THE EDIT

What does “home” really mean when you strip away the marble benchtops and Instagram angles?
In this episode of The Edit, we sit down with one of Australia’s most loved interior designers and long-time judge on The Block Darren Palmer. Alongside Home Beuatiful editor Elle Lovelock, for a conversation that’s less about cushions and more about courage. It’s reflective, funny, occasionally filthy, and unexpectedly tender.
Darren opens up about growing up in an industrial Queensland town where he didn’t quite fit, learning his craft without formal training, and why curiosity not confidence has shaped his career. We talk about why great design should never look the same twice, how formative homes stay with us (whether we like them or not), and what happens when you finally stop editing yourself for public consumption.
Along the way, Darren shares the story of being outed by the media and how choosing honesty changed everything plus why Almost Home isn’t really about houses at all, but about memory, identity and the spaces that make us feel safe enough to be ourselves.
There’s also a joyful deep dive into his current home: colour, texture, scent, sound and the artwork that follows him everywhere because it still makes his heart beat faster.
We also catch up with Mel Nottage from Luxaflex on the quiet shift happening in Australian homes away from hard finishes and toward softer, more cocooning window treatments outdoors that prioritise how a space feels, not just how it looks with more people looking to entertain at home.
It’s an episode about ambition, vulnerability, and the quiet power of showing up as you are Zara outfits, filthy jokes and all.
You’ll hear:
Why Darren believes you can teach skills, but never attitude

The real story behind Almost Home and why it’s a double entendre

How childhood homes quietly shape adult design choices

What it was like growing up queer in regional Queensland in the ’80s

The moment Darren decided to stop hiding parts of himself publicly

Why the most powerful art isn’t décor it’s emotional

How design can be used to genuinely change lives through charity work

An audio home tour that hits all five senses (yes, including scent)

Get comfortable this one stays with you!
Thank you for listening ❤️
before you leave...
🗣️ Get in touch
What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Home Beautiful community and DM us on Instagram
👀 See more
Inside Darren Palmers Kitchen
Darren's beautiful Bondi home
Hamptons Style Easily Done
🙏 Our special thanks for making 'The Edit' our new home:
Luxaflex - our beautiful 'studio home' curtains
Oz Design - furniture Australians love
Darren Palmer Products
Credits:
Edited by Phil Calloway
Production by Thomas Crnkovic
Our wonderful Home Beautiful team
Learn More: HOME BEAUTIFUL

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Interior design’s not just about the cushion plumping. It’s about the cushion fill.” Lauren Mahoney says it with a laugh, but she means it, and in this episode, she opens the door on what really makes a home feel expensive, calm and actually you. In this episode of The Edit, Home Beautiful editor Elle Lovelock sits down with Lauren Mahoney, creative director of luxury interior design studio Studio Trio.
We trace Lauren's path from Western Sydney kid circling IKEA catalogues to buying her own studio at 28 and learning the hard truth: “There’s no point designing something people can’t afford. You both need to win - they get a beautiful home, and you make some money.” Lauren also spills fabric-world secrets, the reality of late-night scheme sessions, and why starting “at the bottom” is still the best design school there is.
Our host and editor of Home Beautiful, Elle Lovelock, goes inside Lauren's 1913 Federation home - its white walls, dark floors, and a Taubmans Double Grey “French blue-grey” kitchen. Lauren insists she’s “not a chopper,” declaring there are only two kinds of people: “cushion choppers, and not.” There’s incense burning after dinner, Byredo candles, eucalyptus spray around the bins, and a single framed wedding photo in a Ralph Lauren frame that quietly sums up her whole ethos: classic, sentimental, and never overdone.
For anyone paralysed by Pinterest boards and terrified of costly mistakes, Lauren’s advice is ruthlessly comforting: break it down to one room, one sofa, one palette. “Stick with the plan,” she says. “If it’s navy and white, don’t let a random terracotta cushion derail your life.” Whether you’re dreaming up your first apartment or finally tackling the ‘grown-up’ living room, this is your permission slip to design slowly, thoughtfully and on your own terms.
...plus inspiration for living room styling - where do you start? Our trend expert, Paula Cincotta from Oz Design, gives unique insights into the progression of interior design trends, sharing ways to style easily without getting overwhelmed. "Don't worry about chasing every trend, pick one or two details that feel like you and let them build on the look you already love," says Paula.

