The Bachelor’s Laura Byrne has copped backlash after receiving a FREE $70,000 reno on her family home on Space Invaders.
The podcast and radio host, who recently signed a multi-million dollar deal with ARN, put her mother’s home forward for a makeover by reno queen Cherie barber.
However, many fans criticised the show’s decision to gift Laura and her family with the generous renovation, considering how much money she makes.
“Am I being really ungracious by cringing hard at Laura Byrne being on Space Invaders?” one person wrote in the So Dramatic! Facebook group.
“I get why regular joes would expose themselves for a free reno. The show gets content, the people featured get home improvements they maybe couldn’t otherwise afford in exchange for sharing their story, being a bit vulnerable.
They continued: “Matty [Johnson] and Laura are rich, she reportedly just signed a multi-million dollar deal for an hour of radio 5 days a week, on top of the rest of their income streams, and they can’t afford a $35k reno for her mum?”
Many fans agreed, with another user saying, “This spot could have gone to someone in need, anything for more than five min of fame I suppose.”
Another said: “This is another way for Laura to stay relevant… These shows used to be for people who don’t have the money to do this sort of thing. So over ‘influencers’ getting shot after shot for this sort of stuff.”
“I agree with you – she’s filthy rich, I wonder why her mum’s place is still a tip up until appearing on the show?” one person asked. “Like you have the money, go help your family out, jeez.”
However, many disagreed arguing that Laura’s huge star power would help boost the show’s ratings.
What changes did Cherie Barber make to Laura Byrne’s family home on Space Invaders?
Australia’s “renovation queen” visited the former Bachie star’s home in Wollongong, New South Wales with a mission to declutter the heritage space and bring back its original essence.
In just a few days, Cherie refreshed the family home, adding over $36,000 to the property’s value.
“Rich with family memories, the home was solidly constructed in the 1950s by [Laura’s grandfather] who has now passed,” she wrote on her website Renovating for Profit.
“It has high ceilings and an extensive use of natural timbers throughout,” she continued.
Therefore, her brief was to “keep it traditional”, refrain from using any bright colours, avoid “[painting] over any of the timber work” and lastly, “keep it simple”.
The renovation expert documented the steps she took to complete the $70,000 home makeover.
Cherie Barber started off by renovating the sunroom in The Bachelor‘s Laura Byrne’s family home
The reno queen started off by tackling the sunroom, as this was the first thing people saw when they walked into the house.
“You’ve probably heard many property experts chant over the years ‘create a great first impression,'” Cherie said. “Well, this wasn’t one of them!”
As soon as she opened the sunroom door, the TV personality was “immediately hit in the face with a room full of clutter”.
After removing the clutter, she painted the ceiling and timber panels white to “brighten up the space”.
She shared that she tends to stick with warm colours and creams when working with “traditional style houses”, as these colours instil “that sense of history”.
Cherie also added sheer white curtains and white timber venetians to the room to “add a bit of opulent luxury” and “keep everything light and bright.”
Finally, she left the green floor tiles in their original form, as this was “part of the home’s heritage”, But swapped out the front door for a new one that “[added] a more traditional charm”.
Cherie brought some new life to the master bedroom
Cherie’s next project was the master bedroom, which she said resembled more of a “construction zone”.
The room lost its charm as the podcast host’s mother Kim suffered a hip injury in the middle of her last renovation. It then remained untouched for years, allowing the mess the pile up.
After clearing out the bedroom, she painted the walls the same cream colour that was used in the sunroom.
She also installed a new wardrobe with a mirrored door to “bounce light around the room”.
Additionally, she livened up the room with extra dressers and new window furnishings.
As a finishing touch, she added a splash of colour with the “Kmart Markena King bed quilt set”. Cherie said that the bedding “works tonally with the colours in the timber, as do the textured cushions”.
The renovation expert also added that you can make a home look expensive without spending thousands. Which we love!
Cherie organised the craft room, opening up the space
On top of that, Cherie dealt with the ‘incredibly narrow’ craft room, which needed to fit a sewing desk, a piano and storage for other arts, crafts and sewing materials.
Once again, she painted the walls the same cream colour she used in the other rooms. To add a hint of difference to the craft room, she also added a “pastel shadow wallpaper”.
The entire renovation cost $33.015.52 consisting of materials and labour.
“The uplift in the property value was $70,000, resulting in a net profit of $36,984.48.”
We’re impressed! Can she fix our home next?
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