 Welcome back. We're live on three and it's time for when a home on afternoon express where we follow three talented young designers as They transform three empty properties of Veldivia state into dream homes using finishes provided by Caesar stone and Plascon Now one of the challenges our designers were given is to incorporate the use of Caesar stone into their designs Well, Joanne took up the challenge while creating a unique bespoke base and vanity with the help from Cape Town based design furniture design studio crib creations I was looking around at bases, and I couldn't find anything that I really liked that you could buy off of the floor or somewhere in shops So I've always wanted to design my own bespoke pieces. I mean this opportunity came along. I Designed this beautiful concrete looking basin. That's very modern and angular I've always wanted to design a vanity like this because I haven't seen anything like it in South Africa I think it's quite trending in the rest of the world. So this was my chance to make it happen and see it in real life It shows you just so because it's durable and waterproof It can be made into any form So in this particular instance, we use the 13 millimeters because it can be cut into my specific dimensions that I designed for this vanity Joanne came to us with the idea for some lovely Caesar stone basins And she asked us to design a vanity that would complement that and she provided some lovely references with Oak veneer panels, which we incorporated into the drawer front design. Joanne has been great She's very open to all the suggestions that we've had for her She was able to provide us with some excellent reference materials So you know that made our job very easy. There's a level of an openness to innovation there rather I should say You know, there's a willingness to embrace new ideas and and innovative construction techniques and Newer materials that you know an older more established designer might shy away from I chose to collaborate with Crip Creations because they responded to me on a Facebook page I was looking for someone to work with it on a vanity and they messaged me and asked me what my specifics were And I said to my designs. They really loved it So they came up with a beautiful oak vanity underneath my basin. We're a young creative bunch here So we enjoy taking risks and taking on things that others might not We enjoy working with combinations of different materials taking advantage of the unique Characteristics of each material and really letting them shine It's really interesting being a local designer. I think there's a lot of opportunity out there Cape Town is quite a creative hub since the design capital 2014 There's been a lot of a lot of buzz around especially locally produced stuff There's a lot of interesting work available out there for you know, people willing to to put themselves out there Crip Creations are local designers that have international quality They are quick and responsive and they have they've made beautiful designs throughout South Africa Shonae approached us with the idea for some lovely caesar stone basins And provided some references for us to design a vanity that would complement it We used oak veneer on the draw fronts and a lovely folk stone gray Millamine internals to match the the gray basins to create a harmonious look that I hope Shonae will be happy with I feel very excited that I that I designed it and it's there It was my first time attempting something like this and I think it looks amazing Well, it just goes to show that a beautiful bathroom can really add some so much to a property How much can it truly add from a salability perspective? Danilo's on the couch to tell us Selling a home means taking a whole range of different factors into consideration from the additional room to Knowing how to style the pictures you use when selling online making it presentable and purchase ready Our when-home contestants are currently working on the bathroom in their beautiful apartments on val de vie This is a room in the house that can so easily go wrong And the first thing people want to change about a house when they go and buy a new one this afternoon We have winner home judge and CEO of private property simon bray in the loft to tell us how to approach selling a home and specifically The bathroom and I'm pretty sure that hope everyone's an expert on the bathroom because you spend a lot of time there But when I was initially looking out at the property scene and went to go and visit all the properties as you went along One of the first things I loved going to go do was check out the bathroom because it is such a versatile space And it's exciting because you always went to bathroom. That's so unique. Why do people do that? You know on private property the bathroom is one of the You know most observed rooms in the house when you look at the galleries and and what people view and what they spend their Time looking at the bathrooms are always the most interesting piece And I think I mean it makes sense that the best way to gauge the condition of a home is often through the bathroom You know the fixtures the fittings the design You can get a sense really quickly on whether this is a well kept home or you know poorly kept home So I think a lot of people build an impression or build an idea of of condition of the rest of the home Based on the the grime between the tiles in the bathroom And so a lot of people don't spend enough time preparing the bathroom space particularly when they're going to sell But I think another reason is is fairly obvious You know you walk into a lounge you walk into a dining room and you can imagine your own furniture in that space You can move things around you can put a new painting on the wall You can do something different, but when it comes to the bathroom, it's all fixtures So unless you like what's been done, you're going to have to gut it and redo it and that can be a costly exercise Yeah, and also it's one of those spaces that you want to be kind of creative You want to feel like your bathroom is so unique when guests come over or it is your bathroom Potentially you want to make sure that it's a space that's exciting creative to be in So you mentioned this idea of selling that bathroom And how do we go about making sure that our bathroom is ready to sell and what are some of the mistakes that people make when doing that? Oh, there's some tremendous mistakes people make when they come to selling their property Some of the worst photos we've ever had on private property if we had a wall of shame It would be bathroom pictures, you know