Thank you for listening ❤️
before you leave...
🗣️ Get in touch
What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Home Beautiful community and DM us on Instagram
👀 See more
Small Space Living
7 Clever Ways to Optimise Your Small Space
'That' Green Kitchen In Home Beautiful
A perfect colour palette for a Federation Home
🙏 Our special thanks for making 'The Edit' our new home:
Luxaflex - our beautiful 'studio home' curtains
Oz Design - furniture Australians love
Studio Trio Lauren Mahoney
Credits:
Edited by Phil Calloway
Production by Thomas Crnkovic
Our wonderful Home Beautiful team
Learn More: HOME BEAUTIFUL
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does a Real Housewife keep five dogs, three kids, white sofas and cream carpets looking spotless without harsh chemicals or losing her mind? In this episode of The Edit, Elle Lovelock from Home Beautiful sits down with cookbook author and Real Housewives of Sydney star Krissy Marsh to unpack her no‑nonsense home cleaning tips, smart hosting rituals and the heart-first philosophy behind her Double Bay family home.
Krissy reveals why “a home is only a home with the people in it and the connections you have,” and why she’ll always choose a welcoming table over a ‘trophy’ interior. From fridge audits and Tuesday night dinners for 20, to chemical-free cleaning hacks using bicarb soda, vinegar and essential oils, this is a masterclass in creating a calm, beautiful, low-tox home that still feels luxe.
You’ll hear how Krissy keeps white sofas guest-ready with clever fabric choices and throws, why she swears by top loader washing machines, and the surprisingly emotional story behind the custom artwork that captures her family’s life in one frame. Along the way, Krissy shares candid stories from her idyllic but imperfect Queensland childhood, raising teens, and hosting epic dinners where “there’s always a meal on that shelf” and everyone pitches in.
If you’ve ever searched for natural cleaning products, eco cleaning hacks, or stress-free entertaining at home, this episode is for you. Expect practical cleaning tips, mindset shifts and laugh-out-loud moments from one of Home Beautiful’s most loved home tour stars...
...plus inspiration for living room styling, where do you start? Our trend expert, Paula Cincotta from Oz Design, gives unique insights into quality furniture, care and interiors that are genuinely family-friendly and easy to create in your home.

