12 properties we loved: A round-up of Domain's best home tours

The best home tours stand out for their beautiful, unique designs – but it’s the passion of the owners that truly brings these spaces to life. Domain has had the joy of touring many celebrity properties: these are our highlights.

1. The Block co-creator Julian Cress and Sarah Armstrong

About the property: After 20 seasons of The Block, Cress and Armstrong have accrued many connections in the building industry. With the help of some Block alumni, they renovated a 1980s kit home in Gisborne, the location of the 2022 season of the hit renovating show The Block. It took 12 months to transform the property into an inviting abode, where the family can embrace a slower pace of life.

Why we love this home: Their take on country living is quaint yet stylish, with innovations like hidden doorways in the hallway panelling and LED strips lighting the sheer curtains in the main bedroom to create a glow at night.

Watch the tour: Inside The Block co-creator Julian Cress’ transformed 1980s kit home in Gisborne

2. Dessert master Katherine Sabbath

About the property: This two-storey home has been transformed by Katherine Sabbath, who purchased the light-filled property as a first-home buyer. Previously Sabbath lived – with her partner, Troy, and their daughter, Zemirah – in a Sydney rental with limited space. After a decade of saving for a deposit, the 38-year-old says the purchase of this first home was the icing on the cake. The five-bedroom home is in a new estate in western Sydney.

Why we love this home: Estates offer the benefit of being move-in ready, with few design tweaks needed for buyers make the space their own. Sabbath’s open plan kitchen is slick and functional, with custom handles by Folk Studio, and cabinet handles created with help from Lo & Co.

Watch the tour: Why dessert master Katherine Sabbath ditched inner-city renting to live in western Sydney

3. Musician Ben Lee and actor Ione Skye

About the property: The Woollahra terrace is home for Ben Lee, Australian musician, his wife, actor Ione Skye, and their fourteen year-old daughter. Lee describes the home as a “communal and cultural space” for creative friends. The couple chose to let their daughter inhabit the main bedroom, as they love hosting so much, it was important that she had her own “apartment-like” space of her own upstairs.

Why we love this home: What better way to tour a creative space, than with the brilliant narration of an artist  themselves? This home tour is entertaining from beginning to end, whether Lee is dropping a witty line or showcasing the museum of chic and unique pieces of furniture that Skye has curated. With tarot cards and instruments everywhere, this home is full of stories.

Watch the tour: Inside musician Ben Lee and actor Ione Skye’s 1860s Woollahra terrace

4. MasterChef judge and chef Andy Allen

About the property: This is a three-storey townhouse in Carlton –  one of Melbourne’s foodie hotspots. Andy Allen and his partner, Alex had been doing long distance interstate: COVID prompted their move to Melbourne where they purchased this property.

Why we love this home: The home has an expansive and peaceful feel. Tall sheer curtains draw the eye upwards, with high ceilings and clean interiors throughout. The design is characterised by clean edges – in timber, marble and grey brick – with an open-plan layout for entertaining. The property comes with spacious roof access with CBD views.

Watch the tour: ‘We love it here now’: Inside MasterChef judge and chef Andy Allen’s cool Carlton home

5. Founder of WHITEFOX Real Estate and The Block judge Marty Fox

About the property: The Toorak home of property power couple Marty and Charlotte Fox has ornate heritage features – the five-bedroom single-level house, built in the 1890s, is enveloped by a garden. It’s a lush and fragrant sea of silver birches, gardenias, lavender and more – but it wasn’t always this way. When the couple bought it in 2022 it was considerably run-down.

Even as self-proclaimed serial property flippers, the purchase required a leap of faith but they were confident they could unlock the home’s potential. Today, it follows the growing trend of homes including wellness spaces, with its own sauna, home gym and pool.

Why we love this home: Marty Fox says they loved Victorian homes with big rooms, characterised by beautiful detailing and solid craftsmanship. Charlotte did all of the material selection, importing vintage Murano lights from Europe. With the support of experts like Castley McCrimmon Architects and Dome Building, a wondrous renovation result took only 12 weeks to materialise.

Watch the tour:How Marty and Charlotte Fox unlocked the potential of their once ‘run-down’ Victorian abode

6. The Block host Shelley Craft

About the property: When The Block host Shelley Craft first moved in, the property was a single brick and tile home – since then, it’s been transformed into a calm and welcoming sanctuary for her family and two dogs.

