April 9, 2025 • 8 mins
Laura has been getting some VERY passionate messages hating on the renovation she has been sharing on her socials, so we decided to get an expert opinion - Darren Palmer from The Block.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the last few days we've been talking about Laura's renovation.
You've been renovating this house for the best part of
nine months, and.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
In case you're curious, it looks amazing.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Everyone's been so supportive and they've said, Wow, what a beautiful,
eclectic bathroom and kitchen you've so meticulously and thoughtfully renovated.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Okay, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
No, some people have said that, but if you have
missed it, we've been talking about the fact that Laura
has been.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Gainst some pretty harsh criticism online.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
There's been some trolls that have been coming for you
with very honest feedback.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
And yesterday I read out some of the comments that
we've received. This is what people had to say. She wrote,
love that for you. You were being stubborn with your style.
I just don't understand how it works. Though it's ugly.
Oh my god, that marble is hideous. Hah, Well, you
would be ripped to pieces by SHANEA.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Blaze. It's a no from me too.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Someone wrote, you couldn't pay me to stay here, and
I was like.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
You'll never get to stay here. It's okay, Sharon, you
not invited.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
This is about the kitchen reveal better than your crap bathroom.
Do you know someone wrote last night you couldn't pay
me to shit in this bathroom, and I was like, Oh,
we've reached a whole new low.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Guys, leave me alone. Also, why do these people think
they're invited to shit in the bar? I'm not paying
you to do that in my bathroom.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Okay, there have been some people that have also given
you positive feedback as well, but like they're not funny.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
The troll's been coming. But I did want to put
this to bed.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
So I have contacted I slid into the dams the
block judge and interior designer Darren Palmer. I have sent
him photos of your house. He has been reviewing them overnight.
I think he set up all night with his monocle,
making sure he looked at every detail. He's gonna score me,
He's going to score you.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
He's on the line. Welcome to the pickup, Darren.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
I don't know what sort of judge you think I am.
I don't know from the Supreme Court. I work on
the Telly and I tell people whether their stuff is
good or not. You've missed a few of those great quotes.
By the way, there's like you two had a stroke
watching this. I love that one.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
That was a good one.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I love you guys, but I hate this this one.
I'm particularly like, Oh, it's getting worse.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
I think I wrote back to that one and said, no,
this is us at our peak at the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
I thought that was a cracking response.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It's very funny.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So you've been reviewing the photos, Darren. Darren, let me
be honest, you would know this.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I had never understood, or had no concept of how
much anterior design makes people angry.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
They are so polarized by it.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yes, that is exactly right. The thing is, and you
touched on it yourself in the comments, which I commend
you for. Is you really have to think about when
you're doing a house, why are you doing it? And
are you doing it to sell it to a market?
Are you doing it to satisfy yourselves and to live
in for the next five, ten, fifteen years, or as
(02:52):
you said, you'll have to buy the keys out of
my cold dead hand.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Darren, Can I tell you the theme for the house?
So it's a holiday house? I said, I just want
it to be fun and I want everyone to walk
in into it and feel that they're on holidays.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
You've done exactly that. This must be super peaky for
you to be Like, Okay, let's ask an expert on
what they think on my hard work that I've just completed.
Speaking of someone who's just finished a renovation that took
me two years and where everything is basically beige.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
That's like my dream.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
I do like the marble you have in your house, though, Darren,
don't worry. I've seen it. It's a beautiful renovation. No
one's doubting that.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Oh thank you. I appreciate that. But the point is,
I think a lot of people feel really comfortable with
neutral palettes, and a lot of people feel comfortable with
what they've seen before. But at the end of the day,
you are desiring a home that is for you guys
to enjoy, and also you wanted to create a feeling
and a mood of fun and holiday and get away
(03:57):
and like, honestly, your house isn't a normal looking house
from the outside. It's interesting, you know. It's got all
those different shapes and it's a really great word. I
love it.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
It's unusual.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Well, as my nana says, if I feed hers something
that's a little bit too flavorous, and she goes, oh,
that's different. Different means bad, but in this case it doesn't.
