale home were looking dark and claustrophobic. Duette Shades offer the ideal balance between function and energy efficiency together with versatility and style.

The master bedroom was transformed from uninspiring to inspiring. A new bed, a pop of teal colour and Modern Roman Shades in the fabric Sheer Linen and colour White Dawn were enough to give the master bedroom some selling power and that wow factor it was lacking.

Overall, the house had been transformed, adding a modern feel, yet still being sympathetic to its art deco period. The great mix of old and new will hopefully appeal to a wider range of home buyers.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Stuart Blinds in Manly, NSW. 

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

Selling Houses Australia – From Liability to Goldmine

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 10 Season 8

The Story: If you think an investment property will make you rich, think again. Anne and Garry’s house in Perth’s outer suburbs should have been a goldmine, instead it’s a liability. First the suburb failed to grow, then the house started falling apart. Anne and Garry spend every weekend mending, fixing, pruning, mowing and its draining their energy and resources. They want to cut their losses and sell up, but one look at the house and its clear why no one is buying.

The Problem:  This house was a cross between a new-age church and a Swiss Chalet. The home was okay as a rental, but buyers expected a lot more. The home was full of  little horrors and the actual shape of the house could not be changed. The exterior had horrible brick work and 70s style glasswork, enough to scare any buyer away. Not to mention, that there was an overgrown palm tree in the middle of the garden.

The interior of the house looked old, stale and stuck in the ages. There was an ugly ladder leading into the attic smack bang in the middle of the living room. Not only did it look out of place, but was also very unsafe.

The walls inside the home were made out of brick, creating a very outdated and cold look throughout the home. The dining room had poor window coverage, where the harsh Western Australia light was coming through and blinding the dining area. The house was calling for a make-over.

The Solution: The exterior of the home was given a new transformation. The horrible brick work was covered with acrylic render and a new pergola added, which took decades off the look of the house. The 70s looking glass was replaced with new glass which improved the outside of the property, but also losing the ugly yellow tint on the inside of the home.

The interior of the home followed a simple modern theme, where decorating was concentrated on high impact areas throughout the home. The interior brick walls of the living room were banished and covered with plastered wood. New carpet was also added to the living room to create a brighter and lighter room, more full of life.

The kitchen cupboards were given a new paint job, which gave it a fresh new look. Roller Blinds in the fabric Temple in the colour Soft Dove were installed, and the perfect window covering for the harsh Western Australia sun. The colour Soft Dove was the perfect match to the brown brick wall in the dining room, as it added a pop of subtle colour against the wall, but also complimented the white cupboards and appliances.

The master bedroom was given a new soft grey carpet and up to date and modern décor and bed. Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® shades were installed in the fabric Elan in the colour Dessert Sand. The Duette® Architella® gave the master bedroom that special something. It finished the new up to date feel, but at the same time, being so versatile in colour.

Luxaflex® Duette® Architella® shades feature a patented honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb construction dramatically increasing the product’s ability to insulate in the winter and cool against the summer heart – perfect for the Western Australian climate.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealers Sunmaster Canning Vale and Sunmaster Joondalup, both in WA.

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

From Bauhaus to Our House

Written by Lynn Malone, exclusively for Luxaflex

Introduction

When selecting furnishings and window coverings for your home, it is advantageous to have an understanding of their historical significance.  Essentially, what has transpired over decades of design innovation and experimentation; coupled with advanced materials and manufacturing processes that affords state-of the-arts fabrics and technologies.  Innovating for over 60 years, Luxaflex leads the way toward creating the next wave of modern homes.

Mod squad in the making

Considered an icon of modernism, the Bauhaus design school revolutionized architectural and creative thinking that inspired the homes of today.  Founded in Germany, the Bauhaus school operated from 1919 to 1933.  During my travels to Berlin, I visited the Bauhaus Archives, the museum that houses the largest collection of everything Bauhaus – a must-see for interior design enthusiasts.

What is the Bauhaus?  And how does its design philosophy influence Australian home life choices from building construction to decorative fabrics, window coverings, art and tableware?  Let’s begin with a thumbnail description of the Bauhaus philosophy and how it made its way to Australian shores.

Design as art

The essence of Bauhaus theory was to unify design studies with fine art.  Its diverse curriculum covered wall painting, sculpture, metalwork, weaving, photography, graphic design and music.  Cutting-edge industrial technologies of the early 1900s made possible the use of unorthodox materials such as synthetic textiles, metal tubing, and fiberglass to create useful and beautiful objects for a new way of living.  Cabinetry and loose furniture items; and decorative accessories and fabrics were equally considered in the conceptual design of a home. 

