Home is where the heart is and that’s why creating a space that reflects who you are is very important.
And because Your Home understands how most homeowners often agonise about how to best improve the look of their homes and individualise it, editorial co-ordinator Jessica Aquilina gave Shaynna Blaze – interior designer from the The LifeStyle Channel’s popular show Selling Houses Australia and The Block – a call about what inspires her designs. Shaynna is also a judge on ChannelNine’s The Block.
How many years have you been an interior designer?
I’ve been an interior designer on and off for about 20 years.
I was lucky enough to go straight from design college into a design firm.
I’ve had some time off to have children and then I’ve been singing, but it’s only been in the last 10 years that I’ve really got back into it.
How did you get into the industry?
I was really good at decorating and I was encouraged to go to design school.
So lucky I did, because I never looked back.
Can you describe your creative process?
The first thing I do is havemy client walk me around.
I don’t have any paper or pens and I don’t take notes. I just go in with an open mind and I try to understand the feel of the room or the home that I amre-designing. I try to understand what it is clients like and what it is they hate.
Introducing the client’s individual taste to the room or home is really important in my design process.
In particular I find out the colours that they like and what interests they have.
It’s important to know exactly what your client wants because it’s they who are living in this home.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
I think one of the of the most challenging roles that I have worked on was a 30 storey apartment.
I had to redo basically every room with a different theme, so that meant I had to redo something like 36 bathrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms and the list goes on.
We came up with different looks, such as a night club theme, day spa, hotel feel and quite a few other styles.
But our biggest challenge was to have furniture which we could dissemble and put in the elevator and than reassemble once in the room.
Did you ever think that you would be working on TV?
Never!
I always thought that I would end up singing, but never on TV.
What’s it like to be working on The Block?
It’s absolutely amazing. It’s like a whole new world.
I get to see what the contestants are going through, how they design the room and how they organise their budget.
I do this for a living and seeing what they go through, which is exactly what I go through on a daily basis, just amazes me.
Is it tough being a judge?
It is really tough.
I have to be picky when it comes to their rooms.
I can’t let them get away with a bodgie job because in the end someone is going to live in this house.
I see my role on the show as a mentor.
I show them what mistakes they have made and provide them with some advice.
Do you have any design tips for homeowners on a budget?
My advice for homeowners on a budget is not to impulsively buy because something’s a bargain.
Take your time and do your research.
Being impulsive can result in more work and more money to fix the job.