Five couples, six floors and 80 rooms adds up to a rather larger than usual new series of The Block, starting this Sunday on Nine.
Couples from each state are competing as they transform a former Melbourne hotel. They each face the daunting challenge of converting a floor of the tired building into a high-end, house-sized apartment. It’s sure to be very different to the recent All Stars’ heritage homes in Bondi.
In just 10 weeks they must “demo and reno” more than 80 rooms and transform each floor of the hotel into a 220-square metre luxury apartment complete with 3 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, open plan kitchen, living and dining, plus a huge enclosed terrace. Can you imagine?!
Guest judge Darren Palmer and I were equally impressed with her consistent effort throughout the entire week (never mind the outtakes which have continued to be posted as extras ever since!). This is why she won…
It was such a tricky choice this month with so many stunning entries! I think even Darren might agree it was tougher than judging a room on The Block! But we both feel pretty confident we picked the right person. Darren, who said the quality of everyone’s work was inspiring, added: “Dee definitely had the most vignettes I liked over the week. Great work all round and there were many entries in my shortlist. I was so happy to see such great style and skill out there!”
It’s almost time for the March round of my Instagram photo challenge 7 Vignettes, and next month I’m delighted we have interior designer and judge on The Block Darren Palmer, taking part as our guest judge. Here’s the new list!
This month I’ve compiled the list from participants’ suggestions. I hope you like them! The lovely Darren will be watching the hashtag and joining in the fun, then helping me pick the winner at the end of the week.
This time we have a great prize for the winner; not just a $200 voucher to spend at PAD (Passionate about Design), but also two bespoke cushions from Mantel and Church worth $270.
Here at Interiors Addict I was delighted when Darren Palmer was made the third full-time judge on The Block. Possibly not as much as he was though. “SO EXCITED! It’s a brilliant competition that has featured some really great talent over the years. I love the Block and am so happy to be a part of it,” he told me.
Darren rose to fame as a runner up on reality TV show homeMADE and now here he is, a renowned interior designer and a judge on another show. He’s done good, eh? “The thing is I know renovations because I renovate, I know design because I’m a designer and I know the competition and understand its constraints and pressures because I’ve been in exactly that situation myself. Well not quite exactly as we did a complete house every 5 days. These guys get 6 weeks. The Block is pretty much a holiday…”
The much hyped The Block All Stars starts tonight at 7pm and, having visited the houses a couple of months ago, I’m really looking forward to watching. Friend of Interiors Addict Darren Palmer has also been announced as a new full-time judge, replacing John McGrath and joining Shaynna Blaze from Selling Houses Australia and Belle editor in chief Neale Whitaker. A great trio, don’t you think?
The new judging lineup includes Darren Palmer, who rose to fame as a star of reality TV himself
The Block spinoff, which has been filming in Sydney’s Bondi, features four couples from previous series who didn’t win (but maybe should have?). They are Amity and Phil, Josh and Jenna, Mark and Duncan (the ‘two fat tradies’) and, from the most recent series, Dan and Dani. It’s a little ironic that new judge Darren rose to fame as a star of reality TV show (homeMADE) himself, even though he didn’t win.
There’s been some drama, with The SMH reporting, at the end of November, that contestant Mark Bowyer had left the show after being rushed to hospital and feeling unwell. Apparently host Scott Cam and Mark’s wife Jenny, stepped in to assist his partner Duncan Miller, but it’s not clear if he eventually returned to filming.
I visited the block in November and was really impressed and excited by what I saw in the heritage houses, which at that point had had two rooms each renovated. I have no doubt they will all be worth a small fortune once they’re finished and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.
The Block All Stars houses in Sydney’s Bondi
This year they’ve also set up an online Block shop where you can buy products used in the show. Now there’s a simple but brilliant idea! Check it out here.
Can you believe I’ve posted 1000 times (well, a few more than now, actually!)? I would say I can’t, but it’s not all that surprising to me! Nonetheless, I thought what a great excuse for the best giveaway I’ve ever done, and one that’s full of amazing prizes I know interiors addict readers will love! One lucky reader will win EVERYTHING and all you have to do is answer one question. The best answer will be judged by Belle magazine’s interior design editor Steve Cordony and interior designer Darren Palmer. So here’s what’s up for grabs, in no particular order (it keeps going and going)…
An A0-size limited edition signed print of Andrew O’Brien’s Pink, Turquoise on Ultramarine Ground, as seen on the cover of a recent Real Living magazine
Darren Palmer is having a good year. First, he was guest judge on The Block and now he’s done the interiors for Jennifer Hawkins’ new home, published in this week’s OK! There’s not space to talk about everything else in between, like co-presenting at decoration + design with me (surely the highlight?)!
