Noosa hinterland home elevated with clever interior design

An ex-New York-based designer has opened up on the $200,000 transformation of her hinterland home, as demand for renos soars across the region. See the before and afters.

Interior designer Morgan Brady has revealed her $200,000 renovation to her Noosa hinterland home.

A former New York-based designer and make-up artist turned interior designer has splashed $200,000 on a Noosa hinterland home facelift as demand for renovations soars across the Sunshine Coast.

Morgan Brady revealed the results of her transformation of a Tinbeerwah home she paid $909,000 for in 2020, transforming the pad with lush features and ultramodern amenities.

It comes as house prices remain strong across the region and demand for home improvements spikes as owners look to drive up the value of their castles.

Latest property data from March 2023 revealed the median house price in Noosa was $1,216,483 and $940,120 in the Sunshine Coast.

Such is the appetite for upgrades, Ms Brady created her own interior design consultancy business Pearl Interiors to bridge the gap between “just having a sounding board” and high-end interior design studios on the Coast.

BEFORE: The island layout was retained in the kitchen overhaul.

AFTER: Marble counter tops and integrated gas burners feature in the new kitchen. Picture: Nadja Farghaly

Ms Brady spent seven months transforming the dated Queenslander into an elegant family home.

“When we found this house, we saw the potential because it had good bones,” she said.

BEFORE: The home had “good bones” - high ceilings and wooden floors.

AFTER: Classic furnishings and white walls were included in the upgrades. Picture: Nadja Farghaly

“Some things I looked for was the vaulted ceilings in all the main living areas, and the second thing was the floorboards.

“You can really play a lot with those two things without feeling constricted and closed in.”

BEFORE: The family room was ripe for a revamp.

AFTER: The family rooms vaulted ceilings were enhanced with long sheer curtains. Picture: Nadja Farghaly

Previously a make-up artist for Yves Saint Laurent and agent for a creative design agency in New York, Ms Brady says she is able “to see a vision completed before it’s created” which “has translated really well into interior design”.

\Shaun McCullagh of McCullagh Constructions says the building industry initially slowed down during Covid before it “skyrocketed”.

Noosa hinterland dream home transformation

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“We were the only major network that kept going and they had to keep us going because we would have gone into recession,” Mr McCullagh said.

As the demand for builders and a lack of materials reached breaking point post Covid, Mr McCullagh said he “saw everyone adding more value and therefore the real estate market starts to jump with it”.

“I couldn’t ring someone to give me a hand - no too busy, so if I wanted a concreter I’d have to book him in two months in advance,” he said.

“I think people saw the value in their actual home and what it can give back to them.”

BEFORE: Two small bedrooms featured in the original floorplan.

AFTER: A wall between two rooms was removed to become one larger children’s bedroom. Picture: Katrina Lezaic

AFTER: Extra space in the children’s bedroom meant a cane swing chair could be installed. Picture: Katrina Lezaic

Experience working with a builder where Ms Brady found how to “have a strong voice” gave her the skills to help avoid “compromising the vision because of someone else’s experience”.

“If you’ve just got your partner to say ‘what do you think of this?’ they’re not necessarily the most useful or knowledgeable of what works – or the builder, who isn’t a designer even though they’re great at what they do,” Ms Brady said.

Morgan Brady of Pearl Interiors at her Noosa hinterland property. Picture: Katrina Lezaic

“So having a sounding board or having somebody to say ‘what do you think of this?’ or ‘does this go together?’ would have been really valuable to me at that time, and I was looking for it and it didn’t exist, so I figured I couldn’t be the only one.”

As a consultant Ms Brady has created two services other than the full service.

BEFORE: The outdated bathroom was gutted.

AFTER: A bathtub and recessed shelves were installed. Picture: Katrina Lezaic

“I feel like those things are the layout and functionality which really comes with experience and knowledge, as well as where to source unique pieces of furniture or the right kind of tiles for a room,” she said.

BEFORE: The backyard hid an oval shaped pool.

AFTER: A pool was found under the landscaping and renovated to include a huge wooden deck. Picture: Katrina Lezaic