Finding warmth and courage in Edmondson Park, NSW on Selling Houses Australia
My brief on episode 3 of Selling Houses Australia was to warm the bones of a big, cold house, add heart, create privacy and make it truly irresistible to buyers, on a tight budget. The goal wasn’t just a sale, it was a way for this brave family to turn grief into good
Photography Selling Houses Australia/LIfestyle
Some homes are more than four walls, they’re the backdrop to our lives, the place where everyday moments become family legends. For Habibah, Muhammad and their daughter, Tasnia, their six‑bedroom home in Edmondson Park held a decade of memories. But after losing their beloved son and brother, Mahi, the home felt unbearably quiet. They needed to sell to start a new chapter, but in an estate full of shiny new builds, their older home was being overlooked.
A calmer, warmer story from the front door
When we first stepped inside, everything felt… echoey. White tiles, white walls, a stark dark timber staircase – nothing grounding, nothing comforting. The rooms were generous in size, but the emptiness made them feel smaller and disconnected. So I focused on connection, warmth and flow.
The biggest shift came from replacing all that cold tile with Mooloolaba ‘Sandy Dunes’ laminate flooring from Flooring Xtra, a warm, beach‑toned timber look that instantly softened the ground floor and made the whole level feel more cohesive and calm. On the walls, we refreshed everything with Taubmans neutrals – soft white Cotton Sheets through most of the open plan, with gentle Earl Grey accents in the more intimate rooms. Even before the styling went in, the house felt warmer and more loved.
Staircase as a showpiece
That high‑contrast staircase was telling completely the wrong story – harsh, heavy and clinical. So we wrapped the treads and stringers in the same Sandy Dunes laminate flooring from Flooring Xtra to visually link the lower and upper levels, creating one continuous, calming line. Swapping the existing balustrade for clean glass panels completed the transformation. Simple change, dramatic shift – suddenly the staircase became a feature, not a flaw.
A “new” kitchen without the rebuild
The kitchen had great bones (and scale) but read as dated and ordinary. Rather than ripping it out, we gave it a bespoke‑on‑a‑budget makeover. We replaced the cabinetry fronts with Light Sand matt panels below and Mountain Ash timber‑look above, both from Tesrol’s range – a warm, modern pairing that lifted the entire zone. The island was refinished for a more crafted look, pairing beautifully with the updated palette. We also added new stainless-steel handles from Kethy.
Overhead, we swapped the old lights for Beacon Lighting’s Everest pendants to bring in warmth, and retiled the splashback in a lighter tone to reflect more natural light. Best of all, we reused the original hinges and installed everything with a simple hinge‑positioning jig – a little trick from our builder, Paul, that makes a huge difference when you're working to a tight budget. And Honeycomb blinds from Veneta were a fab final touch.
The result? A kitchen that finally feels like the heart of the home – warm, usable and beautifully connected to the rest of the ground floor.
Creating defined and cosy living zones
Open plan shouldn’t feel like no plan. To anchor the family room and give it purpose, we built a custom media unit using Kaboodle flat‑pack cabinetry from Bunnings paired with a Pepper Leaf benchtop, then finished the fronts in Tesrol “Light Sand” panels for a soft, built‑in look that would connect with the new kitchen cabinetry.
Layered lighting made a huge difference too — we added Eclipse Maxi LED downlights for bright, even light and used Beacon’s Everest pendants where we wanted warmth and mood. Soft Veneta sheers filtered the light beautifully, and layered furniture and textures completed the transformation from stark to inviting.
Bedrooms that soothe in Edmondson Park, Selling Houses Australia
Upstairs already had good bones – natural light, soft wall colours and a calm atmosphere. With the new Sandy Dunes flooring from Flooring Xtra flowing up the stairs and imatching perfectly to the existing flooring upstairs, plus considered styling and new window dressings from Veneta (sheers and honeycomb blinds), each bedroom now feels soft, restful and genuinely move‑in‑ready.
It’s amazing what fresh bedding, simple textures and a cohesive palette can do to help buyers imagine their own family here.
Privacy, alfresco and the art of outdoor breathing space
In estates like Edmondson Park, sightlines can be… intimate. The kitchen window overlooking a neighbour’s line of washing was no one’s dream view. Outdoors felt underused, and the front garden blended into just another façade on a street of similar houses.
Dennis painted the garage and front door in a contemporary charcoal, refreshed the fencing to match, added modern numbers and rebuilt the garden with clean edges, mulch and layered natives. The hero out front is a Tristaniopsis ‘Luscious’, with glossy leaves, summer scent and instant gravitas.
All boundaries were painted charcoal to make the garden feel wider and greener. Along the fence line we planted fast‑growing, low‑maintenance lilly pillies for structure and screening.
The outdoor kitchen was refreshed with a new barbeque, cabinet doors and benchtop – creating space that welcomes family and friends to stay for dinner.
The sales story of Selling Houses Edmondson Park
Before: Three months on market, one failed auction, and a market swimming with new builds.
After: The makeover created instant emotional connection: buyers praised the warmth, the kitchen, the privacy and the flow. The agent feedback shifted from mid‑$1.5s to being in line for $1.7m. The family received and accepted an offer at $1.7 million.
That number wasn’t just a sale price. It was the green light for the Mahi Foundation: funding education initiatives (including a school build in Bangladesh) so Mahi’s kindness can live on in the lives of other children.
Who pays for the renovations on Selling Houses Australia?
As always, it’s a partnership. The family contributed $30,000, which we focused on where it would move the needle most: ground‑floor flooring, kitchen doors and finishes, a stair upgrade, paint, lighting, window dressings, alfresco entertaining and front and rear landscaping. The Selling Houses Australia team contributes design, expertise, our trades and sponsors combined with the know‑how of spending in exactly the right places.
