Expert Advice From A Seasoned Renovator, With Interior Designer Leigh Ellwood

In our final episode for 2023, we speak with lawyers-turned-renovators Julie and Vincent Fodera who are restoring one of Melbourne's oldest mansions, a historic homestead in Caulfield known as Heatherbrae. The private property dates back to 1854 and is bit of a local landmark, which the couple have been the proud custodians of since buying it last year. Hear how they're lovingly updating the property, why their renovation journey has gained them 16k Instagram followers, and the importance of preserving magical heritage builds like this one. Take a look inside the remarkable abode here, and follow them at @heatherbrae1854 to see their progress! Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!

Melbourne interior designer Ruby Shields and her carpenter husband Patrick join us to talk about the five-year renovation of their first home in Mount Evelyn!The couple bought the house in 2018 (that had been left half-renovated by the previous owner) and have been working on it ever since. They share how this journey inspired Ruby’s to land her dream job at design studio WOWOWA, the struggles of renovating while working full time, and how they styled it with a mix of second-hand and designer furniture.Take a look inside their wonderful creative house and here, and follow Ruby on Instagram @rubyshields_designs. Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!

When furniture makers Al and Imogen Roberts found themselves priced out of Torquay’s real estate market, they decided to buy a block of land and build their sustainable dream home. Al is a former carpenter and Imo is a designer with a background in digital marketing, and it’s taken them almost three years to create their timber-lined family home from the ground up! They reveal the challenges of this ambitious project, the hidden costs that come with new builds, and why they decided to start from scratch rather than renovate. See their (almost) finished home in the full story here, and follow them on Instagram at @al_and_imo or @the_good_day_house for more updates. Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening! 

We're back with more renovating stories, and today's episode is all about how TDF Talks host Lucy Feagins and her husband Gordy Johnson transformed their family's Blairgowrie beach shack! Using Lucy's project management skills and Gordy's expertise as a cabinet maker, the couple took a hands-on approach to updating their circa-1970s property, which they ended up refurbishing inside and out. They speak to producer Christina Karras about the biggest costs, challenges, and how they navigated working together as a married couple to create their idyllic coastal retreat.See the before and after photos of their charming blue beach house in this article here! You can also book a stay to visit their holiday home here, and follow Lucy on Instagram at @lucy.feagins.Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!

In the final episode of our sustainability series, Momentum Energy’s managing director Lisa Chiba helps us understand how Australia will make the transition from fossil fuels to renewables! As the managing director of one of Australia’s ‘greenest’ energy retailers, Lisa breaks down some of the challenges facing our energy sector and shares how we can help make a difference — in addition to saving some money on your power bill. You can read the full story on this episode here, and visit Momentum Energy's website here to learn more.Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!

Could Melbourne become a self-sufficient city powered by its own energy by 2030? Environmental engineering consultancy Finding Infinity’s ambitious project 'A New Normal' is hoping to turn this vision into a reality, and the organisation's Will Young joins us in this episode to share how! Will explains the innovative architectural and building projects that are already underway, how much it will cost, and how these 'pilot' projects could be applied across the city to electrify our buildings, reuse water, and transition to renewable energy.You can find a written recap of this episode on our website here and you can find out more about A New Normal here.Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!

Been wondering how you can save money on your energy bills? In this episode of our sustainability series, chemical engineer turned energy advisor Tim Forcey tells us everything we need to know about improving the efficiency of the average Australian home! Tim is the founder of the popular Facebook group My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH) that’s about to welcome its 100,000th member, and he reveals his practical tips for reducing your energy consumption for the benefit of your wallet, health, and the environment.  You can find a written recap of this episode on our website here and you can find out more about Tim's services here.Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!

We kick off our new mini-series on sustainability with this episode featuring Jeremy McLeod, founder of Breathe Architecture and one of the driving forces behind Nightingale Housing! He joins Lucy to speak about Australia's housing crisis and how sustainability and affordability can coexist, with the help of thoughtful design.Hear his expert tips for getting into the property market, the importance of designing houses for people instead of profit, and so much more. Take a look at one the amazing Nightingale apartments here, and in our recap of this episode here. You can also find out more Goodbye Gas, who Jeremy recommends for electrifying your home here!Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!

In the final episode of our four-part renovating series, serial renovators and The Block favourites Josh and Jenna Densten talk about the incredible transformation of their 1800s heritage homestead in regional Victoria! They reveal the challenges of restoring a run-down property (which they found on Facebook Marketplace!), how their family has found living in a shed during the renovation, and the hidden costs they uncovered in the process.After almost two years it's finally coming together, and you can take a look inside their finished rooms of their charming country home in this article here!Keep up with Josh and Jenna on Instagram at @joshandjenna, and find more on their business Plan Proofing here!Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!

Today we chat with Leigh Ellwood, an interior designer behind some of the most special homes we've ever featured on TDF. Having completed 10 personal renovation projects in the last 24 years, safe to say she knows a thing or two about renovating! But what we really love about Leigh is her magic creative touch that turns each property into a warm, perfectly styled home, with lived-in interiors. Leigh shares some words of wisdom on how she finds the right tradespeople, the right properties, and her intuitive approach to designing spaces with a good ‘feeling’ about them.To see what we mean, take a look at Leigh’s amazing apartment in South Yarra’s iconic Beverley Hills complex and her dreamy beach house on the Great Ocean Road in this story here!You can follow Leigh on Instagram @leigh_ellwood. Follow us at @thedesignfiles and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. Thank you so much for listening!