You can take the renovator out of the project, but you can’t take the project out of the renovator.
That’s what Lana Taylor quickly realised when she took on judging duties alongside buyer’s agent Simon Cohen and interior designer Rosie Morley for Seven’s brand new renovating reality program, Dream Home.
As the co-owner of wildly successful Three Birds Renovations, it’s only natural the urge to get involved got the better of her while she evaluated the transformation of suburban homes into dreamy new properties by six pairs of everyday Aussies.
“I did take it upon myself and start to restyle a room before we left it,” she admitted.
“I couldn’t help it. I just wanted to show Rosie and Simon what I meant, because Rosie can sometimes be a bit dismissive of the power of styling.
“I think all of us judges definitely wanted to get stuck into it in on some occasions, and just try and correct a few things or remove a piece of artwork and swap it out or something.”
Taylor, who gave up a corporate gig to launch Three Birds Renovations with two mum friends almost a decade ago, said she was impressed at what the contestants delivered within such a tight time-frame.
“I think particularly their first crack at it all, we were definitely impressed. And I’m even more impressed now that I’m watching the show as I didn’t have the benefit of seeing the mad rush and dash to the finish line,” she said.
“I cannot believe how they got a room ready for me to walk in as you’ll see on Sunday night, I don’t know how they did it.”
The renovation queen, whose business has amassed a cult-like following, insists she wasn’t a tough judge despite her expertise in the field but said she was always honest, which viewers will see during the first reveal.
“I think the first thing for me when judging is looking for a room that creates a really lovely feeling the moment you enter it and that is usually created by someone who has created a cohesive look throughout that room,” she said.
“All the pieces should go together beautifully, not only the structural elements of the renovation, but also the styling elements of all the soft furnishings, that’s what helps create that feel.
“And particularly, the room needs to absolutely have brought to life the vision of the homeowner. In the competition, every couple created their own design brief of what they want their home to be and I absolutely need to see that brought to life when I’m judging the room.”
Taylor said there were happy tears all round when the homeowners were shown their newly improved living quarters, even in spaces the judges were critical of.
“Simon, Rosie and myself have rated some rooms the equivalent of a six-star hotel across the other side of the globe so there are some real highs in the show but there are definitely some lows — there are hits and misses,” she said.
“But the homeowners were in absolute disbelief and I would probably say what I really noticed most is gratitude because they know they could never have done this without show and they love it because from what they had to what they’ve now got, is life changing.
“There are no losers on this show. They got their dream home, which, for me was really a lovely premise.”
- The first Dream Home reveal airs on Sunday at 7pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.