Selling Houses Australia – The 70’s Spanish style hacienda

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 9 Season 8

The Story: Ross and Margot’s house is the odd one out; A 70’s Spanish style hacienda, nestled into quiet beachside suburbia. The exterior is more Costa del Sol than Aussie coast, but what lies beyond the doors is enough to send buyers running. Truckie Ross would love to retire, but with no buyer on the horizon, he’s stuck behind the wheel.

The Problem:  The interior of the home was full of mismatched furniture and mismatched designs. While Ross and Margot may have been happy to live in the odd architecture and feature designs, potential buyers were not.

The exterior of the home did not have any street appeal, where the pale blue paint looked cold and uninviting. The home did have a pool, a major positive, but the fencing around the pool was in bad shape and in the wrong position, where two small spaces were created from the fence, limiting the backyard entertaining area.

The rooms in the house all had dark coloured feature walls, which made the house look even smaller than what it was, and the colours were all mismatched – no consistency whatsoever.

The Solution: It was time to get rid of all the visual clutter, both inside and outside of the home.
The exterior of the home was given a new coat of paint. A warmer colour was used, but also keeping the Mediterranean feel of the house. The pool fence was also repositioned to create a bigger space in the backyard.

All the eclectic features inside the home were also dealt with. Instead of removing the hideous tiles in the bathroom, which is a major cost, the tiles were instead sprayed over. The new wall along with the new tap-wear helped to bring the bathroom back up to date.

The dark feature walls were replaced with a single colour coat of paint, which helped open up the smaller spaces, but at the same time created a better sense of continuity for the interior of the house. New carpet around the house helped to add a touch of luxury.

A mixture of Roller Blinds and Dual Roller Blinds (in the fabric Mauritius and colour Drizzle) were installed, and framed the windows perfectly, and added great functionality. The neutral tones of the blinds made it a very versatile look for the home, but was also the perfect for the décor and new colour scheme, and added that special modern touch.

Luxaflex® Dual Roller Blinds will allow the new owners of the home to combine the functionality of two different fabrics in the one roller blind system offering flexibility to adjust both light levels and night time privacy in the one application.

All the special touches made this house more modern, and now potential buyers could what a great house it actually was without being distracted by all the eclectic design features.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Mal Glanville & Co, NSW.

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

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. 

Selling Houses Australia – Lord Karl and Lady Bess’ Medieval Mess

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 4 Season 8

The Story: Lord Karl and Lady Bess are mad for everything medieval. They live, eat, breathe the days gone by, leaving little time for the real world. Their house, in the Sydney suburb of St Marys, is packed to the gunnels with medieval mess and unfinished renovations. They desperately need to sell and thought advertising on social media would do the job. Luckily, they have Sir Winter and his trusty knights to save the day.

 The Problem: The median price in St. Marys is $300,000 less than the greater Sydney area. This means that it is actually a fantastic place for investors. Houses seem to be snapped up very quickly in the area, except for Karl and Bess’ home. This home has been a dumping ground for the busy parents who work from home. The house was full of clutter, without any functional living space, and the kitchen, a half-finished job. The outside of the home was a complete buyer let down, where the backyard has an ugly landscape. 

The Solution: Transform the home from tip, to tip-top. A massive de-clutter, and functional storage was created throughout the home. The drab looking fabric curtains inside the home were replaced with Luxaflex® Wood Essence Venetians and Roller Blinds (Waratah fabric in the colour Bounty). 

Wood Essence Venetians provide the look of real wood combined with the quality and durability of advanced technology that is resistant to discolouration and warping. They are perfect for high humidity areas, where regular timber venetians would be unsuitable – perfect for the Australian climate. Whether you want privacy or to allow filtered light through, Wood Essence Venetians give you complete control over the amount of light you let into the room.