Yeah, simple things like not putting the toilet seat down when they take a photo of the bathroom It's those kinds of you know tacky mistakes to really bad ones like Not making sure that it's a clean space I think that's one of the things it's a little bit like a Hotel room. What are the two things you're going to look for clean sheets and fresh towels and you know a good smell in the bathroom And I think that's important when you're talking about the bathroom is it should be really clean clean clean So spend the time making it look doesn't matter what the fixtures and the fittings are doing Just make sure it's all Spick and span sure. Okay. That's really good advice I think one of the things that contestants are looking at at the moment is is the bathroom obviously and they're wanting to get all The elements put together because not in any gross way But the bathroom must be tranquil it must be a space that you feel comfortable in it must be functional too So obviously not any leaks coming out or weird designs that has water running into funny places And it must be beautifully designed too. What advice do you have for our design contestants who are busy working on them now? To make sure that the bathroom is all three of those Well, this is this is really an exercise in in form follows function The bathroom first and foremost has to be a functional space You've got to understand what the daily routine is going to be like Do you need two vanities? Do you need a walk-in shower? Is a bath something that you're going to need in this bathroom? So just figure out that daily routine Make sure that everything is placed in the right places You spoke about it being a retreat a sanctuary, you know personal space And I think the design is going to have to communicate that It's going to have to feel inviting. It's going to have to feel Like a comfortable space to be in It's not going to be a stressful experience being in there, okay? You want it as comfortable as possible Yeah, no, I won't get into the details of that But of course, you know, you want to walk in there and you want to feel like it's a great space to be in And a lot of that has to do with where everything is laid out And the the way the finishes interact with one another. So it's going to be an interesting challenge I don't think a bathroom is is As we started off saying in this interview a space that should be overlooked I think definitely something that they should spend time on and understand Perfectly, I hope everyone at home is watching very very closely because I'm so excited to have you here You mentioned a few things about investments and buying houses and selling property that has been absolutely Like pivotal to what people should be looking forward to when they're selling a house and last time we spoke You were mentioning the idea of adding an extra room to the house It's like really increasing the chances of a property being sold And but what about a second bathroom or two and a half bathrooms? How does that affect the sale of a property? Is it does it make it more investment ready? You know that the interesting thing with a bathroom is it is a very private space, right? So if you've got a home that you intend entertaining in a lot, then you have to think about this idea of a guest loo Or that half a bathroom that we see on the on the website, you know two and a half bathrooms What does that mean exactly? Um, but absolutely a guest bathroom in particular can elevate the value of a property Because your guests feel like it's a private space for them And I think that that can be very important when you're looking at it It's not Traipsing your guests through your master suite to your bathroom But having a personal space for them as well. So that can certainly add value I've been to people's houses where there is no guest bathroom when you sometimes have to walk into the master bathroom It feels a bit awkward doesn't it? This is your soap. This is move your toothbrush But when it comes to maybe building a new home or you setting yourself up for for a new property I mean, how much of a bathroom should you keep in mind because first of all cost is really expensive It's it's a cost a lot of money to build a house And maybe you're thinking future value when you're wanting to sell the property Does keeping bathrooms in consideration in your back of your mind add enough value to a property for the future value of itself Yeah, well, if you think about it, most people move on In a property between five and seven years. So you're going to look to put your property on the market Even though you don't think so, you know, you move in you're in love This is the best property ever. We're going to stay here forever But the truth is seven years time you're going to be looking for a new property So if you do upgrade the bathrooms and you're looking to do something A great renovation or something you need to think about what it's going to look like in five to seven years time So pick quality finishes finishes that are going to last Taps showers bars that are going to last And have a timeless element to the design. Don't just jump on the latest trend And then you regret it three years from now and you're doing it all over again Yeah, like where you're bathroom in your shower have no different walls or doors in between them And you think oh, this is a great idea and then you realize what happens in that room Simon's always an honor to speaking to you And I really enjoy taking all the pearls of wisdom when it comes to selling your properties made me kind of nervous I think the contestants are going to have to be uh, very aware of this challenge I think a big difference between the apartments is going to be how these bathrooms turn out So I'm looking forward to it. Thanks so much Simon So don't underestimate the power of a beautiful bathroom when it comes to selling your home Head over to private property dot co dot zed a will you will find the perfect home in the neighborhood that you love While logging on why not enter the winner home competition and standard chance to win a home on val devy Now remember that this week on private property dot co dot zed a we want to know What is your favorite design contestants bathroom by casting you a virtue standard chance of winning paint from plascon To the value of five thousand rand you'll also automatically be placed into the grand prize draw Where you could one of those win one of those completed apartments at val devy worth more than three million rand Winner home is proudly brought to you by private property in association with nid bank. We'll be right back after this