September 3, 2026 • 8 mins
Lisa Goodsall, Metricon's National Display Home and Studio M Manager, sits down with Home Beautiful Editor-in-Chief Elle Lovelock to tackle a listener dilemma: how do you build a brand-new home in a suburb full of older houses without it looking out of place?
From roof pitch and window proportions to cladding and colour palettes, Lisa shares how to respect a street's heritage while still designing a modern, open-plan family home.
Moments you’ll hear:
- Lisa's role overseeing 150+ display homes nationally
- Designing for different life stages and budgets
- Listener dilemma: Susannah from Ipswich on her knock-down rebuild
- How to echo a streetscape's character (roof pitch, windows, cladding) without copying it
- Blending old-world proportions with modern open-plan living
- Queenslander-inspired touches: verandas, balconies, exposed beams
- Why display homes let buyers "try before they buy"
Thank you for listening ❤️ before you leave…
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This episode was brought to you in partnership with Metricon www.metricon.com.au
Credits:
Host Elle Lovelock
Guest Lisa Goodsall
Edited by Thomas Crnkovic
Head of Vodcasting Rachel Fountain
With thanks to our fabulous Home Beautiful team.
Learn More: The Edit is a production of Home Beautiful and Are Media.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
This is an R Media Podcast. I'm Elle Lovelock. Welcome
to Home Beautiful Style Shortcut, your fast track to a
home you love. Lisa Goodsell is Metricon's National Display Home
and Studio M Manager, aka a human with all-round great taste, experience,
(00:29):
and knowledge. Today, we're going to brainstorm the best ways
to make a new build feel like it belongs within
an established suburb full of older homes. Here's Lisa. Lisa,
welcome to The Edit. It's an absolute pleasure to have
you here because you are quite the interior design expert
(00:52):
in an industry that I am fascinated by. So why
don't you share for our listeners your What do you
do and who do you do it with?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, so my role at Metricon is the interior design
direction for around 150 display homes nationally.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Gosh, that's a lot. Tell us a little bit about
what do you do and who you do it for?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I have a team of expert interior designers and so
we run 150 display homes nationally.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Wow. Yeah, a huge number across Queensland, New South Wales,
Victoria and South Australia.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
But that's just display homes. That's just display homes. So
that's not real people homes. No. How many homes are
you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
We'll deliver over 4,000 homes for Australians each year. So
we're delivering over 4,000 dreams a year.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
That's a massive team.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah, it is. I mean, I'm proud. We're really proud
to be able to do that for Australians. Of course.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
And they're all different types of homes, aren't they?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, we have homes in every budget. So from first
homeowners through to knock-down rebuild and through every stage of life.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
What are some of your favourite types of homes to
work on?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Well, it's always lovely to work on homes that are
in beautiful new estates or in built-up areas that people
knock down and rebuild. We've got some great new designs
that we've just launched. We just launched a new one
in Queensland. called the Catalina. And it's on an amazing
water canal overlooking Broad Beach skyline. So it's beautiful. But,
(02:31):
you know, we love just as much working on homes
that are in the new estates where, you know, it's
where the affordability is, the land is, and we're delivering
a lot of homes out there for customers.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
When you're designing homes for people, do you think about
who might live in them?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Absolutely. Yeah, we do. We take into account the geographical,
the demographic, you know, whether it's going to be sort of,
you know, your traditional family with young children. We design
a lot of homes and, you know, style a lot
with nurseries and children's rooms. And that's so fun. Yeah,
our team really love delivering those because it's fun.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well, Lisa, you are the perfect person to have here
today because we do a thing where we answer listener dilemmas.
So people write in to us with, problems that they're
wanting to solve around their home or to create a
new home, which is what I've got today. So I'm
going to read out our letter and let's see how
(03:29):
we can help. So Susanna from Ipswich says, we're doing
a knockdown rebuild, but the area we live in has
lots of older homes and we don't want ours to
look weirdly out of place being new. How do we
build something that ticks all our boxes, a family home
with the mod cons and that works with the style
of the other houses on the street? I think that
(03:52):
is such a good question because so many people are
doing this, whether they're buying a block of land with
an old knockdown property on it, or maybe they've inherited
something and they love the area, but they want to
build new. How do you make a new house look
good in a built up area?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Yeah, I think it's really important to assess the streetscape
and obviously, you know, the location. You don't want to replicate,
but you want to respect that heritage that's around you.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
That's so true. You don't want to pastiche.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
No, exactly. So, you know, consider the roof pitch, the
window proportions, adding materials like cladding, which, you know, will
still tie in with homes that are around you, but
have a modern twist.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So you want to echo some of the proportions.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah. Yeah, you're not copying what's around because you are
building a new modern home. Yeah. But you're respecting what
is also in the surroundings as well.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And then, you know, modern designs have got open plan living.