The old run-down window awning of the home was replaced with the Luxaflex® Canopy Awning. The Canopy Awning were placed over the windows, and are a great way of providing weather protection to the home, but also gives your window a sense of identity and decoration. Luxaflex® Canopy Awnings are made from rust-free extruded and die-cast aluminium, and the plastic components contain ultraviolet radiation stabilised polymers, therefore are long lasting and low maintenance.

All Luxaflex® Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Luxaflex® Gallery dealer Image Carpets & Blinds in Emu Plains, NSW.

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

Selling Houses Australia – The 7 person Kongwak Cottage

The LifeStyle Channel’s Selling Houses Australia Episode 2 of Season 8

The Story: You’ve heard of the old lady who lived in a shoe? This is the story of 7 people, in a cramped cottage with one wardrobe! The Soumilas family bought their cottage as a fixer upper, with plans to sell and trade up. But 18 months later, they’re still waiting for a buyer. With 4 kids crammed in one bedroom and a single bathroom for the whole family, a sale can’t come soon enough.

The Problem: The Kongwak home is actually a lovely little place in a rural location, which is only a short 20 minute drive to the Victorian coastline. The problem is who would buy this home? The home has continuously failed to attract buyers, where one of the biggest issues was the rickety asbestos shed. The backyard also had no personality, and was looking a little rundown, and buyers expect so much more from a backyard and garden these days. There was also the issue of lack of storage, which made the interior of the house look cluttered and a lot smaller than what they really were. The cottage just needed an overall revamp. 

The Solution: Make the home appeal to as many markets as possible. The Kongwak home was given a complete make-over, inside and out.

Brock from Invisage Interiors & Quality Window Furnishings installed Roller Blinds and Roman Shades in Temple fabric in the colour Linen into the Bedrooms and Living Room. The colour Linen was a perfect match for the dramatic blue wall paint, where the beauty of the fabric can be seen through the use of the finest metallic threads that project through the surface, adding lustre and interest.


The Temple range is treated with DURAGUARD® Fabric Protector and SANITIZED® Antimicrobial Protection and includes 9 matching translucent and blockout alternatives, allowing seamless co-ordination throughout the home.

All Luxaflex Window Coverings were supplied and installed by Authorised Luxaflex Dealer Invisage Interiors & Quality Window Furnishings in Inverloch, Victoria.

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

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 - Privacy Control

The Lifestyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia - Episode 2

WOLLONGONG – Privacy Control

OVERVIEW: The second episode of The Lifestyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia featured a house in great need of privacy control. The owner, Rhonda, bought her weatherboard cottage in central Wollongong on NSW's Coast about an hour south of Sydney because of the seclusion of the enormous backyard, but this was destroyed when a milti-storey unit block was constructed next door with balconies looking into her home.

PROBLEM: The waetherboard cottage was in need of privacy both day and night, without losing natural light. Although privacy could be achieved with any window covering, the cottage needed a blind with dual functionality – privacy and light filtering, whilst also maintaining a view.

SOLUTION: The Selling Houses team opted for Luxaflex Dual Roller Blinds, which effectively  managed the amount of light, heat and privacy they wanted in the home, simply by teaming up the Portobello 'Blanc' blockout fabric with Mist 'White' sheer translucent fabric.



HOW IT WORKS: The dual system works by mounting two blinds on one set of brackets, allowing
the homeowner to combine the functionality of two different fabrics in the one roller blind. This not only offers flexible light adjustment, but also day and night time privacy in the one application. In this case, the translucent fabric is perfect during the day as it ensures privacy and allows the entry of natural light, whilst also maintaining a view. The blockout part of the Roller Blind is ideal for eliminating light and ensures complete privacy at night.

Dual Roller Blinds are easy to operate and suitable for small, large, corner or bay windows, which can sometimes prove tricky to effectively cover. Available with the sleek and modern EDGE (Ergonomically Designed with Greater Efficiency) technology, Luxaflex Dual Roller Blinds come in a range of operating systems, including chain, crank or motorised and can be operated with a remote device such as an iPhone or an iPad.

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



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