The story – how we staged this Willoughby observatory
When we first walked up the sandstone steps of 1 Pendey Street, Willoughby, the house already felt impressive. Elevated position, lush agaves, manicured hedges, broad driveway into a double garage – everything whispered “quality family home”. Inside, though, it was a different story.
With most of the rooms empty, the scale of the spaces actually worked against the campaign. The long open-plan living and dining area downstairs felt more like a function hall than a family zone. The upstairs lounge with that incredible balcony and skyline glimpses felt oddly flat – plenty of glass, not much atmosphere.
The brief from the agent was clear:
“We need it to feel warm, expensive and easy to live in – and it needs to move before Christmas.”
Challenge accepted. Around here, we like to joke that good styling can speed up a campaign by “about 73%” – not exactly a scientific figure, but accurate enough for busy agents who just want fewer days on market and more contracts out.
Step 1 – Decoding the architecture
This home is built for a Willoughby lifestyle:
- formal lounge flowing to an alfresco terrace,
- a huge open family / dining / kitchen zone opening to greenery,
- a sunlit upper balcony catching district views and hints of the city skyline,
- four generous bedrooms including a big master suite with walk-in and ensuite.
Our job was to translate that layout into emotion.
We read the house in three layers:
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Street & entry – confidence.
From the first step off Pendey Street we wanted buyers to feel they were arriving somewhere special, not just “another big house”. The mature planting and sandstone already did half the work; our role was to ensure what they saw through the windows matched that expectation. -
Ground level – everyday family life.
This entire floor needed to feel functional and relaxed: homework at the table, kids on the sofa, Saturday brunch with friends, doors open to the garden. -
Upper level – retreat & outlook.
The upstairs living and balcony are all about views, sunsets and quiet evenings. That’s where the “wow” factor – and the telescope – came in.
Step 2 – Styling strategy: city-edge coastal
Willoughby sits in that sweet spot between the CBD and Chatswood – close to Bicentennial Reserve, Willoughby Leisure Centre and Northbridge, surrounded by parkland yet only minutes to the city buses and Willoughby Road cafés.
So we built a city-edge coastal story:
- Base palette: warm whites and the existing timber floors to keep everything bright and sun-drenched.
- Key materials: oak, rattan, boucle and linen to soften the strong architectural lines.
- Accent colours: deep greens echoing the trees around Bicentennial Reserve, sandy beiges and a little charcoal to tie back to the window frames and balcony railing.
This way, every room connected visually with the leafy outlooks and the glimpses of the skyline beyond the trees.
Step 3 – Turning the big open plan into a real family heart
The downstairs open-plan zone is huge. Left empty, it felt like it needed a basketball hoop. We broke it into three clear “chapters” so buyers could instantly understand how their life would fit here:
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Relaxed family living
We anchored the far end with two generous cream sofas, layered with soft green and stone cushions. A round dark-green rug under a low timber coffee table grounded the arrangement and subtly echoed the canopy outside the windows. Coastal artwork above the entertainment unit stretched the room horizontally and framed the TV wall without screaming “big black rectangle goes here”. -
Dining that actually belongs in the space
In the middle, we placed a solid oak dining table with simple upholstered chairs in a soft grey. The colour picks up the kitchen cabinetry and keeps attention on the beautiful timber floor. A sculptural vase with blush-pink stems became our quiet hero – visible from the kitchen, from the living and from the hallway. -
Entertainer’s kitchen
The kitchen already offered plenty: 900mm stainless cooker, sleek rangehood, long stone benchtops and a walk-in pantry. We styled it lightly – timber chopping boards, a single vase, a tray with sparkling water and glassware. Enough life to feel used, not cluttered. Bench space sells kitchens; our rule is “style the corners, leave the work zones free.”
The result? Instead of one intimidatingly large space, buyers now walk through a logical, cosy sequence: tv zone → dining → cooking and conversations.
Step 4 – The upstairs “city lounge” and that balcony
Upstairs, the living room and balcony are where the house shows off its elevated position and city glimpses.
We leant into that:
- We brought in deep chocolate sofas – sculptural and low – to add visual weight and sophistication against the bright walls.
