Selling Houses Australia S15 Ep 4 Sunshine West, Vic

Lynda’s dream of owning an investment property in Sunshine West started well, just over a decade ago, but recently her nightmare tenants forced her to re-evaluate and make the decision to sell the property and buy another in the Gold Coast. 

On inspecting the vacated property she realised the tenants had left the place in serious disarray, so she hired a builder to repair the damage and modernise some aspects of the building.  Unfortunately, that too turned into somewhat of a nightmare when the builder went MIA and she was left with a partially renovated property that she had no idea how to complete.  She did list the property for sale at this point, but had no takers.  So, in desperation, she approached the Selling Houses Australia team to transform the property into her Queensland dream! 

Wendy was confronted with a massive task on her initial inspection – boarded up windows, missing walls, rubbish everywhere.  The house certainly had potential but the mess and half-finished renovation tasks did a good job of concealing this! 

First, on the long to-do list, was to finish the house by completing the remedial work and then create a functional kitchen and dining area from the existing floor plan.  And as the house had no style of its own, Wendy decided to take her cue from some of the remaining feature details and give the place a little Art Deco flair.

The original kitchen was a small area, so Wendy had to create a way of integrating a ‘fridge and freezer without stealing too much space.  She decided to wrap the kitchen around an existing wall that led into the dining area – and, by building the appliances into the cabinetry, she achieved a very streamlined finish.

In keeping with her styling theme, she chose a colour palette that included grey/blues and warm whites. 

All interior walls were finished in Wattyl I.D. Advanced Low Sheen in Alabaster.  All trims – skirting boards, architraves, windows and doors – were painted in Wattyl Aqua Trim Satin in the slightly deeper tone of Colorbond Surfmist.  Ceilings feature Wattyl I.D. Advanced Ceiling Flat White. 

Creating a beautiful contrast for one of the bedrooms and the dining room, Wendy chose the inky blue hue of Wattyl I.D. Advanced Midnight Seas.  Another bedroom has a feature wall in the soft blue/grey of Wattyl Harbour Mist. 

The original Art Deco ceiling roses and cornices were beyond repair, as well as being mismatched, so new ones were sourced that were a perfect match.  All of the cornices were replaced so as to achieve one consistent pattern throughout the house. 

New windows and lintels replaced all the old, boarded up windows – lintels were required as the replacement windows were not load-bearing, unlike the originals. 

Due to the removal of some walls, the house no longer had a defined floor plan – there was no clear demarcation between the entrance and dining area.  The solution was both effective and inexpensive!  Wendy used rugs and a dining table in the centre of the room to act as a physical barrier between the front door and the kitchen, creating a natural flow to the space. 

The furniture and styling of the property reflects Wendy’s Art Deco theme – curved couches, glass tables, metals, pendant lights and deep colours for other decorative elements.   

The introduction of a new combustion fireplace, with limestone mantle and surround, adds a feeling of understated opulence to the living room.