When The Urbane Property Stylist’s Emma Tobin was called upon to work on a newly renovated three-bedroom house located in Northcote, Melbourne, what she saw was potential.

“The owners kept the frontage intact, retaining several bedrooms and bathroom that were within the original foot print of the home. These rooms feature the original ornate ceilings, a fireplace and the typical layout this style of home provides,” she shares.

“An en-suite was added to the front bedroom, creating a fully functioning master bedroom. The shared bathroom was gutted and re-built with all modern features to suit the new chic style of the home.”

The property was extended in the back, with raked ceilings, a shaker-style kitchen, a walk-in pantry and custom cabinetry emphasising the new contemporary vibe of the property. Emma took these elements as inspiration for her installation.

“We chose a dark modern dining setting to complement the black feature lighting pendant, and selected bar stools that tied with the white and timber kitchen cabinetry,” Emma says.

“We then selected contemporary occasional furniture, lighting and linen – the light coloured bed settings contrasted well against the dark grey carpets. We also went with timber-framed art to continue the timber accenting featured throughout the kitchen and bathroom.”

After Emma worked her magic, the owners were able to sell the house for $1.6m – a figure that was on the high side of their expectations, and was more than twice the original purchase price of $527,000.

Emma estimates that styling the property added at least $30,000 to its value. This was a significant return on investment considering how the entire styling process only cost the owners $3,700 – including design, installation and a five-week hire of the furniture, artwork and other accessories.

 

For the full story on how Emma achieved this fantastic result, along with tips on how you can style your property for maximum effect, in the June 2019 edition of Your Investment Property magazine.

On sale at news agencies and Coles supermarkets 9th May to 5th June or download the magazine now.