It just means it's different. And I think if you
put a normal, predictable, you know, Ampton style coastal interior
in this house, it just wouldn't fit the exterior. So
(04:31):
I reckon the person that's loving the exterior of your
house will find a lot of joy on the interior
of your house.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I think that she was setting this up for when
she does retire. She's a crazy cat lady that the
facade will fit. And I think she's she's done really well.
But let's let's go to the first room, which is
the bathroom. Darren, can you describe that and let us
know what you think.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Look, risks have been taken and.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Animals.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
I think the things I love a the natural stone,
I think it's beautiful. I really love the subway tiles
in the stripe pattern. I think that's gorgeous. I really
love the mirror. Now I do have notes. Do you
want notes?
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I'm ready?
Speaker 4 (05:11):
Yeah. The bath, No bath took me through that decision.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
You couldn't fit it. You couldn't fit a bath. Not
good choice for resale value.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
But I guess if you're not resailing.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Then we talked about it a lot. It was a sacrifice.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
We were like, if we're gonna if we're gonna make
it have space, it's going to have no bath. Otherwise
the bath would have been one of those pokey little
half baths. And I was like, who wants to sit.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
In a half bath? A child?
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Nobody but your kids or your pets. That's what it's
useful for.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
No pets, so good to wash with a shower handle.
I refuse that getting a dog into I've got a
forty kilo dog expert on. I'm sorry, I'm trying to
convince that the thought process here.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Okay, I've got one other note. It's the placement of
your basin, particularly the tap in relation to that wall scumps.
That distance seems a little tie in that you kind
of feel like that may be close to your face
when you're going to use the tap. I would have
bumped it away from the wall a little bit. I
get where you've got lots of counterspace. I understand it's
(06:11):
nice to spread everything out, especially if you don't have
face level storage. Face level storage is also a really
nice inclusion. But I love your mirror, so you've got
heaps of storage underneath. I'm not too bothered by that.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Great, I'm loving these. I feel validated.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Yeah, so out of ten, I would give you a
solid nine functionality.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Take that so that and carry.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Yeah, actually, maybe the bath to go half a point off.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
I reckon, you've got to knock a couple off for
the bath.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I know the bath was very enraging for some people.
All right, we'll move to the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Now.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
The kitchen's also been controversial.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
So the kitchen. Did you get your color inspiration from
your old laundry?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yes, we wanted to keep same colors, similar theme, but
we wanted it to feel like it was more modern, maximimalist.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
That was kind of the thing we're going for.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
I'll tell you what, if it ain't broke, don't fix
it right, your layer work before it works. Now, very
fond of the tiles on the floor. And is it
a pantry inside with a beautiful stone?
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yeah, you need more powerpoints in there.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
We also have sliding doors so that it didn't just
stay with the doors open.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
But that was also look first time.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
You know what, how many times have you done this. None,
You're doing great. It's not easy, right, Like people think
that it's really easy to create something from your mind
and to just to design, and it's not. It's actually tricky,
And it's even trickier when everybody and their dog decides
(07:44):
that they have the ability to criticize your hard work online.
You did ask for it, and you are asking for
it again. I'm going to point it out so it
doesn't hurt the people talk about it.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
It's true.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Also, I kind of love how angry people get about it,
because you do love it. I just want to because
I want to see their homes too.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I want to, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
When people get so angry I want to see Sharon's homes,
No I do. I'm like, well, clearly you must live
in a palace if you're going to get so cranky.
But anyway, I feel like it's never.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Gonna all right, hang on, let's wrap this up. We
need to score in the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Look, I think it's a cracker. I think it's beautiful,
absolutely gorgeous. So I love what you're doing, Laura.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I was expecting more meanness. Thank you. I am going
to cut this down.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
I can get to the wrong person although I did
see that you'll get ripped to pieces by Shane and Blaze,
so you probably should speak to her.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Do you reckon?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
She would rip me to pieces. She's next. Let's get
her next.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
I know her very well. You'll just have to see,
all right.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Darren, Thank you so much. I'm very pleasantly surprised. I
can't wait to tag every single person who left me
in comment.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Hey, you're so welcome. That was fun.
