Latest news with #celebritydesigner
News.com.au
04-08-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Celebrity interior designer reveals bathroom mistakes that can destroy a home sale
A badly presented bathroom can sabotage the entire sale of a home, regardless of the state of its other rooms. Working across both commercial and residential with an array of high profile clients from politicians, sportspeople and developers, celebrity interior designer Kellie Richardson said simple bathroom mistakes can instantly damage buyer perception, reduce offers or stop a sale from happening altogether. The founder of Kurved by Design said buyers tended to pay closer attention to bathrooms than many other rooms. 'They stop imagining and they start scrutinising,' she said. 'If something looks or smells off, it can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in perceived value.' According to Ms Richardson, a dirty bathroom can entirely jeopardise a sale and opinion of the home. 'I have been into some bathrooms where they have brown tiles, gold accents and it's been very, very outdated but they've been very clean and tidy and people can look at it and go okay, we'll need to spend a bit of money getting the bathroom done but at the same time we can live with this sort of ugliness in it,' she said. 'There are other bathrooms that we have been into and they are very dirty. They're smelly. They're a bit mouldy. People do look at (that) and think there is a roof or a ventilation problem or they smell mould so maybe there is a bit of rising dampness. 'That will impact the buyer completely, because that's a huge amount of money with cost and time and you have to get professionals in, so the house prices go down because that is marked as a massive renovation especially when you're dealing with water.' Ms Richardson said if the bathroom is dirty, a lot of people assume that the whole house is going to be dirty. She added that the most common bathroom mistakes for sellers were overpowering smells, brown rings around the bath or dirty shower floors, carpet in the bathroom, hair in the sink or drain, used toothbrushes and cluttered vanities. 'You want to have something that smells nice like burning candles or oil sticks. Things like that. Nice smelling soaps. A lot of people buy with emotions,' she said. 'We've also had bathrooms that are very dirty, dusty and haven't been cleaned, the brown rings in the toilet or bath turns people away as they think it's really grubby and I'd have to rip the whole thing out and start again. 'We've had situations where we've actually had carpets in the toilets and that turns people away a lot especially because with males using the toilet, a lot of people think it's very dirty and germs and it's quite disgusting and unhygienic. 'Just doing simple things like cleaning up the hair and dust can make a lot of difference because it makes the buyer think that whoever is living here is hygienic and clean and has looked after the property. 'Then they start to see themselves in that nice, clean area.' Ms Richardson said to take everything off the counter, such as toothbrushes, perfumes, deodorants and instead have just a candle, soap dispenser or plant. 'Keep it simple, so it makes the bathroom look a lot cleaner, clearer and bigger,' she said. 'It definitely does make or break a sale, just like the kitchen does, because these are high areas that cost a lot of money that we use daily. 'If there are issues with rising damp, mould, tiles are coming away, it's in disrepair or it's not going to be very clean or hygienic, that turns a lot of people away because they will be thinking of the money, it hasn't been looked after and there's going to be problem after problem.' Ms Richardson said there is also focus on 'cosmetic' enhancement rather than major renovations. 'People don't want to go in and do major renovations especially with the cost of living,' she said. 'When people go in, you will either lose people, or people will decide they can do a few cosmetic things and it'll be fine. 'This is why kitchens and bathrooms are so important, because they're the biggest money spend.'
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Celebrity interior designer who fell out with a millionaire neighbour over her bikini sunbathing is selling the waterfront mansion at the centre of the row
A celebrity interior designer who fell out with a millionaire neighbour over sunbathing in her bikini is selling up the waterfront mansion that was at the centre of the row. Celia Sawyer, who is dubbed Mrs Bling, is selling the luxury three-storey property overlooking Poole Harbour in Dorset for £4 million. She bought it with husband Nick for £2.4m in 2007 and during their time there the couple have added over £1m to the value by giving it a stunning makeover worthy of one from one of her TV shows. The couple have listed the four-bedroom property on the market following a planning row they became embroiled in with their neighbour. In 2020 they had a 21ft by 15ft sunroom with a bar built at the bottom of their beach-themed back garden. But they didn't have planning permission for the building and faced the prospect of knocking it down after a neighbour complained. The celebrity interior designer spoke out after she said 'jealous' neighbour Neil Kennedy tried to get a luxury sunroom at the bottom of her garden torn down. Celia told how the pair fell out after Mr Kennedy 'illegally' built a balcony which she says meant he could peer into her garden leaving her feeling uncomfortable when she was lounging around in her swimwear. Mr Kennedy was forced to put in retrospective applications after Celia lodged a formal complaint over the 'disgraceful' breach of planning rules. But she was later left stunned when the row escalated and officials turned their attention to her property. The Sawyers were granted retrospective planning permission to keep it last September. After winning a fight to keep the £50,000 glass structure Celia, 58, told MailOnline: 'I'm not going to let him stop me sunbathing in my bikini. 'We've worked very hard to buy a house like this. It's all been very silly - it's tit for tat. 'I'm relieved and very, very pleased. I'm just glad that the council did the right thing. Celia and her husband have a home in Barbados and it is thought they now plan to spend more time there. The estate agents selling the four bedroom home point out that the property is a short walk to yacht clubs and restaurants on the Sandbanks peninsula. One of those eateries in the posh Rick Stein restaurant where Celia became involved in an awkward incident in 2017. Celia previously said the area involved in the dispute is 'not a place for living in or sleeping in - it's a place for sunbathing and entertaining' She had been seen having drinks with a local property developer shortly before he was filmed hurling a stool across the bar, smashing glasses and bottles. Celia was the star of Channel 4's Four Rooms and the BBC's Your Home In Their Hands. She has been hired by Sandbanks residents to transform the interiors of their luxury homes. Her property is on The Horseshoe which is situated on the quieter northern side of the millionaire's playground. It is being sold by Sandbanks estate agents Luxury & Prestige. A spokesperson said: 'The Horseshoe is a small and exclusive enclave of Sandbanks, tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac and the houses are amongst a select few which can claim to have private sand at the bottom of the garden adjoining the beach. 'Although relatively compact the property has, in our opinion, one of the best positions in the road with a simply stunning view of Poole Harbour which lays claim to amazing sunsets and an unusually animated seascape thanks to the paddle boarders, wind surfers and boats of all shapes and sizes which frequent the harbour. 'There's an extensive private sun terrace directly outside the house but at the bottom of the garden near the beach and waters edge there's a specially constructed contemporary pavilion complete with retractable roof and a bar.' The house has 2,700 square feet of living space with four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
