It’s been compared to Barbie’s house and the inside of a genie’s bottle — but the owner of an Australian home that’s gone viral online says the colourful design all came from her imagination.
Jamalate Saleh, who’s owned 30 Norval Cres in Melbourne for about 18 years, said it took her “many years” to craft the interior comprising bold colours, blingy chandeliers and regal furnishings.
She’s now reluctantly selling the three-bedroom house with a A$450,000 asking price.
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The houseproud grandmother imported furniture from Dubai and had decorative marble floors specially made to fulfil her vision.
“I’ve got passion for colours and design. It was all from my imagination,” Ms Saleh said.
The house has become the talk of Twitter this week, winning fans for its over-the-top interior design and its unassuming brick facade that gives nothing away — but it’s divided potential buyers.
Twitter users have likened it to a “real life Barbie dream home” and “the inside of Jeannie’s bottle in I Dream of Jeannie”, while others commented the property’s bland online marketing didn’t “do justice to the interior”.
Ms Saleh — who lives there with her husband Mohammed and five of their children and grandchildren — said she was delighted the exposure had allowed people to enjoy and appreciate her house.
She said visitors always exclaimed “wow” upon stepping into the main living room, where the walls and ceiling are painted deep red and paired with velvet furniture of the same shade.
Some of her kids and friends had even asked her to fit out their own houses in her spectacular signature style.
Ms Saleh’s lilac bedroom is her favourite room in the house, as the “colours are peaceful and put me at ease”.
Other rooms mix green, orange and baby pink colour schemes.
Ms Saleh and her family are selling to upsize — and she plans to inject just as much flair into their next home.
Jalal Abdallah, director of First National real estate agents, which is marketing the home, said it had been on the market for about eight weeks, but had enjoyed a boost in interest since it went viral.
“All of a sudden, I’ve been pounded with emails, including from people asking ‘can I buy it with the furniture?’” he said.
“I’ve never seen anything like the colour and the set up.
“On the outside, you can’t see anything. But inside, it’s absolutely gorgeous.”
His co-director Huseyin Kuset said the property had mostly attracted first-home buyers because it was affordable.
“Some buyers like it, others are saying it’s disgusting. Some think you need to paint it, others thing it’s unique,” Mr Kuset said.
The property’s listing had racked up almost 12,000 views on realestate.com.au by midday Friday — the most of any in Australia this week.
- news.com.au