So the last few days we've been talking about Laura's renovation.
You've been renovating this house for the best part of
nine months, and.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
In case you're curious, it looks amazing.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Everyone's been so supportive and they've said, Wow, what a beautiful,
eclectic bathroom and kitchen you've so meticulously and thoughtfully renovated.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Okay, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
No, some people have said that, but if you have
missed it, we've been talking about the fact that Laura
has been.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Gainst some pretty harsh criticism online.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
There's been some trolls that have been coming for you
with very honest feedback.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
And yesterday I read out some of the comments that
we've received. This is what people had to say. She wrote,
love that for you. You were being stubborn with your style.
I just don't understand how it works. Though it's ugly.
Oh my god, that marble is hideous. Hah, Well, you
would be ripped to pieces by SHANEA.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Blaze. It's a no from me too.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Someone wrote, you couldn't pay me to stay here, and
I was like.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
You'll never get to stay here. It's okay, Sharon, you
not invited.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
This is about the kitchen reveal better than your crap bathroom.
Do you know someone wrote last night you couldn't pay
me to shit in this bathroom, and I was like, Oh,
we've reached a whole new low.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Guys, leave me alone. Also, why do these people think
they're invited to shit in the bar? I'm not paying
you to do that in my bathroom.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Okay, there have been some people that have also given
you positive feedback as well, but like they're not funny.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
The troll's been coming. But I did want to put
this to bed.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
So I have contacted I slid into the dams the
block judge and interior designer Darren Palmer. I have sent
him photos of your house. He has been reviewing them overnight.
I think he set up all night with his monocle,
making sure he looked at every detail. He's gonna score me,
He's going to score you.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
He's on the line. Welcome to the pickup, Darren.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
I don't know what sort of judge you think I am.
I don't know from the Supreme Court. I work on
the Telly and I tell people whether their stuff is
good or not. You've missed a few of those great quotes.
By the way, there's like you two had a stroke
watching this. I love that one.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
That was a good one.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I love you guys, but I hate this this one.
I'm particularly like, Oh, it's getting worse.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
I think I wrote back to that one and said, no,
this is us at our peak at the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
I thought that was a cracking response.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It's very funny.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So you've been reviewing the photos, Darren. Darren, let me
be honest, you would know this.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I had never understood, or had no concept of how
much anterior design makes people angry.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
They are so polarized by it.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yes, that is exactly right. The thing is, and you
touched on it yourself in the comments, which I commend
you for. Is you really have to think about when
you're doing a house, why are you doing it? And
are you doing it to sell it to a market?
Are you doing it to satisfy yourselves and to live
in for the next five, ten, fifteen years, or as
(02:52):
you said, you'll have to buy the keys out of
my cold dead hand.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Darren, Can I tell you the theme for the house?
So it's a holiday house? I said, I just want
it to be fun and I want everyone to walk
in into it and feel that they're on holidays.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
You've done exactly that. This must be super peaky for
you to be Like, Okay, let's ask an expert on
what they think on my hard work that I've just completed.
Speaking of someone who's just finished a renovation that took
me two years and where everything is basically beige.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
That's like my dream.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
I do like the marble you have in your house, though, Darren,
don't worry. I've seen it. It's a beautiful renovation. No
one's doubting that.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Oh thank you. I appreciate that. But the point is,
I think a lot of people feel really comfortable with
neutral palettes, and a lot of people feel comfortable with
what they've seen before. But at the end of the day,
you are desiring a home that is for you guys
to enjoy, and also you wanted to create a feeling
and a mood of fun and holiday and get away
(03:57):
and like, honestly, your house isn't a normal looking house
from the outside. It's interesting, you know. It's got all
those different shapes and it's a really great word. I
love it.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
It's unusual.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Well, as my nana says, if I feed hers something
that's a little bit too flavorous, and she goes, oh,
that's different. Different means bad, but in this case it doesn't.