- Cushions in striped green tones mirror the garden hedges outside and bring a subtle energy to the room.
- A large, soft rug stops the timber floor from feeling too formal and improves acoustics – no echo, just conversation.
- In the centre, a glass-and-brass coffee table acts almost like jewellery; it reflects light from the balcony and frames vignettes of greenery, books and a hint of citrus in the styling.
On the balcony itself, we created an outdoor living room rather than just “some chairs outside”: a charcoal wicker corner lounge with pale cushions, striped accent pillows and a simple black coffee table. It reads as a second living area – perfect for summer evenings, New Year’s fireworks watching or just a quiet drink after work.
Buyers don’t just see a balcony; they see how they’ll live on Pendey Street.
Step 5 – The telescope room: a mini observatory
One of our favourite moments in this project is the study. Instead of a generic office with a random desk and chair, we decided to lean into the elevated, sky-facing nature of the home.
We styled a slimline timber desk with black legs, a textured circular rug and a cosy armchair. On the shelf: neutral ceramics, a few design books, nothing overdone. And then we added the hero piece – a classic telescope on a tripod, angled towards the window.
It’s more than a prop:
- It quietly reminds buyers of the district and skyline views this house holds.
- It taps into a sense of curiosity and future-thinking – perfect for families with kids who dream big.
- It softens the idea of “work from home” into something more poetic: this is a room for planning your next chapter, not just answering emails.
More than one buyer at the first open home paused in that room a little longer than they expected. That’s exactly what we wanted.
Step 6 – Master suite: hotel calm, not suburban bedroom
The master upstairs is generous, but with blank walls and bare carpet it risked feeling like a rental. We went full boutique-hotel mode:
- An upholstered bedhead with subtle stud detailing to add structure.
- Crisp white bedding layered with caramel and mustard cushions, echoing warm evening light.
- A faux-fur throw and end-of-bed bench to signal luxury and give photographers beautiful texture.
- Slim black bedside tables with warm lamps, giving balance and contrast.
The adjoining ensuite, already finished in marble tones, needed only soft towels and a touch of greenery to read as high-end without competing for attention.
The result – a fast, confident campaign
Once photography went live, the property immediately stood out among Willoughby’s family homes. Against a backdrop of more traditional brick cottages and unstyled listings, 1 Pendey Street looked like what it is: a polished, low-maintenance, move-straight-in home between the city and Chatswood, moments to Willoughby Leisure Centre, Bicentennial Reserve and local schools such as Willoughby Public and Willoughby Girls High.
Buyer feedback at opens circled around the same ideas:
- “It feels so easy to live in.”
- “You can tell where everything goes.”
- “That upstairs lounge and balcony – wow.”
The campaign built momentum quickly, with strong enquiry, repeat inspections and serious families circling. The agent’s prediction – and ours – came true: styled and sold well before Christmas, after a short, high-energy auction campaign.
Projects like 1 Pendey Street, Willoughby are exactly why Home Staging Sydney has become a non-negotiable for serious agents. In a market where buyers scroll through dozens of listings before they ever step through a door, professional Home Staging Sydney turns a property from “another big house” into a clear, emotional story: here’s where you cook, here’s where you watch the fireworks, here’s where your kids do homework while you look out to the skyline. For agents, partnering with Goldpac for Home Staging Sydney means faster campaigns, stronger photography, and homes that feel move-in ready from the very first click.
“Every buyer understood the house within two minutes – upstairs, downstairs, balcony, study, all of it. The staging did half my job for me.” – Selling Agent
🏡 4-bedroom elevated family home in Willoughby – styled for views, light and easy entertaining.
🎨 Styling theme: city-edge coastal – warm timbers, soft neutrals, deep greens and subtle brass accents.
🌿 Feel: observatory-like upstairs lounge, relaxed open-plan family hub downstairs, plus a telescope room that everyone remembered.
⚡ Result: styled, launched and sold before Christmas after a short, high-energy auction campaign.
💬 Reaction: “Every buyer understood the house within two minutes.” – Agent.