Inside Gogglebox's Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd's renovated 1960s Sydney home

It’s surely only natural to wonder what might beckon beyond the ubiquitous Gogglebox Australia couches – presenting, as they do in each of the fan favourites’ homes, almost like characters in themselves.

And here’s the thing. In the case of the hit show’s happily married couple Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd, there’s good reason to be intrigued.

Beyond the sofa we’re so used to seeing in the couple’s inner-Sydney abode, every corner of a meticulously reimagined home awaits time in the spotlight.

While Sarah Marie and Matty, alongside Matty’s best friend Jad Nehmetallah, are among our best-known armchair critics, they’re also a design-savvy duo who relished the opportunity to breathe bold and beautiful new life into their 1960s home.

When the couple bought the house five years ago, it was a world removed from the stylish and light-filled sanctuary it is today.

“It was your typical suburban red-brick bungalow – very pokey, and with floral tiles on the bathroom walls that reminded you of your grandma’s house,” Matty says.

Sarah Marie adds, with a laugh, “And when you turned the taps on, the water was brown. So that was something we definitely had to tend to straight away.”

From the outset, however, the pair were confident the house was a diamond in the rough.

“It needed some love,” Matty says, “but it was well built, and we were happy to move in pretty much as it was, knowing that renovating was always the plan.”

In 2024, they green-lit a major seven-month renewal and extension of the home, showcasing an airy entertaining domain that opens to an al fresco zone and freshly landscaped garden.

For guidance, the couple worked closely with Priscilla Elasi of interior design studio Studio Priscilla.

“Priscilla was absolutely phenomenal and a driving force in the selection of everything from all of the finishes to the furniture and styling pieces,” Matty says.

In general, the aim was not to test the limits of good taste or to create a trendsetting style. Rather, it was to set a luxe yet tranquil tone within by utilising a harmonious base palette of organic materials.

Still, there are magical moments – several, in fact – of material and visual drama to surprise and enthral.

Behind a bank of crisp white kitchen joinery is a deep-green marble bar that brings a sense of glamour and sophistication.

There’s the couple’s opulent en-suite bathroom, its sea of heavily veined verde Alpi stone brought to vivid emerald life in both slab and tile form.

Then, unveiled in the new living and entertaining zone, against white-painted walls and expanses of black steel-framed glazing, is the strong architectural statement of a raked ceiling soaring to a five-and-a-half-metre pinnacle.

“It feels so grand when you walk into this area,” Sarah Marie says, to which Matty jokes: “Just don’t ask us to change a light bulb – we need scaffolding to get up there!”

That said, practicality was certainly a key consideration for the parents of sons Malik, five, and Lyon, 20 months, who also share their world with an English bulldog, Bane.

“We have no sharp edges – that was important to us – and we wanted the home to reflect our style while still being as low-maintenance and practical as possible,” says Sarah Marie, who has returned to Gogglebox after a two-year break.

“Even the couch, which is a beigey-cream colour, is surprisingly low maintenance,” she adds, with Matty noting: “The enemy with young children and a bulldog is drool, so a beige couch is a little more forgiving in that regard – definitely more so than our previous green velvet couch.”

Primed for a fresh chapter of busy home life, the house brings daily solace and joy to the family.

“We really wanted it to feel homely and timeless, so we tried not to lean into the latest trends too much,” Matty says. “It’s turned out exactly as we wanted it to.”

For these Goggleboxers, this is indeed home. One that is always worth leaving the couch to further discover and enjoy.

Five questions with Sarah Marie and Matty …

1. What’s the one item in the home you would save first above all else?

Sarah Marie: “After grabbing the kids, Matty and the dog and making sure they’re all out and safe, I’d take my staghorn plant at the front of the house – I love it.”

2. Favourite space in the house?

Sarah Marie: “I love the new living room. It has so much light.”

Matty: “The bar, for sure. Although I’ve just started six months of no alcohol, so it’s going to test me to look at it every day.”

3. The oldest thing in the home?

Matty: “The original red terrazzo step at the front.”

4. The newest thing in the home?

Sarah Marie: “Our outdoor furniture, from MCM House.”

5. Favourite spot on the couch for Gogglebox viewing?

Matty: “That’s easy! I love the corner section because I can put my legs up.”

Sarah Marie: “And I love the armchair side, so everything works out really well.”

Gogglebox Australia: Thursdays at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play, and streaming on Paramount+.