Aishe Besim transformed the 1940s Kyabram weatherboard from a poorly maintained rental into a TikTok-famous designer home now listed with $610k-$649k hopes. Picture: Supplied/Slow Stone Studio
A regional Victorian weatherboard once described by its owner as a poorly maintained “dump” has been transformed into a TikTok sensation with more than 1.2 million likes.
The 1940s three-bedroom cottage at 23 Edis St, Kyabram, has hit the market with a $610k-$649k price guide after a top-to-bottom transformation that left almost nothing of the old home recognisable.
Before-and-after images show the house going from yellow walls, bare timber floors, basic rooms, a tired kitchen and a shed-heavy backyard to a polished designer-style home with soft pink bathroom tiles, curved stone benchtops, travertine crazy paving and custom joinery.
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Owner Aishe Besim, a local hospitality business owner, renovator and designer behind Slow Stone Studio, bought the home in 2021 after it had spent decades as a poorly maintained rental.
“To be completely honest, it was a dump,” Ms Besim said.
“But I saw the bones of something beautiful.
“It became a massive passion project aimed at creating a space that genuinely makes people feel something the moment they walk through the door.”
The 23 Edis St, Kyabram, home before its renovation, when the property came with more than 40 pages of building defects.
The renovated Kyabram cottage now presents as a polished designer-style weatherboard after a top-to-bottom overhaul.
A building defect report spanning more than 40 pages revealed the scale of the work ahead.
The project’s TikTok account has 28,500 followers and 1.2 million likes, while its Instagram page has 9573 followers.
Ray White Echuca sales agent Zac Curtis is marketing the property via expressions of interest.
Mr Curtis said the home had attracted strong interest on social media, with some videos nearing 1 million views.
Ms Besim went on to rewire, replumb, replaster and structurally reimagine the home while preserving parts of its 1940s character.
“We found newspapers stored behind some of the walls from the 1940s when the house was built,” she said.
“I thought this was pretty cool. I still need to get them framed.”
The original kitchen was part of the tired rental-style home Ms Besim later described as a “dump”.
The finished kitchen and living area now feature curved stone benchtops, custom joinery and a softer designer palette.
The finished home now features two bathrooms, skylights, a soft neutral living and dining zone, carefully layered interiors and a stronger connection to the backyard.
Keeping the original footprint was central to the project.
“The main two layout changes involved forgoing a dedicated laundry to create a north-facing dining area and better indoor-outdoor connection, and adding a second bathroom to create a primary suite, all while still keeping to the existing footprint,” Ms Besim said.
Owner and Slow Stone Studio designer Aishe Besim said she saw “the bones of something beautiful” in the run-down Kyabram home.
The renovated interiors helped the Kyabram project build a major online following, with 1.2 million likes on TikTok.
But executing the overhaul during the height of Covid created major budget pressure as building costs rose and supply chains were squeezed.
“By far the biggest challenge was budgeting during a time of rapid change, as most of the renovation was done when Covid pressures impacted the price of raw materials substantially,” Ms Besim said.
The old living room, complete with dated walls and fireplace, before Ms Besim reworked the 1940s home.
One of the home’s bedrooms now features bold blue walls as part of Ms Besim’s carefully layered redesign.
The home’s new alfresco area, complete with travertine crazy paving and an open pergola, has become Ms Besim’s favourite feature.
“With a north-facing backyard this is the perfect space to relax after a long day,” she said.
The house sits on a 1025sq m block and is being offered as a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home.
The backyard before the renovation, when the large 1025sq m block was dominated by tired outdoor areas and sheds.
The backyard now includes an alfresco area with travertine crazy paving and an open pergola.
Despite the emotional pull of the renovation, Ms Besim said the house was no longer big enough for her family.
“I have such an emotional attachment to this property and would love to keep it, but it’s just one bedroom too small for us to live in as a blended family, as my now-fiance has children he co-parents,” she said.
Ms Besim said the home was ready for its next owner and would suit young families, downsizers or buyers wanting a designer-style home without taking on a major renovation themselves.
Soft pink tiles give one of the renovated bathrooms a designer finish rarely seen at the home’s sub-$650k price point.
The pink bedroom continues the home’s bold colour palette, which helped make the Kyabram renovation a viral hit.
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