PRE-AUCTION MAKEOVER
With ocean views and plenty of space, a designer update transforms this balcony into a selling point
When landscape designer and stylist Adam Robinson was called in to make over the outdoor space of this penthouse apartment on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, he saw a great wraparound balcony with water views and a north-east aspect, sadly let down by dated tiles, an array of mismatched furniture and a distinct lack of style. “The apartment was beautiful inside,” he says, “but outside there was no design intent or continuity. It was a great size, drenched in sunlight and you could see right out over the beach, but none of this was being showcased by its current condition.”
Homeowner Ricky Allen agreed. “When people walked out here for the first time they would say the balcony looked as if it belonged to another apartment,” she says. “Inside was all Hamptons style and my balcony would never have been allowed in the Hamptons! It had absolutely no style. I felt too embarrassed to entertain out there. But as soon as Adam walked onto the balcony, he knew exactly what needed to be done to allow it to reach its true potential.”
Ricky had decided to sell her two-bedroom apartment and knew the outdoor area was going to be a strong selling point for the home, but it needed to be fully leveraged. She didn’t want to overcapitalise on the space when she was planning on moving out in the near future, so the budget was modest.
Adam, assisted by the team from Sydney-based garden design and maintenance company Garden Society, set to work removing the patterned plastic rugs that hid the terracotta tiles. “We had to leave the tiles as it would have been too costly to rip them up,” says Adam. “Instead, we laid two beautiful natural coloured and textured rugs. These had the added advantage of breaking up the long, narrow space to create two defined areas; one for lounging and one for dining, with a little breakfast bar tucked in at the end with a view to the sea.”
It cost $6600 and was worth every cent RICKY ALLEN, OWNER
Rather than throw away the old furniture, Adam rejuvenated Ricky’s teak dining table and blue Adirondack chairs with a coat of white paint, bringing them in line with the coastal feel. He added a breakfast bar and paired it with stools, then replaced the mishmash of pots with contemporary white stone planters, creating clusters of different sizes but keeping the same style throughout. Adam reused some of the existing plants such as the frangipani, and asked the team from Exotic Nurseries to help with plant supply. They brought in a range of tough succulents that would be happy in the hot sun and salt-laden breeze, which included Kalanchoe
beharensis and Kalanchoe hildebrandtii ‘Silver Spoons’. It was then time to dress the space for sale with art, cushions and accessories. “Every single person who saw the before-and-after photos could not believe it,” says Ricky. “My multi-coloured look certainly interfered with the ocean views, so making everything white and wood was a vast improvement.” The new balcony flowed out from the inside and they finally looked as if they belonged together. “The balcony became a real star; it helped market the apartment, which sold before auction,” says Ricky. “We had to be quite clever to keep the budget down, but there is always a little bit of investment,” says Adam. “I was really happy with the result. The new balcony had a fresh, coastal look in keeping with the location and the rest of the apartment. And we did it all in a day!” Go to adamrobinsondesign.com for more about Adam’s work. Find out more about Garden Society at gardensociety.com.au, and Exotic Nurseries at exoticnurseries.com.au.