Home Tour: See inside The Block judge Shaynna Blaze's 1880s Melbourne pad

Time and again, there are moments of surprise and wonder as visitors climb the narrow flight of stairs leading to the 1880s Melbourne home of Shaynna Blaze.  And that always delights the renowned interior designer, author and long-time judge of TV renovation juggernaut The Block.

“I love that people come up and say, ‘Oh wow, I didn’t realise this was here!’” says Blaze. “A home should feel like an oasis as well as an adventure, with elements of fun, personality and the unexpected. And even though this building is on a main road and is also a commercial space, it’s so private up here.”

Indeed, within this busy suburban shopping and cafe precinct, a nondescript street-front door that opens to Blaze’s ground-level design studio divulges no hint of her remarkable sanctuary above. 

“This building has had many, many lives,” says Blaze. “After starting out as a bakery in the late 1800s, it became retail shops and was then a home to different owners over the years, one of whom was another interior designer who ran her business downstairs and lived above.”

Eight years ago, the three-level property – its soaring ceilings, decorative cornices and exquisite archways an exemplar of the timeless grandeur and grace of Victorian-era buildings – was once again calling for a new custodian. This time, fate was on Blaze’s side.

“I’m definitely a believer in destiny, so it’s very special to be here,” she says. “I grew up looking at and admiring these sorts of buildings.”

To Blaze, who often finds herself thinking of what once was, the terrace’s palpable sense of history was not only to be honoured but cherished.

“These buildings are a gift – they’re not a right,” she reflects. “You get a gift to work with, and it’s your job also to leave a gift when you one day leave. That’s the envelope you’re given. You cannot have a building that is 140 years old that doesn’t take on an imprint from its past.”

That said, there was scope aplenty for Blaze, who now also designs popular collections of furniture and homewares, to work her magic.

“The outdoor area had to be completely gutted, as it was all rotted and falling apart,” she says. “I also re-did the kitchen and bathroom, stripped back the baltic pine floorboards and put in a restored mantel for the fireplace. Pretty much every surface you now touch is brand new.”

A deliberately dialled-down base palette of crisp white walls and pale timber flooring rightfully places the spotlight on evocative oversized works of art. These include a striking black and white painting by the late Indigenous artist Mitjili Napurrula, as well as stunning photographic works by Blaze’s dear friend Vanessa Hall and acclaimed photographer Carla Coulson.

“All of these pieces are very special to me,” she says. “There’s not one piece that matches another. They are all different, but they each tell a story, as art should.”

Blaze’s trademark, tactile materials, plush furniture pieces and feature pendant lighting speak clearly of her style while making a distinctive statement throughout.

“There’s a lot of texture here,” she says. “In the living room, there’s the texture of the velvet sofa, the cane furniture and the Moroccan floor rug. They don’t match, but they’re all texture-based and that’s how they connect.

“I do like a classic base – whether that be whites, blacks or neutrals – but people need also to embrace the excitement of colour. Bring in the personality with different bits and pieces. I’d describe my decorating style as classic eclectic – classic bones, but where the unexpected becomes the eclectic.”

Nowhere is this more evident than in the showstopper second-level bathroom.

“This is where you disappear to Versailles,” laughs Blaze. “I got a photo from a hallway in Versailles and they printed it onto the wall tiles, which are from Italy and arrived in big pieces. It’s like bringing a picture into the reality.”

And the home’s crowd-pleasing cherry on top? The expansive roof terrace, of course, with bird’s-eye views of the neighbourhood. This relaxed outdoor living and entertaining domain has played host to many a celebration over the years.

“We’ve also had lots of dinner parties up here, showings and events, as well as a few New Year’s Eve parties thrown in for good measure,” says Blaze.

Above all, the designer has created a stylish yet welcoming abode that leaves an indelible impression. Even her beloved border collie Phoenix appears in her element as she pads up and down the stairs, tail wagging.

“She loves to sit in the front window or wander around the house,” says Blaze with fondness. 

One of TV’s busiest stars, Blaze has also been hard at work on another renovation reality series. Nine’s Country Home Rescue will document the deeply personal transformation by the designer and her two adult children, Carly and Jess, of the family’s historic country house in Victoria’s beautiful Macedon Ranges.

“We did it together and it was beyond special,” she says. “To connect together as a family and be able to do a big reno where you’ll all [be] pushed together to the edge – we didn’t just survive, we thrived as a family. That makes me just so proud of them as people, too.”

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