Photo from OK! magazine
While his work’s been on the pages of mags like Belle and Real Living, a women’s glossy is a first for him. “It was fantastic,” he says. “I really enjoyed seeing Jennifer in the pictures with the interior finishes we worked on together. She makes a fantastic styling prop!”
Launching today, Carpet Court’s Love the Look is a competition giving Aussies with a keen eye for interior style the chance to win a $10,000 room makeover in their home.
Carpet Court and its ambassadors Darren Palmer and Stacey Kouros, who both shot to fame on reality TV show homeMADE, are calling on interior design enthusiasts throughout Australia to share their style inspirations through a series of six weekly Facebook tasks.
The tasks will be simple. Darren and Stacey will be asking entrants to share images that have inspired the looks in their homes. It may be a holiday snap that has inspired an outdoor space, or a photograph of a statement piece that has been passed down through generations. They’ll be showcasing their different styles, and asking entrants to pick ‘Team Darren’ or ‘Team Stacey’ with each entry.
Darren Palmer
There are 12 weekly prizes to be won including Vera Wang Wedgewood china, digital cameras from Canon, and outdoor furnishings and designer rugs from Carpet Court. The grand prize includes a $10,000 styling budget from Carpet Court and styling advice from either Darren or Stacey (depending on which team the chosen winner has picked).
I had so much fun at the Nespresso U launch, hosted by interior designer Darren Palmer in Sydney last night. There were (n)espresso martinis, plenty of glamorous guests and fun to be had by styling your own vignette around one of the latest coffee machines.
Welcome to a new feature on Interiors Addict called Folded Corners. What is she on about now, you ask? Well, every time I buy a new magazine, I end up folding over the corners of each page I find something I want to buy. It’s an expensive business. Clearly I don’t buy all of them or I’d never have any money, but it’s a fun passtime.
So I thought why not share my favourites with you each time a new issue hits my mailbox? Today I am starting with Real Living September 2012. That’s this one:
Subscribers already have theirs but I don’t think it’s on shelves until Monday. It has a fab neon cover and a $100,ooo giveaway with some awesome prizes up for grabs. There’s also a fab feature where you can see inside the homes of some of the country’s top stylists, including belle’s interior design editor Steve Cordony. I should also mention my interior designer friend Darren Palmer has his first project in Real Living this month (page 136), and it’s a very nice one indeed!
Here’s what I’m coveting from the current issue and where you can find it online…
Wow, what a week! Melbourne was very kind to me this week, for all kinds of reasons! First off, it was a fantastic experience being a speaker at decoration + design’s International Industry Seminar Series. What an absolute honour, especially when I met the other uber talented speakers from all over the world (no pressure!), who included international lighting designer Beau McClellan, Dutch trend forecaster Milou Ket and the fabulous Sydney-based interior designer Thomas Hamel, who I have known for some time and am a big fan of.
My friend Darren Palmer (interior designer and star of reality TV shows homeMADE and The Block) and I gave a talk on harnessing the power of PR and social media to grow your business. We were delighted that around 200 people came along to hear us and flattered by the great feedback we received. I was less nervous than I usually am when public speaking, probably because I know this topic so well and am passionate about it. Darren and I wanted our talk to be entertaining as well as informative, and like two friends having a chat! I hope that’s how it came across. I was only slightly nervous to see belle’s editor in chief Neale Whitaker in the front row as Darren and I talked about how to approach magazine editors!
I’m off to Melbourne tomorrow night and will be doing the rounds of decoration + design on Thursday afternoon and a lot of Friday (as well as doing my talk with Darren Palmer). Loads of you have told me you’re going so can I please ask a favour? If you see me, grab me, and say hi! I’ll most likely be with my friend Emma from Nest Designs. Much as I love chatting to you all on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, that’s a lot of thumbnails to keep track of, and I’m bad with faces (and names for that matter) to start with. You have an advantage in that my photo is on here and you know what I look like. If I make eye contact and give you a half-smile like “I think I recognise you but I’m not quite sure,” don’t mistake it for craziness, just say “hi Jen, I’m so-and-so!” Did I mention I’m also shortsighted and I never wear my specs? Ok, you get the idea. But I love meeting Interiors Addict readers so again, please don’t be shy!
I hope you enjoy the trade fair and get lots of inspiration! Jen x
I am a big fan of stylist Jane Frosh and this week I featured her Blue Mountains home, which is up for sale. It was recently on the cover of Country Style and it is AMAZING. Check it out.
I had my first visit to Potts Point homewares and fashion store Becker Minty and met owner Jason Minty. A real pleasure all round, and thanks for letting me have my photo taken in your gorgeous shop for The West Australian (more on that later).
Ecoya revealed they will open a flagship store in Sydney’s Woollahra at the end of this month and what’s more, it’s been designed by stylist Megan Morton. Can’t wait!
