Sydney man selling house to give buyer $25,000 if pink bathroom is kept intact for five years

Mid-century design lovers take note – not only has this Sydney seller kept his pink and blue mid-century bathroom intact, but he’s putting $25,000 on the line for a buyer who’ll do the same.

Hugh Miller and his wife have owned their three-bedroom house in Lane Cove since 2013, raising their young children there.

When they decided to sell, his biggest concern was that his beloved bathroom – and a fond part of his kids’ memories – might get demolished.

He decided to get his lawyer to write a legal IOU of sorts, stipulating that the new owner would be paid $25,000 if they kept the bathroom intact for five years after buying the property.

The contract specifies the home has “a notable pink bathroom that Miller would like to be preserved and maintained”.

“Provided that the bathroom has not changed in any way … then Miller agrees to make an ex gratia payment to the purchaser in the sum of $25,000 (all inclusive),” it states.

The draft of the contract on offer to the home’s potential buyer.

It also specifies what minor updates could be made – such as to the shower screen, electrical wiring and grouting – and how any potential disagreements could be adjudicated.

The striking, original bathroom decor was one of the main factors that drew Miller to the house when he purchased it with his wife in 2013.

“I bought the house purely based on the bathroom,” Mr Miller said. “I just thought, I really want this bathroom to live.”

The couple are fans of the mid-century design aesthetic and most of the furniture in the listing photos belongs to the couple.

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“It’s an Aussie bogan Frank Lloyd Wright, you know,” he said. “The red brick suburban house – I honestly think it’ll come back into vogue.”

Miller said they’d redone the kitchen as “it was a bad 70s job” but they loved the home’s other original features and hoped to find a buyer that felt the same way.

“I’d like to reward the buyer for not destroying this unique piece of cultural significance to the Australian suburban landscape.”

“I think we are too quick to knock down old buildings that we don’t think are significant now but will be in the future,” he said.

The Millers are looking to move up to the north coast of NSW.

Agent Simon Harrison, from Belle Property Lane Cove, said in the 19 years he’d been an agent he’d never seen a similar offer. 

“It’s a bit quirky,” he said. “Buyers don’t generally search for [those bathrooms], but you do get the odd person who’s a bit nostalgic.”

“People tend to come in and renovate them for the most part.”

“But the family loves it, it’s one of the reasons they bought the home,” he said.

Miller isn’t alone in his enthusiasm for the rare, perfectly-preserved mid-century bathing experience.

Suzy Goodwin, from Vampt Vintage Design, has seen great interest in mid-century interiors, including furniture, wallpaper, lighting and ornaments,

“Original bathrooms and kitchens are especially coveted,” she said.

Having restored a bathroom to its original condition and after trying to find original pieces to renovate with, she said the toilet pan and cistern are “actually the hardest bits to find, because they often get broken when they are removed”.