![9/1 Marshall Place, Clifton Hill - for herald sun real estate](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Interior design queen Liz Ride had a unicorn on the wall of her 9/1 Marshall Place, Clifton Hill, where aesthetics have been credited with boosting buyer appeal.
A pink bathroom and a unicorn on the living room wall yesterday proved the benefits of good interior design when testing the market.
The unusual features were added to 9/1 Marshall Place, Clifton Hill, by Studio Tate residential interior design leader and the home’s owner Liz Ride.
Along with husband Rob and daughter Ottie, she sold her home of the past five years for $112,000 more than expected — despite a “terrifying” start to the auction that left them feeling green.
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A reno to add a guest bedroom and an extra loo to the previously two-bedroom, one-bathroom abode also helped, but Nelson Alexander director Mark Verrocchi said Ms Ride’s interior design input had “without a doubt” boosted the number of people looking at the property.
“And I would implore every single homeowner thinking of going to market to get a style quote or interior designer to come and help,” Mr Verrocchi said.
“It’s the best money you can spend other than a fresh coat of paint and carpet.”
A pink bathroom has been a particular favourite of Ms Ride’s during her time at the home.
Boston Ivy drapes the walls of courtyards and adds a lush feel to the residence.
Even so, the auctioneer had to kick things off with a $1.2m vendor bid leaving the Ride family facing a nerve-racking start to their first time selling a home at auction.
But with a first-home buyer facing off against another party, the home’s $1.3m reserve was eventually reached and it was called on the market.
That was the trigger for a third bidder, relocating from Darwin, to join the fray and keep going until they claimed the keys for $1.412m.
While only three parties bid, Mr Verrocchi suspects others were in the crowd but had their budgets surpassed.
“It was beautiful bidding, and everyone had a laugh as I was losing my voice due to a cold,” the auctioneer said.
“And it had a bit of emotion towards the end, and that’s where the interior design comes in.”
Natural light and bold colours had buyers seeing themselves moving into the property.
![9/1 Marshall Place, Clifton Hill - for herald sun real estate](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 768 1024"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A loo added beneath the stairs was also given a stylish, blue fit out.
Among the home’s more eye-catching features were a pink bathroom that Ms Ride said had been one of her favourite additions to the residence, and a unicorn’s head mounted in the living room.
The gift given to them while they were living in London originally came from Berlin and has been with the family ever since and will continue to their next home — a warehouse conversion.
In addition to validating all their work on the home, yesterday’s bonus result will go towards their next home’s update, and a jaunt to Europe.
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