There’s always something interiors-related going on in Sydney and I love that. Passionate About Design (PAD) is the latest store to announce an upcoming styling and colour workshop.
It’s been a fantastic week for PR, with a double-pager in Ivy & Piper magazine and a feature in The West Australian’s Habitat section. I’m always really grateful for and excited by press coverage. I love getting the Interiors Addict message out far and wide so I was particularly please to be in a WA newspaper.
This coming week my apartment is being photographed for Northside magazine’s ‘At home with’ feature. I’m a little nervous, I must admit!
I’m looking forward to speaking at decoration + design in Melbourne on Friday. I’ll be there on Thursday too. If you’re exhibiting or coming to my talk with Darren Palmer, please let me know and I’ll try and make time to say hi! I’m making a weekend of it and can’t wait to stay at The Blackman, one of the art series hotels. The interiors look stunning and I can’t wait to check it out.
In totally unrelated news, this week I took the diamond my fiancé proposed with to the jeweller to be made into my engagement ring. VERY exciting and still floating on a post-engagement cloud…
I’m off to watch Downton Abbey. Have a fantastic week ahead and I hope to meet lots of you at decoration + design!
Want to know where to get your interior inspiration on Facebook? Here’s my pick of the designers with their own pages. What are you waiting for? Go like!
Abigail Ahern: One of my favourite UK interiors people, Abigail has a great blog, full of inspiration, gorgeous images and plenty of humour. She links to the best of her blog from her fab Facebook page.
Greg Natale: Last year’s Belle | Coco Republic Interior Designer of the Year is always sharing pix of his latest work, links to press coverage and snaps of him at parties and industry events.
Darren Palmer:This former reality TV star turned up and coming interior designer knows all about using social media and PR. In fact, he’s talking about just that at decoration + design with me in Melbourne next month. Darren has a regularly updated Facebook page.
Kelly Hoppen: Brand Hoppen is all over the internet with its own app, Facebook, Twitter, all of it! Keep in touch with everything the London designer’s doing via her Facebook page.
Arent & Pyke: Closer to home, Sydney duo Juliette Aren’t and Sarah-Jane Pyke are also sharing photos of their work and things they love on Facebook.
Shaynna Blaze: Twitter, blogging, Facebook ; the The Block judge and Selling Houses Australia presenter is all over it!
On Tuesday I was all kinds of excited to publish my interview with Kelly Hoppen, who I have long admired. Her show Superior Interiors aired in Australia for the first time that night on the Lifestyle Channel. Did you tune in? I would have but I don’t have Foxtel (there’s already not enough hours in the day for all the reality TV I watch!).
Loni Parker of the popular online magazine Adore Home announced she has quit her graphic designer job to concentrate on her real passion full-time. Good for you, Loni! The big news is she will launch an online store with the next issue of the mag this Friday. I have written a home profile in there so make sure you check it out!
I confessed how my own impatience has led to me making many bad interiors decision!
On Friday I met Jamee Huntington from In A Designer Home. Have you checked out her online store? It’s selling all kinds of fabulous brands like my faves Armadillo & Co and Dinosaur Designs.
Last night Dale and Sophie finally won a challenge on The Block. Did you like their hallway and bedroom? I did. Our friend Darren Palmer was guest judging again too. Who is your favourite judge? I’m really only tuning in on Sundays now for the room reveals as the midweek challenges bore me (I know, I have mentioned this a LOT but it’s just such a shame The Block enjoyment can’t be spread right across the week!).
Belle magazine’s super stylist Steve Cordony has finally joined Twitter. Hoorah! Follow him @stevecordony.
How stylish are this trio? Three of my favourite industry people: Belle editor in chief Neale Whitaker and interior designers Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer. Darren’s standing in again for third judge John McGrath on Sunday so make sure you tune in. The Sunday room reveals are my favourite.
Are you enjoying this series? Personally, I can’t get enough of the episodes where they show the couples doing the work and the room reveals are great (as is the watching the dynamics of all their relationships!) but I’m still really disappointed in all the irrelevant challenges. Boring! The judges, however, are doing a fantastic job and I particularly like what Shaynna is adding to the mix.
I’m delighted to announce that Darren Palmer and I will be sharing the secrets of using PR and social media to grow your design business as part of the international industry seminar series at Melbourne’s decoration + design in July.
I’ll be sharing my experience, both as a journalist and magazine editor and as a blogger. If you have questions on how to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to boost your design business and grow your brand, I’m your woman! I can also give you tips on how to spark the interest of a magazine editor or blogger.
Darren, who first shot to fame on reality TV shows homeMADE and The Block, is a regular in all the homes magazines as well as GQ. He’ll share his secrets to getting your work featured in the media and how that exposure has helped him grow his business and become one of Sydney’s most talked about up and coming designers.
