When two worlds collide - Do Asian-inspired homes sell well in Sydney?

By Alex May

It was Dame Edna Everage who said a few years back during a State Theatre show: "If it looks good in Bali, leave it in Bali." The message was that, in her view, Australian homes were going over the top with the Asian look.

You can't go to an open home inspection these days without tripping over a Buddha. Property owners are replicating their dream holidays by the crate-load, bringing home all kinds of artefacts and architectural inspiration from Balinese resorts, Thai temples and Chinese feng shui. But does the Asian-inspired house travel well when it comes time to sell?

Lilyfield resident Diane Whatley hopes so. She's selling her modern three-bedroom house, which has a massive stone Buddha in the backyard. An experienced renovator, Whatley has also been paid by other people to make over their houses and is keen on creating "holistic" interiors that nurture the spirit.

The seven-year-old house has wooden sculptures of Thai dancers on the gates to the garbage area, water features, limestone paving inside and out and frameless bifold doors to the interior and rear courtyards. It is furnished with distinctive antiques such as the door from an old monastery, which is used as a coffee table, Balinese temple statues and Chinese chests.

"The Buddhas in the outdoor space are included in the sale price, because I don't think this house would be the same without them," she says. "It sounds corny and I don't want to sound like a hum on a mountain, but Buddhas create an amazing balance and energy in a home."

SO DOES IT WORK?

The agent for the listing is Elaine Davies, who says the house has instant appeal for inner-west buyers "who are into anything to do with Buddhism and inner peace".

"I think the style of the house enhances its sale potential, but you can take out all the Asian artefacts and you are left with a lovely blank canvas to work with," she says.

While Whatley's home is unquestionably stylish - with or without its decoration - agents in other parts of Sydney aren't so sure that Asian-inspired houses generally have wonderful resale potential.

LJ Hooker Palm Beach agent Peter Robinson says Balinese-style homes can be a no-no in prestige Palm Beach and Whale Beach.

Perhaps it's a matter of degree. "When Asian-style properties are done well, they can be appealing, but in Palm Beach or Whale Beach I think you will get a better price if you stick with traditional northern beaches architecture rather than Balinese architecture," he says.

"We sold a property in Iluka Road last year that had that whole Bali look, but to be honest, most people didn't like it."

Pittwater Real Estate agent Daniel McMahon agrees, saying some northern beaches buyers have asked for a discount on Balinese-influenced properties around Palm Beach and Bayview because they believe the "look is over".

"It works well on the Collaroy Plateau, though. The look just suits those smaller houses up there and the locals really like it."

INNER CITY

A distinctive Redfern house designed by Terrance Brooks, influenced by Balinese and Japanese themes, is under offer after just three weeks on the market. Ray White Elizabeth Bay's Nick Harrington says the offer is close to the vendor's asking price of $640,000. "This house is like nothing in the inner city - it's open and light and you can hear the birds singing," Harrington says.

"I don't usually go for that look myself, but in this house I find myself speaking softer and being more reserved and calm. That's a direct result of the way the property is configured."

The two-bedroom weatherboard cottage was designed with open-air bathrooms and a lush tropical courtyard with tall palms and water features. It failed to sell at auction in November 2003 when the highest bid was $635,000, and vendor Philip Haynes decided to try again recently.

PAVILIONS

Ray White Terrigal agent Shaun Hudson-Smith had a stunning pavilion-style house with water features and pitched roofs in Matcham on the Central Coast for auction last year with hopes of more than $1.5million, but it was passed in at $1million. However, the owners settled for the passed-in figure three months later. "It attracted a lot of people but when it comes down to practical day-to-day living a lot of buyers fell away," he says, explaining that the separate pavilions and water feature made it impractical for families with children or grandchildren.

BE WARY

Australian Property Monitors head Louis Christopher says all property vendors should aim to attract the maximum number of people to their main asset - their home. "I think it's about degrees of subtlety," he says. "Go ahead and do what you like, but think about resale."
While it is true that any property that "over-specialises" in a particular style of renovation reduces its broad market appeal, valuer Simon Feilich, of Dyson Austen & Co, doesn't see too many problems with Asian style. "There are many markets within markets and there is a pool of buyers for most sectors," he says. As long as the property has a potential group of buyers that appreciate Asian design, such distinctive renovations "would have limited negative impact".

ENOUGH ALREADY

Interior designer Garth Barnett - who created the interiors for an eclectic Asian-style resort home in Dural, see story right - says he banned all Buddhas in his interiors from the beginning of this year.

"When you open up the Wentworth Courier and see a Buddha on every page, it's time to say nighty night Buddha," he says. Like Christopher, Barnett says it's a matter of subtlety. Designers will continue to draw on Asian themes of connecting indoors and out, along with high, pitched ceilings to encourage air flow. Buddhas are out, but he will continue to use one or two striking Asian pieces such as a cabinet or authentic coffee table.

"True Asian design is very simple," he says.

HOLISTIC TAKE

When Diane Whatley moved into her newly built Lilyfield house in 2001, she transformed the interiors by installing bifold doors to connect the indoors with the outside. Whatley, who works in marketing, has decorated the indoor and outdoor spaces with several large Buddhas from Taiwan, Thailand, Bali and elsewhere.

Her son designed the distinctive courtyard and surrounded the large Buddha with other statues bought at an antique shop in Newtown.

"Wine, music and spas seemed to be the main things people like to bring into their house to relax but I prefer to bring in things that are more holistic," Whatley says. "Things like water and nature and allowing the sunlight in - that's inspirational to me. Buddhas are especially inspirational. They all mean different things."
The house is on 205 sq m and will be auctioned at noon on April 29 with expectations of more than $1.15million, through LJ Hooker Balmain.

A DURAL RESORT

The interiors of Bob and Linda Bradey's dramatic stone house in Dural were inspired by their holidays to Bali, Bintan and Japan.
"We used to go to Club Med in Bali all the time with the kids and we really liked the idea of making our house like a resort," says Bob. "It became quite a theme and we felt like we started it a long time ago but now it seems to pop up everywhere."
The sprawling house, which the Bradeys bought eight years ago, has been renovated and extended to create rooms with polished timber and stone floors that open to a lush Balinese-style pool area, complete with traditional thatched cabana.
The Bradeys built a sunroom with high, pitched timber ceilings (pictured top left) and glass doors opening to the pool area, and even installed a Japanese teppanyaki bar where they eat family meals and entertain business associates.
"We would bring the chef in from the Japanese restaurant at Castle Hill and entertain our clients here - it was better than going out and it was more intimate," Bob says. "The whole idea of this house is that it's like a resort so that you don't have to go out on the weekend - there is a tennis court, croquet lawn, pool, media room."
The house has a gravel Zen garden that is raked daily, a large Japanese-inspired garden near the bedroom wing and antique doors from India, China, Korea and Bali.
It is on two hectares and for sale through Ray White Double Bay and Ray White Dural for more than $4 million.