IN Charity House

By Ara Jansen

A soon-to-be-built house in Banksia Grove is more than just a family home. It will be raising funds to help young people.

When the home at 6 Saxicola Road eventually goes under the hammer, the people who take possession of the keys will be the link which closes a chain in the life of a building which has a wonderful back story.
The house in Banksia Grove is the 2011 Youth Focus Charity Home. It is being built as a fundraiser for Youth Focus, an independent not-for-profit organisation supporting vulnerable young West Australians and their families through a range of free mental health services to battle issues associated with suicide, depression and self harm.

The Charity House provides an important source of revenue for Youth Focus with all profits from the sale going directly to help maintain their services. The first home was built in 2005 in Baldivis and a second was built in Mandurah in 2008. This year 101 Residential and long-term supporter Scott Park are once again supporting the Charity House project alongside the Banksia Grove development.
Offering the opportunity for young people to help each other, the construction of the Charity House allows apprentices to become involved in building the house. This not only offers them the opportunity to gain experience and skills, it also provides a sense of satisfaction by assisting those in need.
Youth Focus business manager Warren Mahoney says in the construction industry, mental health is an important issue, so it’s a perfect relationship.

“Young people involved in this industry face many challenges,” Warren says. “For most, having money and freedom yet significant responsibility for the first time can create stress. To its credit, the industry has recognised this and we are starting to work with various players to better educate supervisors to have a deeper understanding of triggers and symptoms related to poor mental health. “The construction industry is very relevant as research clearly indicates that young men are disproportionately more likely to suffer mental health issues and not get help compared to young females. Young men just don’t raise these issues with each other and they are statistically more prone to suicide and depression as a result. This project is a great way to raise awareness so the support from 101 Residential and Banksia Grove is very important to us.

Building has commenced on the site at Saxicola Road and once the property opens as a display home towards the end of the year, the public will be invited to view it. Warren says Youth Focus will have a presence at the house in order to share information about their services. The family home will be auctioned early in 2012.

“Working with apprentices on this house and then with people coming to visit, it’s a great way to access young people or their families who might need our services.”
Check out www.youthfocus.com.au

20 Year Milestone in the Property Industry for Realmark Consultant

When Daniela Ligovich joined Realmark back in 1991, she probably didn’t expect to still be working with us 20 years later.

Back then Daniela accepted a receptionist job with Realmark when it was just a team of two; myself and my wife Anita. Today she is our senior residential property manager in our Leederville office

“It just so happened that while working as a receptionist I started to learn more about property and became quite interested in it all. After getting my certificate in property management I found myself in the role of residential property manager,” Daniela says.

At a time where one in six people are leaving the property industry it is great to celebrate Daniela’s personal achievements over two decades with Realmark and that she continues to enjoy her job and being with Realmark.

Daniela has stayed with the Realmark team as we have grown and gone through many changes.

And as Realmark as a company has grown, so has Daniela’s portfolio, with many people working with her for their investment property portfolios and even some past tenants who have come back to Realmark to buy their first home.

This loyalty from clients speaks volumes for Daniela’s dedication to her work and for Realmark’s approach to real estate.

Realmark is lucky to have people like Daniela on board and we look forward to continue working with her into the future over the next 20 years!

John.

Renovate then sell?

At this time of the year, many real estate agents are finding that some home owners would rather stay put in their homes and renovate than try and sell in the struggling market.

For those who choose to renovate, it’s important they are aware of the value of their property and know that any major structural renovations will not have an immediate effect on the property’s value but will add to it over the next 10 years or so.

It is common for home owners to be hesitant about selling in a dull market; however there will always be people out there who need to sell or need to buy and as real estate professionals, it’s our job to inform home owners of all the alternative options.

When giving advice to home owners, it’s important to remember that many other factors come into the decision of selling up and moving on.

While some may believe the rational thing to do in a tight market is to hang onto what they’ve got, others will see the benefit of selling up and moving to a property that better suits their lifestyle.

Although home owners might be afraid of not getting the maximum amount they could in a good market, they should also remember that the market could swing in their favour when buying their next property; however if they wait too long for the market to pick up again, upgrading to a bigger house or different neighbourhood might not be achieved as easily.

By talking through the different options for home owners in a clear and transparent way, they’ll be able to make the best decision for their situation and will appreciate the unique Realmark approach to real estate.

It’s always important to remember that what might be the best solution for one client, won’t necessarily be the best solution for the next.

IN Beaux Arts

Dress-up, put on your dancing shoes, shake off any winter blues and indulge in a bygone era at the first Beaux Arts Ball in Perth.

A passion for film and the aesthetic of the pre-World War II period has led Kat Black and Jasper Cook to bring fashion, art, theatre and film together for a night of celebration.

Better known in Perth as VJzoo, they’re the organisers of the first Beaux Arts Ball – an evening paying homage to the 1920s and 30s and taking its cue from the balls and salons held in Europe and America at the time.