So a lot of the homes that are around you
are probably, you know, the oldest of small rooms.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
So, you know, as soon as you step through the door–
You're walking into a beautiful, modern, open-plan home where you're using,
you know, the latest finishes. But you can still use
finishes such as timber flooring that have that connection to
what the outside looks like. Because the outside is the
window to what you're about to expect, you know, or
(05:26):
what you expect as you walk through the front door.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Absolutely. And I'm just thinking Ipswich... I'm thinking Queenslander homes,
beautiful big verandas. And that's something that you can echo
in a modern home because so many gorgeous coastal style
homes have beautiful big balconies and it's something that can
nod to the style.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, it's a real traditional Queensland area in that area
of Queensland. So, yeah, balconies, the cladding, exposed beam, timber beams. Yeah.
And then obviously just getting the colour palette right.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
So what kind of homes do you choose depending on
geography if you're doing display homes?
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Well, we look at what the market is around there
and the affordability because let's face it, that's probably one
of the biggest topics in Australia today is the affordability.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
That's so true. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So, you know, size of land, that dictates a lot
as to what we display.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
The land sizes at the moment can be really quite small.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
And people can come in and have a look, can't they?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
They can.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
They can.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
They're open every day.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
You can touch and feel.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Spend as much time as you like in there. Come in,
sit down at the kitchen bench, sit down on the
sofa and really absorb the whole feeling of the home.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Imagine what it's like to live there.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, yeah. I mean, these homes are beautiful and they're aspirational,
but they're affordable.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
And that's so important.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
It is.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
And I think going through display homes, I will say
it's more acceptable than going through a real estate open house,
which is something that.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
… Yeah, which is actually somebody's home. And it's not
styled for you to imagine how you're going to live
in it.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
But we really do put a lot of thought into
how we style each home. So we really like to
mix up the children's rooms or whether it's a home that,
you know, potentially would be to a market that's downsizes
and has guest bedrooms over children's rooms or nurseries.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Absolutely. And are all the homes customisable? You can change things?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
We have a huge range of standard options across all
of our standard designs. So, yeah, there's always something to
suit everybody and every block.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Lisa made such great points about the roof pitch and
window proportions, and I agree. It's by echoing these architectural
elements that you'll be able to make a new home
sit comfortably with its neighbors. For more expert advice and
inspiration to help you create your own dream home, check
out our other episodes of The Edit by Home Beautiful,
(08:03):
wherever you watched or listened to this one. I'm Elle Lovelock.
We'll see you next time.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
This is an R-Media podcast.
This is an R Media Podcast. I'm Elle Lovelock. Welcome
to Home Beautiful Style Shortcut, your fast track to a
home you love. Lisa Goodsell is Metricon's National Display Home
and Studio M Manager, aka a human with all-round great taste, experience,
(00:29):
and knowledge. Today, we're going to brainstorm the best ways
to make a new build feel like it belongs within
an established suburb full of older homes. Here's Lisa. Lisa,
welcome to The Edit. It's an absolute pleasure to have
you here because you are quite the interior design expert
(00:52):
in an industry that I am fascinated by. So why
don't you share for our listeners your What do you
do and who do you do it with?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, so my role at Metricon is the interior design
direction for around 150 display homes nationally.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Gosh, that's a lot. Tell us a little bit about
what do you do and who you do it for?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I have a team of expert interior designers and so
we run 150 display homes nationally.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Wow. Yeah, a huge number across Queensland, New South Wales,
Victoria and South Australia.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
But that's just display homes. That's just display homes. So
that's not real people homes. No. How many homes are
you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
We'll deliver over 4,000 homes for Australians each year. So
we're delivering over 4,000 dreams a year.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
That's a massive team.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah, it is. I mean, I'm proud. We're really proud
to be able to do that for Australians. Of course.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
And they're all different types of homes, aren't they?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, we have homes in every budget. So from first
homeowners through to knock-down rebuild and through every stage of life.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
What are some of your favourite types of homes to
work on?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Well, it's always lovely to work on homes that are
in beautiful new estates or in built-up areas that people
knock down and rebuild. We've got some great new designs
that we've just launched. We just launched a new one
in Queensland. called the Catalina. And it's on an amazing
water canal overlooking Broad Beach skyline. So it's beautiful. But,
(02:31):
you know, we love just as much working on homes
that are in the new estates where, you know, it's
where the affordability is, the land is, and we're delivering
a lot of homes out there for customers.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
When you're designing homes for people, do you think about
who might live in them?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Absolutely. Yeah, we do. We take into account the geographical,
the demographic, you know, whether it's going to be sort of,
you know, your traditional family with young children. We design
a lot of homes and, you know, style a lot
with nurseries and children's rooms. And that's so fun. Yeah,
our team really love delivering those because it's fun.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well, Lisa, you are the perfect person to have here
today because we do a thing where we answer listener dilemmas.
