Darker interiors make a bold statement and create a warm, inviting space, but it’s a fine line between gloomy and grand as the House Rules teams discovered in this week’s first whole house reveal.

Dressing Room by Lisa & Andy
What they did: An electric clothes rack and lush red wallpaper gave this room the ‘X-tra’ factor
Get the look: Install task lighting such as our Dalis spots and tracks in a walk-in robe. You

In this week’s episode of Selling Houses Australia, Andrew described this home in the Melbourne suburb of Mulgrave as a “crime against architecture”, and he wasn’t exaggerating!

The challenge
Frozen in time, buyers wanted no part of this ugly 70’s house with its kooky kitchen, hideous façade and tacky pop-top extension. With Anand and his family desperate to sell up and move to Queensland, this reno certainly tested the skills of Shaynna and Charlie.

Facade Before & After

One less wall, two

This season of House Rules has kicked off with a surprise win from first-time renovators (and surfer sisters!) Mikaela & Eliza, who impressed the judges with their amazing bedroom.

Tasked with turning a run-down warehouse house into a colourful, contemporary space in just 3 days, all the new couples got off to flying start.

On-trend black featured in all the rooms, with our Panorama pendant and Nevada

As Charles and Dale discovered in this week’s episode of Selling Houses Australia, sometimes location isn’t everything, with their multimillion-dollar home in the prestige Sydney suburb of Pymble sitting on the market for over a year.

The challenge
Everything about this 100-year old home was a huge problem, with a rabbit warren of small rooms, jungle garden and outdated interior. Shaynna, Charlie and Andrew had to pull out all the stops to bring this Pymble palace up to scratch.

Goodbye walls, hello harmonious living
Shaynna went to work knocking down walls in the kitchen, living room, bathroom and master suite to create a stunning open plan living space.

Both the timber kitchen and dated living room were transformed into one amazing space with new timber flooring, fresh white cabinetry and statement lighting. Using our Esther pen

Your living room is often a much loved space that needs to accomodate a variety of activities. Plan your living room lighting using our top tips to create the right atmosphere for every occasion. 

Tired. Dark. Cramped.

As Shaynna, Charlie and Andrew know, these three little words are guaranteed to turn off buyers, which was exactly what was happening to Chrissie and Tyson who have had their place on the market in Euroa, Victoria for 12 months with no takers.

The challenge
A very limited budget made it impossible to change the layout of the house, which was filled with a rabbit warren of small, dark rooms.

Creating a beautifully liveable lounge room
The old lounge room was cold and uninviting, but by simply painting a feature wall and modernising the furniture, Shaynna transformed this space. In combination with the new rich colour palette, our Corbelle

From simple 70’s shack to grand contemporary homestead, Beacon Lighting has been super proud to play our part in this incredible transformation from one of The Block’s most popular couples, Dea & Darren.

Renowned for their work in period homes, this reno gave them the chance to explore a more industrial barn look.

Dining room
Taking a cue from the beach location, a cluster of our coastal-inspired Herman pendants at different heights provided a stunning centrepiece over the dining table.

We’re not even half way through the new smash hit series of Foxtel’s Selling Houses Australia, but we’ve been so inspired by the transformations, we just had to share our favourites so far.

Episode 1: Normanhurst, NSW
Presented with a dark and depressing dwelling dedicated to cats, the team’s only option was to take a sledgehammer to the walls to open the house up.

What Shaynna did
Completely removing all the existing cabinetry and starting with a blank canvas helped Shaynna create a bright open plan family space overlooking the rear garden. Our Marcel pendant in smoked glass used over the large island bench zoned added drama to the neutral palette. The adjoining living room fe

It might surprise you to know that the one design element that has the most impact on how your home looks and feels is lighting. And yet, it’s also one of the most overlooked, and one that people often get wrong.

Follow our 5 fail-safe rules to get your lighting right
1. Keep it simple.
Decluttering is much more than a fad, it’s also a great concept to apply to your lighting. You should create a sense of simplicity in your home and choose designs that are sleek, functional and cohesive. Oversized lighting pieces work beautifully as a standout feature, so avoid the urge to add other large elements that will create a sense of clutter.