Why we love this home: Craft calls out some of her favourite touches during the tour: the built-in dining booths that encourage the family to share a meal at home; the custom stone wall adding a Tuscan feel, and the natural light adding effortless grandeur. The home includes a wellness retreat – Craft says simplicity and low-maintenance fixtures were driving focuses during the renovation.

Watch the tour:Inside The Block host Shelley Craft’s Byron Bay escape

7. Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil

About the property: Maria Thattil’s first home was a place she immediately felt a connection with. She’s made some changes to the kitchen, and injected personality into the space with splashes of colour  and touches of luxury.

Why we love this home: Maria Thattil’s space is proof that a home should reflect you and your passions. The art in Thattil’s home, for instance, is a nod to her work championing representation. She says: “Art and colour in your home … should be something that moves you. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else.” The main bathroom’s design (with wall sconces for ambient, gold lighting and a skylight) makes you feel like you’re showering by candlelight – “there’s nothing like it”. 

Watch the tour: Maria Thattil’s renovated Melbourne home ‘feels like an oasis’

8. MasterChef judge Poh Ling Yeow

About the property: This four-bedroom home in Adelaide was a challenge to Poh Ling Yeow at first, who had previously lived in a tiny “rabbit warren of a flat” with no windows. She planned to give parts of the home a makeover, but didn’t know where to start when she and her former partner purchased the home 13 years ago.

Why we love this home: Yeow is an artist and chef, and this reflects in the design of her home. The Moroccan-themed TV room is drenched in colour, and the kitchen is an inspiring space to be in. The property’s garden is ripe with home-grown vegetables and herbs: as a green thumb, Yeow loves connecting with the meditative task. The large garden area, with beds ripe for experimentation, were a big selling point for Yeow.

Watch the tour: Inside MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow’s colourful, treasure-filled home

9. The Block judge Darren Palmer

About the property: As an author and judge on The Block, Darren Palmer’s leafy Bondi four-bedroom home comes as no surprise – Palmer has seen it all when it comes to design interiors, and it reflects in this tasteful renovation completed with husband Olivier Duvillard.

Why we love this home: The home is a glamorous but relaxed haven, with soft sandy hues and ocean views. Earthy finishes are everywhere in the home, with special mention going to the pink-tinged Monreale marble used throughout.

Watch the tour: The Block judge Darren Palmer’s Bondi Beach home for sale

10. Boost Juice founder Janine Allis

About the property: Janine Allis is a businesswoman and the founder of Boost Juice, so creating a calm home for her family was essential. The recently-renovated home sits on the edge of Noosa National Park.

Why we love this home: We’re always hearing about indoor-outdoor living, but this design takes it to the next level. The entire home is covered in a net, so you get the sensation of living beneath the forest trees without the bugs or leaves. It’s the perfect place for Allis and her family to relax and unwind.

Watch the tour: Inside Boost Juice founder Janine Allis’ incredible Noosa home

11. Interior designer Steve Cordony

About the property: Steve Cordony is an interior stylist, and the owner of this c1877 homestead surrounded by paddocks and rolling hills. With his long-term partner Michael Booth, Cordony has transformed Rosedale Farm. They came across the home after three years of searching for a rural property to call home.

Why we love this home:  Blue, gold and tan colour palettes are used throughout the property, but it’s the dining room wallpaper that always seems to be the main talking point for guests. The bathroom is complete with a tub, gold fixtures and Rosedale Farm views. The home has generous balconies and space for everyone to roam.

Watch the tour: Explore Rosedale Farm, the incredible 1877 estate interior stylist Steve Cordony calls home

12. Carlene Duffy’s revival of a Cudgera Creek farmhouse

About the property: Carlene Duffy, former star of The Block, had the privilege of restoring this 100-year-old farmhouse. It was handed down to her clients from their grandfather. The renovations needed to modernise the home while paying tribute to its origins.

Why we love this home: The blend between rustic and contemporary styles is seamless. The cane materials, cafe-style curtains, peg boards and terracotta mosaic splashbacks echo a simpler time. From the “Granny chic” fabrics to the neutral bathroom style offsetting the bold hues of the rest of the house, this home tour is a lesson in tasteful modernisation.

Watch the tour: Former Block star Carlene Duffy gives a 100-year-old farmhouse in Cudgera Creek a colourful transformation