So people write in to us with, problems that they're
wanting to solve around their home or to create a
new home, which is what I've got today. So I'm
going to read out our letter and let's see how
(03:29):
we can help. So Susanna from Ipswich says, we're doing
a knockdown rebuild, but the area we live in has
lots of older homes and we don't want ours to
look weirdly out of place being new. How do we
build something that ticks all our boxes, a family home
with the mod cons and that works with the style
of the other houses on the street? I think that
(03:52):
is such a good question because so many people are
doing this, whether they're buying a block of land with
an old knockdown property on it, or maybe they've inherited
something and they love the area, but they want to
build new. How do you make a new house look
good in a built up area?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Yeah, I think it's really important to assess the streetscape
and obviously, you know, the location. You don't want to replicate,
but you want to respect that heritage that's around you.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
That's so true. You don't want to pastiche.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
No, exactly. So, you know, consider the roof pitch, the
window proportions, adding materials like cladding, which, you know, will
still tie in with homes that are around you, but
have a modern twist.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So you want to echo some of the proportions.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah. Yeah, you're not copying what's around because you are
building a new modern home. Yeah. But you're respecting what
is also in the surroundings as well.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And then, you know, modern designs have got open plan living.
So a lot of the homes that are around you
are probably, you know, the oldest of small rooms.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
So, you know, as soon as you step through the door–
You're walking into a beautiful, modern, open-plan home where you're using,
you know, the latest finishes. But you can still use
finishes such as timber flooring that have that connection to
what the outside looks like. Because the outside is the
window to what you're about to expect, you know, or
(05:26):
what you expect as you walk through the front door.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Absolutely. And I'm just thinking Ipswich... I'm thinking Queenslander homes,
beautiful big verandas. And that's something that you can echo
in a modern home because so many gorgeous coastal style
homes have beautiful big balconies and it's something that can
nod to the style.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, it's a real traditional Queensland area in that area
of Queensland. So, yeah, balconies, the cladding, exposed beam, timber beams. Yeah.
And then obviously just getting the colour palette right.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
So what kind of homes do you choose depending on
geography if you're doing display homes?
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Well, we look at what the market is around there
and the affordability because let's face it, that's probably one
of the biggest topics in Australia today is the affordability.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
That's so true. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So, you know, size of land, that dictates a lot
as to what we display.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
The land sizes at the moment can be really quite small.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
And people can come in and have a look, can't they?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
They can.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
They can.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
They're open every day.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
You can touch and feel.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Spend as much time as you like in there. Come in,
sit down at the kitchen bench, sit down on the
sofa and really absorb the whole feeling of the home.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Imagine what it's like to live there.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, yeah. I mean, these homes are beautiful and they're aspirational,
but they're affordable.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
And that's so important.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
It is.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
And I think going through display homes, I will say
it's more acceptable than going through a real estate open house,
which is something that.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
… Yeah, which is actually somebody's home. And it's not
styled for you to imagine how you're going to live
in it.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
But we really do put a lot of thought into
how we style each home. So we really like to
mix up the children's rooms or whether it's a home that,
you know, potentially would be to a market that's downsizes
and has guest bedrooms over children's rooms or nurseries.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Absolutely. And are all the homes customisable? You can change things?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
We have a huge range of standard options across all
of our standard designs. So, yeah, there's always something to
suit everybody and every block.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Lisa made such great points about the roof pitch and
window proportions, and I agree. It's by echoing these architectural
elements that you'll be able to make a new home
sit comfortably with its neighbors. For more expert advice and
inspiration to help you create your own dream home, check
out our other episodes of The Edit by Home Beautiful,
(08:03):
wherever you watched or listened to this one. I'm Elle Lovelock.
We'll see you next time.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
This is an R-Media podcast.
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