Tag: shaynna blaze

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Interiors Addict

New York (and Hamptons!) state of mind with Shaynna Blaze

By Shaynna Blaze

Travelling the world via the web – trawling blogs, pinning images on Pinterest and saving endless images to style folders – is one way that I like to draw inspiration, but it’s my actual visits to far flung destinations that really ignite my senses and get my creative juices flowing. Recently I was lucky enough to travel to some notoriously stylish American destinations: New York City and its nearby beach town, The Hamptons.

Taking in the visual style of New York City I saw that light greys, raw concrete, battered timbers, contrasting black and whites and industrial lighting are indicative of the city’s décor palette. The overall lack of vibrant colour was noticeable throughout the borough of Manhattan and it became apparent that NYC tends to stay true to its traditional blend of raw material and simple white-on-white colour scheme.

taubmans Image One
Picture by Shaynna at Restoration Hardware

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Interiors Addict

A third off Grand Designs Live tickets

Are you a big Kevin McCloud fan? Good news is he is in Australia for both Grand Designs Live Sydney and Melbourne next month. Hoorah! Even better, all my readers can get $10 off tickets.

grand designs live kevin mccloudLaunching in Sydney from 18-20 October and continuing in Melbourne from 25-27 October, the exhibition features a bevy of attractions and more than 200 exhibitors. Visitors will find the best ideas and advice for their homes as well as see and hear from celebrity experts, including both the British and Aussie hosts of the Grand Designs programs, Kevin McCloud and Peter Maddison.

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Bathrooms

Reece Bathroom Innovation Award winner 2013

Showering technology took the top prize in the 2013 Reece Bathroom Innovation Award (BIA), with new innovations in air extractor integration and sustainable showering technology announced as the winners at Sydney Indesign earlier this month.

Chris Connell, Principal at Melbourne’s Chris Connell Design, was awarded the professional prize of $20,000 for his multi-dimensional shower unit, Wind Rain Fire, which combines an air extractor fan with a flush-mounted showerhead. Judges praised his clever approach to creating a more streamlined bathroom by removing the need for separate exhaust fans and the careful balance of aesthetic, function and technology in his product.

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Interiors Addict

Decoration + Design Melbourne wrap up

Kathryn Bamford headed to Decoration + Design to report on her favourites for us.

designer boys shaynna
The Designer Boys with Shaynna Blaze

Thank goodness Decoration & Design + Furnitex co-exist in the same location! It was a crazy 4 days at Melbourne’s Exhibition Centre which brought together some of my favourite brands and suppliers in the one place. There was a real emphasis on up and coming Australian designers which was great to see!

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The Block

The Block second chance re-do rooms

Alisa and Lysandra’s bedroom looked so much better second time around, impressing the judges. It was my favourite of the re-do rooms. Darren Palmer called it “a gazillion times better than before'” and Shaynna said their apartment was one of the most saleable homes she’d seen in a long time.

Couples Finished Room 8 in Melbourne

Love their look? Pick up the Emma Cleine Lumiere Art + Co print, bedside lamp, pendant light and more online from The Block Shop. I’m a big fan of that pendant ($335)!

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Interiors Addict

Matt & Kim win two room reveals in a row! Get their terrace look

Whether you call it a loggia, a covered terrace or an outdoor room, Matt & Kim had the winning one last night. It was an exciting final Sunday night reveal, with the second chance rooms also unveiled. It marked the end of the renovations at The Block Sky High and 75 rooms made over in 8 weeks. Wowee!

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The judges went gaga over Matt and Kim’s terrace. Neale called it incredible, Shaynna loved the ‘Austin Powers’ fireplace and they all loved the way everything could be controlled from an ipad app. Neale even said the penthouse was now on level 2, a little awkward when relayed to the other contestants!

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The Block

Last night’s room reveal and where to buy what you saw on The Block

Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker loving the timber tiles in Johnno and Trixie's bedroom

Sunday night room reveals are the best bit about the The Block. No challenges, just renovating, room reveals, judging and results. Hoorah! The long and drawn out scoring process aside, what’s not to like?

Last night’s was a great episode, with Matt and Kim’s Pollock-inspired bedroom described as both “a crime scene” and the most controversial room in the show’s history. Kudos to them for getting such a reaction! I thought their design was wholly inappropriate but admired their bravery and they definitely executed their ideas really well and with enthusiasm. Easy for me to say as an armchair critic…

Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker loving the timber tiles in Johnno and Trixie's bedroom
Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker loving the timber tiles in Johnno and Trixie’s bedroom

I think Bec and George were probably the right couple to win, although I loved parts of Trixie and Johnno’s room too, in particular their Bonnie and Neil wall tiles. I can’t believe none of the judges had seen them before; I’ve been loving them for months and wishing I wasn’t renting so I could use them somewhere! I like the twins but I wasn’t a fan of last night’s bedroom. Next week will be interesting with two bathrooms each to complete. I do love a good bathroom reno so looking forward to those!

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The Block

Contestants transform a hotel into apartments in the Block Sky High, starting Sunday

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?!

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Interviews

Passion and integrity are Barbara Hermon’s secrets to longevity with Hermon&Hermon

John and Barbara Hermon of Hermon&Hermon

The last 46 years have seen Barbara Hermon become a household name synonymous with style, quality and the best of interior design.

John and Barbara Hermon of Hermon&Hermon
Husband and wife John and Barbara Hermon, of Hermon&Hermon

This year, Melbourne institution Hermon&Hermon celebrates 23 years on top, but inside the fickle and often foreboding world of retail, perhaps Barbara’s most impressive accomplishment is the mere fact that she is still an ever-present force among her fellow design enthusiasts, pushing the boundaries to create trends whilst simultaneously avoiding them.

Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting with Barbara to discuss the logistics behind her longevity. “Passion, resilience and determination are the most important things,” she told me.

After moving to Melbourne, she  began working for Trade Action and, in 1972, became the homewares and jewellery buyer for Handicrafts of Asia. “I travelled to developing countries; Pakistan, Ethiopia and India, and discovered many incredible handmade, one-off pieces. My experience being a buyer was invaluable and gave birth to my passion for quality handmade products and natural fibres.’’

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Interiors Addict

Got a colour question for Shaynna Blaze?

Hi folks. Next week I’m going to a special colour event with Taubmans and Shaynna Blaze. I have the opportunity to get Shaynna to help me with a colour conundrum in my home and, as I don’t really have one, I thought I’d  pass the opportunity to one of you! So, if you have a colour problem in your home you’d like some expert advice on, please comment below and I’ll pick one to take to her.

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Interiors Addict

Shaynna Blaze gets her own show, Blank Canvas

The pilot for her first interiors show of her very own airs on The Lifestyle Channel in a couple of weeks and Shaynna Blaze is hoping you’ll watch so she gets to do a whole series!

Shaynna Blaze Blank Canvas

No stranger to reality TV, it will be the first time the star of Selling Houses Australia and The Block won’t have co-hosts or judges. “I am totally over the moon, nervous and excited,” she told me. “This is the first show where I carry it on my own so there is a certain fear and responsibility that comes with that but the opportunity to do a show purely about interiors is so incredible. I have been looking at my own show for a while and after talking with Taubmans and The LifeStyle Channel, they saw a gap in the market and this is the result.”

Shaynna says the show is purely about design and decoration for people stuck on where to go next because they’re either scared or lost on where to start in their renovation. “This is a show for people who want to do up their home to live in it, and working on ideas and styles that suit our Australian lifestyle and environment.”

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Interiors Addict

Zanui first birthday event with Shaynna Blaze

Yesterday I attended the first birthday celebration event for online furniture store Zanui in Sydney, where Shaynna Blaze was special guest.

zanui

It really doesn’t seem a whole 12 months since I was at Zanui’s launch event! The vast warehouse-style space of Simmer on the Bay in Sydney was decked out in products available to buy on the site, all beautifully styled. Guests included media and suppliers, as well as X-Factor winner Samantha-Jade Gibbs and Guy Sebastian’s wife Jules, both of whose homes have recently been furnished by Zanui with a little styling help from my good friend Emma Blomfield at Nest Designs (pictured with Shaynna and I in the photo above).

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Bedrooms

Iva’s bedroom makeover impresses Shaynna Blaze

Earlier this month we ran a competition to win a course at the new International Institute of Home Staging (IIHS) and asked readers to send in their own room makeovers aimed at helping sell a home.

We asked our friend Shaynna Blaze, star of The Block and Selling Houses Australia, to judge. Who better?! She chose this unisex toddler bedroom entry from Iva Izman.

Iva 1

“This room is a work of art in itself. All decorations are DIY from salvaged items and recycled materials. From the wall art down to the cushion details and baby mobile, it was all handmade by me,” said Iva in her entry.

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Interiors Addict

Impress Shaynna and win a course at the International Institute of Home Staging

Naomi Findlay

Are you a first-time first renovator, a flipper, a property developer or simply a would-be stylist who’d like to start their own business? The International Institute of Home Staging, which launched this week, could be just what you’re looking for! Luckily for one reader, we’re giving away a course worth $497 to whoever impresses our judge, Shaynna Blaze, the most.

The International Institute of Home Staging's Naomi Findlay
The International Institute of Home Staging’s Naomi Findlay

The International Institute of Home Staging (IIHS), which offers the first and only interactive online home staging and property styling courses in Australia, launched this week to help budding designers learn the art and business of making homes attractive to buyers. The demand for staging professionals has reached an all-time high in Australia, as real estate agents and vendors alike realise how much it can impact final sale prices.

Founder Naomi Findlay says: “The courses offered are put together by a fantastic array of Australian design, styling and business mentors that provide great insight into what is a growing industry. It’s designed to teach other people how they can make money on their own property sales or start their own property styling and home staging business.”

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Designers The Block

The new kid on The Block Darren Palmer

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 Palmer

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…”

Careful, Darren!

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The Block

The Block All Stars starts tonight

The Block judges: Neale, Shaynna and Darren

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 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
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.

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Interiors Addict

Shaynna’s own show. Want to be on it?

The fabulous Shaynna Blaze from Selling Houses Australia and The Block (does she ever stop?!) is getting her own show. Hoorah! And you could be on it!

Are you ready to update your tired kitchen or loungeroom but don’t know where to start? Let Shaynna help tap into your inner renovator. She’s looking for shabby kitchen and living areas in desperate need of help and owners willing to project manage under her guidance. So you actually get to learn too, not just have someone else do it all for you. Sounds great, no?

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The Block

The Block All Stars read Interiors Addict!

I wish I could tell you more about what I saw inside!

Well, Amity does anyway! Yesterday I was very excited to be invited to have a look around the partially renovated The Block All Star terraces in Bondi. What a treat! Four couples who didn’t win their series (but perhaps should have) are back for this special version of the show, which will be aired on Nine after Christmas.

I wish I could tell you more about what I saw inside!

I met all but one of the contestants yesterday, shook a lot of dusty hands and had a look inside their homes, four weeks in. They’ve completed two bedrooms and a bathroom and are onto their lounge rooms this week. Never have I seen such contrast between the untouched rooms in the run down heritage homes and the brand new restored and renovated. And I was really impressed with what I saw. The bathrooms in particular were really great and made me bemoan the fact I don’t have a bath even more than usual…

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