Case studies
Three homes,
shown in full.
Each of these began with a walk through and a written opinion. All three went further than that, and on all three the preparation was carried out by The Design Concierge under a separate engagement.
That is said here rather than left for you to discover, because the value of an independent read collapses the moment you find out something was withheld. What follows is the owners' own words, the project record, and who was paid for what. On two of the three an agent made the introduction and was paid nothing for it.
Project MR01
The brief was one coat of paint. It was the wrong brief.
A contemporary house, only a few years old, held as a rental and going to market. The owners' agent made the introduction, and the engagement was to discuss a single thing: changing the exterior colour.
We decided to prepare our investment property for sale, and our agent introduced us to Rod. What began as a simple conversation about updating the exterior colour of the home quickly became something much bigger. Rod pointed out that once you touch the exterior, the interior starts to scream for attention, and he was completely right.
Four days later Rod came back to us with a full concept for what turned into a total transformation of the property. The project grew from an original three week timeframe to eight, but what he designed and then coordinated was nothing short of spectacular.
The finished home stands as a true masterpiece on a street already known for its architecture.
At a glance
- The owners
- Relocated to Australia, found the home they wanted, and held this property as a rental. Contemporary, only a few years old, and never given a reason to feel like a home.
- The engagement
- Introduced by the owners' agent to discuss an exterior colour change. It became a full BUYERSEYE masterplan, delivered in full by The Design Concierge.
- Duration
- Three weeks was the original timeframe. The work as designed took eight, then a five week sale campaign.
- Scope delivered
- Exterior and interior colour, floors taken from pale Scandinavian to a deep brown, new textural carpet through the bedrooms, electrical upgraded throughout, and the pool, surrounds and planting reworked.
- Outcome
- Sold under the hammer at auction, setting a street record.
From the review
I could have stayed quiet, changed the exterior and finished there.
What it recommended
Colour inside and out, to take the coldness out of a house that had no warmth in it. Floors from pale Scandinavian to a deep brown. New carpet through the bedrooms, electrical throughout, and the pool, surrounds and planting reworked.
The exterior alone, which was the brief as it arrived, would have left the interior reading worse by contrast.
What it ruled out
Pushing the house further toward minimalism. With bones already this contemporary that was the obvious move, and it was the wrong answer. More of what the house already had would not have fixed what was wrong with it.
Warmth was the problem. Colour and a deeper floor were the answer, not a cleaner version of the same coldness.
Disclosed. The introduction came from the owners' agent, who was paid nothing for making it and had no part in what the review recommended. The owners engaged The Design Concierge for the work under a separate engagement and a separate fee. The review recommended more work than the brief asked for, and The Design Concierge was paid to carry it out, which is precisely the conflict this site exists to be honest about. The review fee is never credited against that work. A vendor who wants the review and nothing else is the normal outcome, not a failed one.
Project PB22
A house that had to be honoured, not modernised.
A deceased estate, a family spread across several states, a fixed date from the selling agent, and a home that had to reach market without losing what it was. The agent made the introduction.
The BUYERSEYE and The Design Concierge team was introduced by our agent, who walked through Mum's home with sensitive eyes and ears.
They then developed a plan to honour Mum's legacy, to return the house to its former glory, and further still to see it transformed into a loving family home with soul.
Rod and his team took control of every aspect: preparation, design, implementation, and even oversaw the staging and concierged the property through to settlement.
At a glance
- The family
- A deceased estate. Adult children and extended family across several states, bringing their late mother's home to market through a sensitive, multi party process.
- The engagement
- The selling agent introduced BUYERSEYE and The Design Concierge. The preparation was delivered in full by The Design Concierge.
- Duration
- Six weeks of preparation, inside the agent's fixed date and budget, followed by a four week sale campaign.
- Scope delivered
- Full pack up, cataloguing and distribution of belongings to family members interstate. Preparation, design and implementation across the whole home. Staging overseen on the family's behalf, and the property concierged through the campaign to settlement.
- Outcome
- Sold within the four week campaign. The keys were handed to a family with two young children.
Disclosed. The introduction came from the selling agent, who was paid nothing for making it and had no part in what the review recommended. The family engaged The Design Concierge for the preparation under a separate engagement and a separate fee. The review fee is never credited against that work, and no recommendation changes according to whether the work is taken up.
Project WY19
Eighteen years in one home, and nobody had looked at it.
An empty nester family, a house holding eighteen years of belongings, and a sale campaign that had to start the following week.
We are the definition of empty nesters. Always on a plane for work, both kids off at university, more animals in the house than people most weeks. Eighteen years in one home, and we had no idea how much had piled up around us.
The three of us who turned up were floored. None of us knew a project this big was starting the following week, in a house full of eighteen years of memories.
Rod, that was nothing short of brilliant. Thank you for turning what could have been our biggest headache into our proudest transformation yet.
At a glance
- The family
- Empty nesters. Both parents travelling constantly for work, two children away at university, several pets minded by neighbours whenever the house was empty.
- The engagement
- BUYERSEYE led the introduction to prepare the home for sale. The preparation itself was delivered in full by The Design Concierge.
- Duration
- An eight week campaign.
- Scope delivered
- A full pack up and disbursal of belongings across several family members, decluttering throughout the house, and a design and styling refresh through every room.
- Outcome
- The home presented at its best for sale, and described by the family as the most amazing home they have ever lived in.
Disclosed. On this project the family met BUYERSEYE and The Design Concierge together and chose to engage both. The preparation was carried out by The Design Concierge under a separate engagement and a separate fee. The review fee is never credited against that work, and no recommendation changes according to whether the work is taken up. A vendor who wants the review and nothing else is the normal outcome, not a failed one.
What these do not show
All three of these went further than a review.
Most engagements will not. The usual outcome is a walk through, a written opinion, and a vendor who takes a short list to their own trades. That is the service being sold on this site, and a vendor who wants the review and nothing else is the normal result rather than a failed one.