“It was such an important and exciting time culturally,” Kat Black says. “Modernism was forming – Cubist artists like Picasso and Surrealist’s like Dali. There was so much experimentation, especially with young art forms like film. Man Ray laid household items like pins directly onto negative film and exposed it to create abstract art films while Paris was the heart of the avant-garde movement.”

For the pair that dovetails perfectly with their love for old films and their VJ work. They’re passionate about anything from the late 1800s through to the 1950s but Kat and Jasper’s very favourite period is 1929 – 1934, after the development of the talkies.

“It was a crazy time where pretty much anything went. Movies like Flying Down to Rio with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Busby Berkeley classics like 42nd Street or Cecil B. de Mille spectaculars like Cleopatra with Claudette Colbert. They were huge, dramatic, fantastical pictures – escapism for depression-era audiences whose lives could not have been further removed from the opulence shown on the silver screen.”

Entertainment at the Beaux Arts Ball will include Perth’s premier jazz artists led by Graham Wood of The Ellington, with guest vocalist Gina Williams, Michelle Smith playing jazz harp and Zoe Kikiros from the West Australian Opera. There will be also plenty of opportunity to dance – from the Charleston to swing.

One of the attractions of the ball will be 50 Living Works of Art. Some of Perth’s hottest young artists, designers and stylists will be creating costumes that blur the line between art, fashion and performance. There will be a grand procession of these Living Works of Art in the tradition of the original Parisian artists’ balls and the winners will be judged by a panel on the night.

VJzoo will be projecting some of their favourite scenes from movies of the era to complement the live acts. Some of the footage will be obscure – like the fabulous scene of a costume ball on a zeppelin in Cecil B. de Mille’s Madam Satan and a scene from Fashions, featuring more than fifty fan dancers in the 1934 Busby Berkeley film plus the classic scene of girls dancing on biplanes from Flying Down to Rio.

“We’re film nerds and we’re really looking forward to showing off some of our rare footage. We usually work in nightclubs and while we love bringing film history alive to a new audience there, it’s also great to be able to play to fellow enthusiasts of the period occasionally too.”

Be ready to escape and immerse yourself in another time, another place at the Beaux Arts Ball. While this won’t be a perfect historic recreation, VJzoo are aiming to capture the spirit of the Jazz Age – glamorous, wild, creative and free.

The Beaux Arts Ball at the Perth Town Hall on August 6. Tickets from BOCS. Ticketholders have access to free workshops to create their own head-dress and other costume pieces.
Check out http://thebeauxartsball.com for details and the latest news.

IN Wallpaper

Winter might be a time for snuggling, but it’s also a perfect time for warming your walls with images, colour and texture.

In some countries you’d probably start a trend if you chose to paint a wall rather than wallpaper it.

In Western Australia where painted walls have become the norm, we’ve once again started to look at wallpaper as a different way to decorate and use it almost like furniture – a chance to express a love for colour, pattern, and texture or just shout about our personality. It’s not that we’re unfamiliar with wallpapering; it’s just that it has taken a long time to become really groovy.

Wallpaper designer and creator Ann-Louise Jansson – better known as Lollo – has a passion for turning walls into flat works of art, totally bucking the notion that wallpaper is even remotely old fashioned.

“For the last few years people who have been using wallpaper have put it behind the bedhead or television as a feature but now they are starting to talk about putting it on three walls and wrapping it around windows to tie a room together,” Lollo says from her Jolimont studio, Scandinavian Wallpaper & Decor.

Her made-to-order wallpaper can turn your bedroom into something an astronomer would be proud to sleep under or have you convinced you really do live on a white sandy beach when you gaze over from your couch.
There are murals of historic landmarks like the popular Eifel Tower and the view across the Brooklyn Bridge or collages of words, pictures and objects which infer a place or simply a stand of trees to offer a quiet moment of contemplation.

Because the wallpaper is custom-made, instead of framing all your holiday photos, consider turning them into a display, frieze or strip of images and let the wall become your photo album. Or just choose one photo and blow it up to take over a wall. A shot from your phone or camera of about five megapixels will be enough for a good-sized wall.

“People often come in with something traditional in mind but when they see the big wall murals they often change their minds. I think they want a little more personality, so they might choose some family photos in black and white to go on the wall in the television room. It’s also a great talking point.”

Smartly chosen wallpaper with the right images, can also be used to create a feeling of space and can extend a small room, making it feel more like a window than a wall.

“I think wallpaper makes a home more interesting and is another way of people showing who they are. It’s another way to add art to your home by being an alternative to art.”

In terms of trends, Lollo says people often choose a design based on how long they are planning to stay in the house. If you’re only planning to stop for a few years, something more neutral is usually chosen, while those looking to stay for five years or longer are keen to have images which truly say something about how they live or what they love.

“The up-coming collection includes paper that looks like raw wood panelling and concrete walls so it will give the effect rather than needing a cedar wall. Some of the paper is textured and you can personalise text on top of the designs. It’s generally very strong and you can also wipe it down.”

Check out the designs at wallpaperdecor.com.au and mrperswall.com.au.