Located in Sydney’s Paddington, the exterior of this two-storey terrace was overhauled on a tight budget, with some very impressive results.
“Painting the front façade in a much more bright, clean and modern colour scheme has made a huge difference to the street appeal of the home,” said owner Chanel White who purchased the property in late 2015. “When I bought the house, the front was a drab, dirty beige colour with black trim. The front garden had a large shrub obscuring much of the light coming into the front window and some plastic bamboo fencing and shrubbery. It was quite bizarre!”
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After The front facade and backyard makeover happened on impulse. When Chanel called in damp proofers to fix the bubbling walls, she made a last minute decision to “bite the bullet and paint the outside at the same time.”
The drab beige was replaced with a blue-grey and the black trims painted a bright white. “Deciding to change all the trim, fencing, woodwork and shutters from black to white was a big job, with the shutters requiring two-three coats of paint sprayed on them to eliminate the black (still much cheaper than replacing them altogether though!),” said Chanel.
But the standout is undoubtedly the front door, Chanel’s favourite feature. “I love the front door! I spent a while deciding on the front door colour, tossing up between aqua and an aubergine colour but I really like the bright, lime green that I ended up with. It’s a nice colour pop and works well with all the succulents in the front garden,” she said.
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After
While the painting was underway, Chanel got to work pulling out the fake bamboo and large shrub in the front yard. “Then I rented a van and headed to Flower Power to stock up on soil, pebbles, pots and a heap of plants for the front and back garden. The next stop was Bunnings for some more plants and pots, and Ikea for some outdoor furniture. One very long weekend later and the front and back garden pots were done!” she said.
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The makeover took four weeks and of all the bargain buys, Chanel’s pick is the outdoor furniture. “I’m actually pretty pleased with the Ikea outdoor furniture especially as compared to the thousands of dollars you would normally need to spend to get a similar look. I think using the grey cushions from a different range helped coordinate with the paint colour and adding some nicer cushions keeps it from feeling too much like an Ikea brochure! The hanging pots from Bunnings are another favourite.”
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As for advice for others considering a renovation Chanel says, “work with nice people who you are happy having in your home first thing after waking up! And everyone works better after a coffee break.”
Chanel is the designer and owner of Amelia Lane Paper.