Moments you'll hear 🔊
Krissy’s three-ingredient cleaning hack
“There’s probably three ingredients you need to clean the entire house: bicarb soda, vinegar and a bit of lavender.”
Why she dresses kids in white
“I pride myself on having white whites… It’s so much easier to clean.”
The fridge audit you’ll want to copy
“Fridge audit is just the best… There should always be a meal on that level.”
What really makes a home
“A home is only a home with the people in it and the connections you have.”
Thank you for listening ❤️
before you leave...
🗣️ Get in touch
What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Home Beautiful community and DM us on Instagram
👀 See more
Krissy Marsh home tour
Real Housewives of Sydney homes (including Krissy, Nicole O'Neil and more!)
The cleaning secrets of Real Housewife Krissy Marsh
Cleaning hacks galore
Oz Design Furniture Care
🙏 Our special thanks for making 'The Edit' our new home:
Luxaflex - our beautiful 'studio home' curtains
Oz Design - furniture Australians love
Krissy Marsh, cook book here!
Credits:
Edited by Phil Calloway
Production by Thomas Crnkovic
Our wonderful Home Beautiful team
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Edit, Home Beautiful editor Elle Lovelock invites you to join in on an important chat about what we actually want to do in the new year. Alongside one of Australia’s most trusted home experts, Tara Dennis, familiar to many of you from years on Better Homes and Gardens and other much-loved home and DIY shows, to talk about something more realistic than resolutions: new rituals for the new year that actually work.
From her calm, riverside home, Tara shares how she resets her space and her head when the year has left everything feeling a bit too full, drawers, diary, and brain included. Instead of colour-coded chore charts and impossible routines, she walks Elle through small, repeatable habits: gentle decluttering, re‑styling a few key zones, lighting a favourite candle at the same time each evening, and creating tiny daily moments that signal “you can exhale now.”
Together, Elle and Tara unpack the emotional clutter as much as the physical: the pressure to reinvent yourself every January, the guilt over unfinished projects, and the way our homes can quietly reflect that mental noise. Tara, in the same calm, practical tone you know from TV, offers low-stress ways to let things go, rearrange what you already own, and build home rituals that support how you really live, not how you think you’re supposed to live.
There are unique stories from early on in her career, memories of making do and making things by hand, and the realisation that styling and organising aren’t just about aesthetics, they’re a way of caring for yourself and the people you love. If you’re looking for new year home reset ideas, simple decluttering rituals, or just a kinder way to start the year, this conversation with Tara is a trustworthy guide from someone you’ve had in your living room for years
In this episode, we also meet expert buyer and marketer Paula Cincotta from OZ Design Furniture, who has a razor-sharp merchant brain and a designer’s eye for how we really live. From scouting international showrooms to curating the latest sofa trends and hero coffee tables for local homes, Paula talks through colour, curves and clever styling ideas she's learned on her travels that make big trends feel surprisingly achievable with no renovation required.

Thank you for listening ❤️
before you leave...
🗣️ Get in touch
What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Home Beautiful community and DM us on Instagram
👀 See more
Inside Tara's Gorgeous Riverside Home
Tara's Tips For The Best Night's Sleep Ever

🙏 Our special thanks for making 'The Edit' our new home:
Luxaflex - our beautiful 'studio home' curtains
Oz Design - furniture Australians love
Tara Dennis - See more at Pepperwhites
Credits:
Edited by Phil Calloway
Production by Thomas Crnkovic
Our wonderful Home Beautiful team
Learn More: HOME BEAUTIFUL

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a new year around the corner, Block alum and Holiday Home Makeover star Rachel Carr joins The Edit to talk about turning a tired coastal property into Cinque House, a luxury Mediterranean-inspired Airbnb that’s “booked up constantly”. She shares the smartest ways to get the most out of your Airbnb – from layout and storage to luxe hotel touches using the Cinque home on the NSW South Coast as the ultimate case study.
If you’re a Block fan, an aspiring host, or just obsessed with beautifully designed holiday rentals, this inspiring conversation dives into how Rachel and Ryan Carr blend luxury hotel vibes with real family practicality to create an Airbnb guests rebook again and again. Expect insider renovation tips, styling tricks, and plenty of Cinque House details you’ll want to steal for your own short stay
Moments
Design it like a hotel, live in it like a home​

The Block tricks that boost your nightly rate​

Layout hacks that make groups actually book​

Cinque’s Holiday Home “add to wishlist” hero features to be inspired by​

Non‑negotiables for 5‑star Airbnb reviews...and how to get them​

Life after The Block, from TV renos to a booked-out Cinque House holiday homes


Thank you for listening ❤️
before you leave...
🗣️ Get in touch
What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Home Beautiful community and DM us on Instagram
👀 See more
Inside Rachel and Ryan’s South Coast holiday home, Cinque House
Rachel & Ryan’s magnificent holiday home makeover (Cinque House on Airbnb) ​
10 amazing Airbnb cabin getaways (includes their holiday house)​

🙏 Our special thanks for making 'The Edit' our new home:
Luxaflex - our beautiful 'studio home' curtains
Oz Design - furniture Australians love
Rachel Carr
Credits:
Edited by Phil Calloway
Production by Thomas Crnkovic
Our wonderful Home Beautiful team
Learn More: HOME BEAUTIFUL

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.