Couple transform drab and dull ocean-front apartment into Hamptons-inspired haven

A couple have revealed how they transformed a drab, ‘tired’ and dull ocean-front apartment in Sydney into a lavish Hamptons-inspired haven with the help of renovation queen Cherie Barber.

Homeowners Bec and Julian owned a standard size three-bedroom apartment in Coogee, but like many family homes, it was chock-a-block full of things in the wrong place and had items on display that shouldn’t be.

With the help of Cherie, the couple spent $50,802.51 transforming their space into a beautiful coastal apartment, adding $150,000 in value, or a net profit of $99,197.49.

Cherie helped do the reno in just three days and shared how you can replicate the Hamptons look on a budget.

BEFORE: Homeowners Bec and Julian owned a standard size three-bedroom apartment in Coogee, but like many family homes, it was chock-a-block full of things in the wrong place

With the help of Cherie (pictured), the couple spent $50,802.51 transforming their space into a beautiful coastal apartment, adding $150,000 in value, or a net profit of $99,197.49

Cherie told FEMAIL that the first thing she needed to do with the space was brighten it and modernise it.

‘Whilst the apartment had good bones and was of a decent size, we can’t ignore the fact that it desperately needed some brightening up,’ Cherie told FEMAIL. 

‘Being a ground floor apartment, natural light wasn’t in abundance and a lot of things were looking just plain old tired.’

The first area she tackled was the long, narrow hallway, which ran the length of the apartment.

‘As soon as you walked in the front door, the clutter hits you in the face,’ Cherie said.

‘Boxes stacked on top of each other are not the most attractive decorator items and pose a danger to any little ones.’

She added that with so much junk in the hallway, it also made the ‘spine’ of the apartment feel ‘small and cramped’.

Taking matters into her own hands, the TV host painted the walls of the hall in a pale blue/grey colour with a crisp white paint overhead.

‘Treasured photos that were stacked on the floor and in boxes were arranged in an informal way to keep things casual and two simple bookcases from Fantastic Furniture were added to provide practical storage,’ she said.

BEFORE: The first area she tackled was the long, narrow hallway, which ran the length of the apartment and was filled with clutter

AFTER: Taking matters into her own hands, the TV host painted the walls of the hall in a pale blue/grey colour with a crisp white paint overhead and she also tiled the area 

Following this, Cherie got rid of the damaged timber floorboards and replaced them with the Majorca Palm Strings tiles in Blue Matt from Beaumont Tiles.

‘The pattern and colour of the tiles helps achieve the Hamptons look and they really lighten up the floor and brighten all the rooms generally,’ she said.

Old pendant lights were replaced with ‘sparkly new chandeliers’, while some of the older features of the 1930s apartment like the picture rails, high coffered ceilings and decorative casement windows were retained for character.

AFTER: She re-did the couple’s son Caspar’s bedroom, replacing the wardrobe and bed

BEFORE: Before this, the space had been filled with clutter

Elsewhere, Cherie tackled the kitchen and dining room, adding in a ‘gorgeous’ pale blue subway tile in the kitchen to create the look of a Hamptons space.

‘A good scrub and clean of the cabinets did wonders and I painted a few of the old timber cabinets in White Knight Tile and Laminate Paint, rather than replacing them,’ she said.

She finally placed a thin 8mm layer of real granite straight over the old benchtops to get rid of the ugly yellow colour.

Finally, Cherie added a new pendant light to channel the Hamptons vibe and upcycled the dining room table by painting it white and adding DIY Self Adhesive 3D tiles from Kmart on top.

Cherie also shared her top five tips for getting a Hamptons look in your own home, and she said the key is to bring the outdoors in with natural fibres

Cherie also took on the spare bedroom, which she turned into a home office where the family could keep their clutter.

She re-did the couple’s son Caspar’s bedroom, replacing the wardrobe and bed.

‘All up, this renovation cost $50,802.51 for all the materials, labour and furniture at full retail cost,’ Cherie said.

‘Of this, materials accounted for $21,025.35 and labour at $29,777.16. The uplift in the property value was $150,000 exactly, resulting in a net profit of $99,197.49.’

She said upcycling various pieces of furniture by painting them white will quickly and easily modernise an area

Cherie also shared her top five tips for getting a Hamptons look in your own home, and she said the key is to bring the outdoors in.

‘I always recommend anyone who wants that Hamptons look use lots of accessories that contain natural textures like cottons, rattans and linens,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.

‘You don’t need to spend hundreds on your styling items. You can just go to stores like Kmart where you can buy Hamptons-style cushions for under $20, like these ones.’

Cherie’s second tip is to collect as many decorative Hamptons items like shells as much as possible.

‘Think shells on the beach which you can display in a glass jar or pieces of driftwood that you’d find on the beach, there are always creative ways of upcycling things that you find at no cost in nature,’ she said.

Thirdly, you should always paint a space in all the same colour if you want it to look Hamptons in style. 

‘If you want to install a Hamptons inspired feature wall, opt for a natural, textured wallpaper that is DIY and self-adhesive,’ Cherie said.

‘All you have to do is peel off the backing and stick it to your wall, eliminating the need to hire a wallpaper installer.’ 

Finally, Cherie said you should look for ‘big solid furniture’ as much as possible, as this is a ‘hallmark of Hamptons design’.

‘Upcycle you big, darker coloured furniture by painting them white with products like Frenchie chalk paints,’ she said. 

For more information about Cherie Barber, you can visit her website here.