The Alice Spring house before the makeover.
Lew and Shreen have lived an outback lifestyle, with Lew managing the Wycliffe Well roadhouse (famed for its UFO spotting) 400kms north of the Alice and Shreen looking after the kids and family home.
Twenty-five years on, Lew has retired and the couple wants to move to South Australia to be nearer family and the coast. First, they must sell the family home but their busy lives have meant home decorating has been low on the priority list. In fact, there have been no home improvements since the 80s and the outdated style is putting off potential buyers.
There’s velvet wallpaper, a wacky pool area and knick-knacks everywhere. Lew and Shreen’s daughter Elvina, thinks her mother possibly has the worst taste in the world!
Budget for work - $30,000
Summary of work – inside
Lew and Shreen’s house was packed full of just about every nick knack in the world, there wasn’t a single surface left bare. Add to that a dated floor-plan and colour scheme, and it’s little wonder the house wasn’t selling.
Shaynna’s first job was to do a massive de-clutter, pairing back all the ornaments to reveal the full size and scale of the living room. Next, she took down a dividing wall between the lounge and kitchen to open up the tiny kitchen, and make one big open plan space. The kitchen was updated with new bench tops stone laminate bench tops supplied by Naturastone, and the cupboards reconfigured to make an island bench / breakfast bar.
The next area on the hit list was the dated ensuite. We didn’t have enough money to do a full scale reno, so Shaynna replaced the burgundy spa bath and all the tap ware which had a dramatic effect on the room.
The hallway was stripped of its brown velvet wallpaper, and the excess of wood cabinets painted white to take away the dark heavy feel. As we didn’t have access to our usual furniture hire company, Shaynna dressed the space with modern budget accessories, contemporary artwork and purchased a new dining table, coffee table and rug to dress up the main living area.
Summary of work – outside
Charlie’s main focus was the front of the house and the indoor pool area. The front of the house was a dated mustard colour, so Charlie painted it in a contemporary blue/grey to match the other modern houses in the street.
The garden, which was full of white pebbles, was given some sculptural landscaping by adding mounds of dirt, and bringing in different coloured pebbles to create a swirling pattern. For the planting, Charlie used a lot of Lew and Shreen’s existing plants, but planted them into groups for extra impact. He then added some hardy grasses like Lomandra to fill out the planted areas further.
The indoor pool was an eyesore. A colourful mural made it feel more like a kindy than a million dollar home, and the whole area lacked style and class. Charlie’s first task was to paint over the colourful mural with a neutral shade, which instantly modernised the space. Next, he replaced the synthetic grass near the house with some wood look lino. The area was then stripped of statues and dressed with some new potted plants.
Paint Used:
Interior walls in master bedroom, bedrooms 2 & 3, entry and hallway - Taubmans Endure Interior Low Sheen “Colony White”
Interior shelves in Bedroom 3 - Taubmans Endure Interior Doors & Trims Half Strength “Colony White”
Exterior walls - Taubmans Endure Exterior Low Sheen “Iron Stone”
Exterior trims & path - Taubmans Endure Exterior Low Sheen “Invincible”
