How reno queen Cherie Barber gave Bachelor star Laura Byrne’s cluttered family home $70k makeover

Renovation queen Cherie Barber has detailed exactly how she gave Bachelor star Laura Byrne’s house a $70,000 face lift, adding more than $36,000 in value in the process.

The TV host visited Laura’s mother Kim’s home in Wollongong, New South Wales, with a brief to sort out the heritage space that has become a shadow of its former self – filled with clutter and old memorabilia.

In just a few days, Cherie managed to uplift Laura’s family home while retaining many of its heritage features.

BEFORE: The TV host visited Laura’s mother Kim’s home in Wollongong, New South Wales, with a brief to sort out the heritage space that has become a shadow of its former self

AFTER: In just a few days, Cherie managed to uplift Laura’s family home while retaining many of its heritage features (sunroom pictured now)

Cherie (left) said it can be hard to mess with and change heritage houses, but it’s important to retain some of the charm (Laura Byrne right)

‘Rich with family memories, the home was solidly constructed in the 1950s by Kim’s father who has now passed,’ Cherie wrote on her website.

‘It has high ceilings and extensive use of natural timbers throughout. My brief was therefore: keep it traditional, no bright colours, don’t paint over any of the timber work and keep things simple.’

THE SUNROOM 

The first place Cherie tackled was the sunroom, which is the first thing you see when you walk into the house.

‘You’ve probably heard many property experts chant over the years “create a great first impression”. Well this wasn’t one of them!’ Cherie said.

As soon as you open the front door, she said you were ‘immediately hit in the face with a room full of clutter’ which had been shoved into a dark room. 

First up, she got rid of the clutter and the dark timber venetians, and after this she painted the ceiling white and the timber panels in a cream colour.

BEFORE: The first place Cherie tackled was the sunroom, which is the first thing you see when you walk into the house

AFTER: First up, she got rid of the clutter and the dark timber venetians, and after this she painted the ceiling white and the timber panels in a cream colour

‘When working with traditional style houses, you want to stick with warm colours like creams to give that sense of history,’ Cherie said.

She said underneath the clutter were green floor tiles which she left as part of the home’s heritage.

Finally, she removed the old front door and swapped it for one that adds ‘traditional charm’. 

Cherie also added new white timber venetians and sheer curtains, as well as some wall lights to brighten and lift the area.

BEFORE: Next, Cherie went to the master bedroom, which she said more closely resembled a ‘construction zone’ than a bedroom

AFTER: In the bedroom, Cherie also painted it in a similar shade in order to create a cohesive feel throughout the home

THE MASTER BEDROOM

Next, Cherie went to the master bedroom, which she said more closely resembled a ‘construction zone’ than a bedroom. 

The reason why it was like this was because Laura’s mum Kim had started renovations several years ago before getting a hip injury. 

It then lay untouched for years, until Cherie started to tackle it.

‘Once all of the construction materials were pulled out of the room, my team and I set to work painting the walls in a cream colour so that it tied cohesively with the colours I used in the sunroom,’ Cherie said.

AFTER: She also pulled out the old wardrobes and installed a new one with a mirrored door to ‘bounce light around the room’, added extra dressers and new window furnishings

She also pulled out the old wardrobes and installed a new one with a mirrored door to ‘bounce light around the room’, added extra dressers and new window furnishings.

‘The Kmart Makena King bed quilt cover set works tonally with the colours in the timber, as does the textured cushions, all from Kmart,’ Cherie said.

The TV host added that you don’t often need to spend thousands of dollars in order to make a home look expensive. 

BEFORE: Finally, Cherie said she dealt with the ‘incredibly narrow’ craft room, which needed to fit a sewing desk, the piano and storage for other arts, crafts and sewing materials

AFTER: ‘All up, this renovation cost $33,015.52 for all the materials, labour, new furniture and styling items at full retail cost,’ Cherie said

THE CRAFT ROOM

Finally, Cherie said she dealt with the ‘incredibly narrow’ craft room, which needed to fit a sewing desk, the piano and storage for other arts, crafts and sewing materials.

She used the same paint and a wallpaper to include a feature element.

‘All up, this renovation cost $33,015.52 for all the materials, labour, new furniture and styling items at full retail cost,’ Cherie said. 

‘Of this, materials accounted for $26,724.52 and labour at $6,291.00. The uplift in the property value was $70,000, resulting in a net profit of $36,984.48.’