Brothers Wade and Dale’s dad Ken recently died, leaving them with the enormous job of selling his vast home in the western Sydney suburb of Windsor Downs.
Ken had tried to sell previously, but the large home with its 90s aesthetic and acreage was deterring potential buyers.
Having sat vacant for some time, Ken’s once-loved and rigorously maintained home was falling into disrepair. Eager to get the home gleaming like it once did—and finally secure a sale—the brothers called in the Selling Houses Australia team for help.
Set on an acre of land in a beautiful leafy suburb, the home’s exterior already had a lot going for it. Dennis decided to leave most of the home’s front yard as is – simply tidying things up and planting two magnolias at the front entrance, to create a sense of scale.
He decided to focus his budget on the rear entertaining and pool area, which was the area with huge potential to attract buyers. This area already had a nice pool, paving and covered area – but it was somewhat rundown, and the aesthetics desperately needed an update to bring it into the modern area.
Dennis set about replacing the tall figs which were obscuring the pool with a low-lying hedge, and creating a direct path from the house with some beautiful stone steppers, and a lovely glass fence to show off some new elevated deck platforms: one for some sun lounges and one for a fabulous new cabana.
The dated pavers were painted in a more contemporary colour, and skylights added to the covered outdoor terrace – which also delivered more light into the interior living space.
On the inside of the home, it was a similar story. While once beautifully maintained by Ken, the home was now tired and required a new lease of life.
The cavernous interior spaces lacked atmosphere, and the existing window coverings on most of the windows were obscuring the flow of light—meaning most of the rooms were much darker than they needed to be.
My focus is to bring light, warmth, and much needed purpose into the home. This big house is literally a shadow of itself, but we can certainly make it feel a lot lighter and brighter.
The team painted the walls into the one colour with a neutral, considered colour palette to create a sense of modern luxury. Downstairs the replaced the dated tiles with a warm-grain timber laminate, and upstairs they laid a textured 100% wool carpet, which added warmth and softness to the bedrooms.
VJ panelling was also added to the living area to soften the interiors and add some visual interest.
New window coverings played an important role in this home – allowing the team to significantly brighten the interior spaces, while also adding an element of style and sophistication throughout.
In the main living area, Luxaflex® Duette® Shades were added to the large bay windows.
“You might think that bay windows could pose a challenge when you‘re selecting your window furnishings, and these angles to add a degree of difficulty,” says Wendy. “But Luxaflex has it covered. These Luxaflex Duette Shades can be custom measured to sit inside each window frame. And they’re ideal because the honeycomb finish provides both privacy and insulation from the heat and cold,” she adds.
Wendy also added sheer Luxaflex Curtains to these bay windows, to create added softness and aesthetic appeal.
I’ve paired these Duette shades with these sheer curtains from the Luxaflex Maxwell range. It’s a beautiful colour – I love this combination,” she says. “These U-tracks also work perfectly in corners and bay windows. The slim profile means you can mount a curtain for a really tailored, discreet finish,” she adds.
For Wendy and the team, renovating the kitchen and bathrooms was a key priority—removing any potential deterrent for buyers.
The existing kitchen was already well made – but just had an outdated aesthetic. Wendy replaced the doors with a shaker profile that works in a lot of homes: a midway point between a traditional and modern kitchen. She added some beautiful subway tiles and a new stone bench to create a space people would want to be in.
Luxaflex® Duette Shades also add a touch of sophistication to the kitchen area – enabling light to flow into the space, while also ensuring important privacy.
Wendy chose to focus on one of the bathrooms— the master— so as not to consume too much of the budget, with contemporary tiles and fittings and a luxurious freestanding bath.
While the scale of this renovation was vast, the return was too. Wade and Dale were able to secure an offer before auction of $2.3 million, which will go towards helping their own children enjoy their grandfather’s legacy.
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.