Their loss, our gain

Undermining the Bauhaus movement in Germany and greater Europe was political turmoil and World War II, which resulted in the school’s 1933 closure and with many of its students and faculty fleeing to starting anew in Australia and the Americas.

Just our luck

Post Second World War European furniture makers immigrating to Australia brought with them knowledge of the innovative materials and manufacturing processes.  One of the most significant new breed of Australian furniture designers was Grant Featherston, who bent and joined precut pieces of plywood to make his now iconic range of Contour chairs.  In the early 1950s hardly an issue of Australian Home Beautiful or Australian House & Garden did not include an article featuring his design or designs by his peers, Clement Meadmore and Douglas Snelling.  Today their furniture design pieces are highly sought after by collectors.

‘House of Tomorrow’ is today

As part of the 1949 Modern Home Exhibition held in Melbourne, the ‘House of Tomorrow’ offered its aspirational vision of home life.  The exhibition, designed by Robin Boyd, Australian architect and proponent of the International Architectural Movement, was built inside The Royal Exhibition Building and noted for its vibrant interiors.  The furniture was designed by Featherston and featured contemporary textiles by Frances Burke.  The yellow rubber tiles, grey and white striped wallpaper and dark blue ceilings were declared too revolutionary.  With time modern furniture and modern architecture were accepted as a logical combination; hence the furnishing selections by many a contestant on renovation reality televisions programs such as The Block and House Rules.

Your time to innovate

If interior or exterior window coverings are part of your next home or office design project, take a look at what’s new at Luxaflex.  One of the products on my radar is the Luxaflex Duette Architella Shades.  Not only is there an exquisite range of contemporary fabrics but also its honeycomb construction creates an insulation barrier that retains cool inside when it’s hot outside; and warmth when it’s cold.

Luxaflex Duette Architella Shades

To learn more

For more about Australian modern furniture design, Mid-Century Modern written and compiled by Kristy Grant is highly recommended and a fascinating read.  And the National Gallery of Victoria Mid-Century Modern exhibition- now through 14 October 2014

http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/exhibitions/mid-century-modern-australian-furniture-design

For more about Bauhaus:  The Bauhaus Collection, Bauhaus Archive Berlin

http://www.bauhaus.de/en

Latest Trends in Window Fashions

Design is ever-evolving and it's always interesting to see what global trends make it to Australia and resonate with our lifestyle. When it comes to window fashions, you'll be surprised to know that there are advancements every year, particularly in the way we operate our blinds, fabric textures, colours and the changing shape of the modern window.

Below is a snapshot of what's trending in window fashions for 2013.

• The minimalist look leads the trend in window coverings. This is influenced by a return to elegance and texture; it's all about creating a soft, subtle and inviting vibe for your rooms. Have a look at our Soft Shades collection, which includes the Pirouette Shadings for some inspiration.
• Combination window treatments have become a popular option with the use of two products - i.e. when blockout and transparent roller blinds are combined to provide a dual function, such as our Dual Roller Blinds.
• Motorisation continues to become more accessible and is available in a range of options to suit your specific needs.
• With the cost of living on the rise, superb insulation properties are becoming a must have for window coverings. Luxaflex Duette Architella Shades are the perfect example, proven to reduce average costs by 43% - imagine the savings!

Luxaflex Pirouette Shadings

Selling Houses Australia - Grandma's House

The Lifestyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia - Episode 7

ROMSEY - Grandma's House

OVERVIEW: Andrew inherited his grandma's house and was excited to be living in a place they could call their own...or so they thought. To Andrew's family and friends, the house still belonged to grandma and all of their renovation plans were met with strong disapproval. Not only this, but Andrew and his wife were hoarders which only added to the list of negatives.

PROBLEM: Being an extremely cold area, the house needed some natural insulation and its interiors were brick, making the home dark and dated.

SOLUTION: To combat the cold temperatures, Luxaflex Duette Architella Shades were selected for their insulating properties. Translucent 'Elan' fabric in colour 'Platinum', a pale colour was chosen to brighten up the interior and give it a modern touch while reducing the need for heating in winter.

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HOW IT WORKS: Luxaflex Duette Architella Shades feature revolutionary cell-within-a-cell construction, which forms three distinct air pockets, trapping the air and acting as an insulation barrier for the window. The shades are available in a range of colours, opacities and textures to suit the interior of any home.

Selling Houses Australia airs every Wednesday, 8:30pm on The Lifestyle Channel, only on Foxtel.



Bedroom Before

Bedroom After