It just means it's different. And I think if you
put a normal, predictable, you know, Ampton style coastal interior
in this house, it just wouldn't fit the exterior. So
(04:31):
I reckon the person that's loving the exterior of your
house will find a lot of joy on the interior
of your house.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I think that she was setting this up for when
she does retire. She's a crazy cat lady that the
facade will fit. And I think she's she's done really well.
But let's let's go to the first room, which is
the bathroom. Darren, can you describe that and let us
know what you think.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Look, risks have been taken and.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Animals.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
I think the things I love a the natural stone,
I think it's beautiful. I really love the subway tiles
in the stripe pattern. I think that's gorgeous. I really
love the mirror. Now I do have notes. Do you
want notes?
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I'm ready?
Speaker 4 (05:11):
Yeah. The bath, No bath took me through that decision.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
You couldn't fit it. You couldn't fit a bath. Not
good choice for resale value.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
But I guess if you're not resailing.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Then we talked about it a lot. It was a sacrifice.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
We were like, if we're gonna if we're gonna make
it have space, it's going to have no bath. Otherwise
the bath would have been one of those pokey little
half baths. And I was like, who wants to sit.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
In a half bath? A child?
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Nobody but your kids or your pets. That's what it's
useful for.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
No pets, so good to wash with a shower handle.
I refuse that getting a dog into I've got a
forty kilo dog expert on. I'm sorry, I'm trying to
convince that the thought process here.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Okay, I've got one other note. It's the placement of
your basin, particularly the tap in relation to that wall scumps.
That distance seems a little tie in that you kind
of feel like that may be close to your face
when you're going to use the tap. I would have
bumped it away from the wall a little bit. I
get where you've got lots of counterspace. I understand it's
(06:11):
nice to spread everything out, especially if you don't have
face level storage. Face level storage is also a really
nice inclusion. But I love your mirror, so you've got
heaps of storage underneath. I'm not too bothered by that.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Great, I'm loving these. I feel validated.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Yeah, so out of ten, I would give you a
solid nine functionality.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Take that so that and carry.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Yeah, actually, maybe the bath to go half a point off.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
I reckon, you've got to knock a couple off for
the bath.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I know the bath was very enraging for some people.
All right, we'll move to the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Now.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
The kitchen's also been controversial.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
So the kitchen. Did you get your color inspiration from
your old laundry?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yes, we wanted to keep same colors, similar theme, but
we wanted it to feel like it was more modern, maximimalist.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
That was kind of the thing we're going for.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
I'll tell you what, if it ain't broke, don't fix
it right, your layer work before it works. Now, very
fond of the tiles on the floor. And is it
a pantry inside with a beautiful stone?
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yeah, you need more powerpoints in there.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
We also have sliding doors so that it didn't just
stay with the doors open.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
But that was also look first time.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
You know what, how many times have you done this. None,
You're doing great. It's not easy, right, Like people think
that it's really easy to create something from your mind
and to just to design, and it's not. It's actually tricky,
And it's even trickier when everybody and their dog decides
(07:44):
that they have the ability to criticize your hard work online.
You did ask for it, and you are asking for
it again. I'm going to point it out so it
doesn't hurt the people talk about it.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
It's true.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Also, I kind of love how angry people get about it,
because you do love it. I just want to because
I want to see their homes too.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I want to, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
When people get so angry I want to see Sharon's homes,
No I do. I'm like, well, clearly you must live
in a palace if you're going to get so cranky.
But anyway, I feel like it's never.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Gonna all right, hang on, let's wrap this up. We
need to score in the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Look, I think it's a cracker. I think it's beautiful,
absolutely gorgeous. So I love what you're doing, Laura.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I was expecting more meanness. Thank you. I am going
to cut this down.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
I can get to the wrong person although I did
see that you'll get ripped to pieces by Shane and Blaze,
so you probably should speak to her.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Do you reckon?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
She would rip me to pieces. She's next. Let's get
her next.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
I know her very well. You'll just have to see,
all right.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Darren, Thank you so much. I'm very pleasantly surprised. I
can't wait to tag every single person who left me
in comment.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Hey, you're so welcome. That was fun.
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