THE EDIT

What if the secret to a happier home is being able to smell your neighbour’s burnt toast?
Recorded live at Metricon’s National Love of Design Summit, this bonus episode brings together four of Australia’s most exciting designers and makers: Ali Whelan of Breathe Architecture, Michael Leung of Balanced Earth, Neil Hipwell of Futureflip, and interior designer James Treble, fresh off the plane from Milan Design Week. Expect a basement golf simulator that’s brought a whole street together, a skate bowl built for rainy days, and a very strong case for waving at your neighbours through the window.
Home Beautiful Editor-in-Chief Elle Lovelock sits down with Ali, Michael, Neil, and James and together, they get honest about what it really feels like to push boundaries with clients and councils, and why a beautiful home is about so much more than how it looks.
This episode is brought to you by Metricon.
Moments You’ll Hear:
Why pushing boundaries can be frustrating, thrilling and deeply rewarding all at once
How to know when to push a trend a client isn’t ready for, and when to hold back
The “burnt toast” theory: why small moments of friction make a home feel alive
The basement golf simulator that brought a whole street together
A skate bowl built for rainy days, and designing homes people actually want to gather in
Building community the old-fashioned way, through barn-raising and hempcrete
Why Australian design is turning heads on the world stage at Milan Design Week
Thank you for listening ❤️ before you leave…
🗣️ Get in touch
What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Home Beautiful community and DM us on Instagram
🎧 Listen to The Edit and follow on Apple Podcasts
Listen and follow on Spotify
👀 Watch and subscribe to The Edit on Home Beautiful’s YouTube 📺 for full episodes and clips
This bonus episode of The Edit was recorded live at Metricon’s National Love of Design Summit. A huge thank you to Metricon for welcoming Home Beautiful into a room so full of ideas. https://www.metricon.com.au
Read more about Metricon at Home Beautiful:
The new Australian home: Design trends shaping the way we live today
These family homes in coastal Adelaide and Sydney show great design isn't about creating a one-size-fits-all home
Credits:
Our charming guests: Ali Whelan (Breathe Architecture), Michael Leung (Balanced Earth), Neil Hipwell (Futureflip) and James Treble (interior designer & colour expert)
Host Elle Lovelock
Edited by Thomas Crnkovic
Supervising Producer Leah Porges
Head of Vodcasting Rachel Fountain
Our wonderful team at Home Beautiful
The Edit is a production of Home Beautiful and Are Media: https://www.homebeautiful.com.au/home-beautiful-the-edit-podcast/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The renovation may be finished, but the work of creating a beautiful home never really ends.
In Part 2 of this episode of The Edit, Matty J is back with Home Beautiful Editor Elle Lovelock to talk about what life looks like now that Chante Mer is open to guests - the letting go, the worrying, and the welcome basket decisions he probably overthought.
He also gets into parenting, sharing the mental load, raising three daughters, and the lessons he hopes the next generation will inherit. And he shares the item discovered during the renovation that deepened his connection to the home's original owner, Val.
Plus the one thing that keeps him up at night as a holiday-home owner. Hint: It involves lemon juice and marble.
This episode covers:
Running Chante Mer as a holiday stay
Opening a family home to guests
The realities of short-term rentals
Holiday home hosting tips
Sharing the mental load at home
Modern fatherhood and parenting
Raising daughters
Family life with Laura Byrne
The mystery photo album discovered during renovation
The legacy of Chante Mer
What makes a home beautiful
Photo Credits: @chante.mer.house and Home Beautiful.
🎧 Listen to The Edit and follow on Apple Podcasts
Listen and follow on Spotify
👀 Watch and subscribe to The Edit on Home Beautiful's YouTube
Watch full episodes
Credits:
Host: Elle Lovelock
Guest: Matty Johnson
Videographer: Charlie Potter
Edited by: Leah Porges
Head of Vodcasting: Rachel Fountain
With thanks to our wonderful Home Beautiful team.
Learn More
The Edit is a production of Home Beautiful and Are Media.
https://www.homebeautiful.com.au/home-beautiful-the-edit-podcast/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of people followed Matty J and Laura Byrne's NSW South Coast renovation online. We all chimed in with suggestions on tile colours, furnishings and design ideas, and the end product is like a dream house by the sea. And as anyone who’s taken on a renovation project knows, beneath hose happy snaps and gorgeous exteriors lies a whole lot of grit, stress and family logistics.
In this episode of The Edit, Matty joins Home Beautiful Editor-in-Chief Elle Lovelock to talk about transforming Chante Mer (or Song of the Sea) from a run-down coastal property into a much-loved family retreat and holiday stay.
He shares what it was like renovating while raising two young children and preparing for a third baby, how he and Laura navigated design decisions together, and why opening the home to guests changed the way they think about living spaces.
This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation with Matty J. Make sure you follow The Edit wherever you're listening now, so you can be among the first to hear Part 2.
This episode covers:
Matty J and Laura Byrne's Chante Mer renovation
Renovating a holiday home with young children
The first walk-through of Chante Mer
Mould and unexpected renovation challenges
Designing a family-friendly coastal retreat
Renovating under public scrutiny
Opening a holiday home to Airbnb guests
The reality of running a short-term rental
🎧 Listen to The Edit and follow on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-edit/id1852946910
Listen and follow on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1y7phZb4CeMhYzFssKZVcq
👀 Watch and subscribe to The Edit on Home Beautiful's YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@HomeBeautifulMag
Watch full episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1c73iMScLqZ357jQ_0A3eDGTysM1SUxO
Credits
Host: Elle Lovelock
Guest: Matty Johnson
Producer: Rachel Fountain
Videographer: Charlie Potter
Edited by: Leah Porges
Head of Vodcasting: Rachel Fountain
With thanks to our wonderful Home Beautiful team.
The Edit is a production of Home Beautiful and Are Media.
https://www.homebeautiful.com.au/home-beautiful-the-edit-podcast/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When interior designer Shona McElroy first walked into her Edgecliff apartment, most people would have walked straight back out. The layout was awkward, the kitchen was hidden away, the bathroom opened into the living room, and a closed-in balcony came with terracotta floors, popcorn walls and a popcorn ceiling.
But Shona, founder and principal of Smac Studio, saw what it could become.
In this episode of The Edit, Shona joins Home Beautiful Editor-in-Chief Elle Lovelock to talk about turning an old 1920s apartment into a beautiful, functional home, why north-facing light matters, how to avoid the dreaded “Pinterest house”, and what interior designers really think through before a room comes together.
She also shares how she helps clients edit their belongings when downsizing, why a coffee table book can be the beginning of an entire room, how virtual reality is changing interior design, and the deeply nostalgic item she brought from her mystery drawer.
This episode covers:
Shona McElroy’s 1920s Edgecliff apartment renovation
How to fix an awkward apartment layout
Why natural light can make a smaller home feel better
What to know about popcorn walls and ceilings
How to design cupboards, shelves and drawers around real life
Downsizing, decluttering and editing sentimental pieces
How to avoid creating a “Pinterest house”
Styling travel mementos and meaningful objects
Coffee table styling tips from an interior designer
How virtual reality is being used in interior design
What makes a home feel beautiful, personal and lived-in
🎧 Listen to The Edit and follow on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-edit/id1852946910
Listen and follow on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1y7phZb4CeMhYzFssKZVcq
👀 Watch and subscribe to The Edit on Home Beautiful’s YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@HomeBeautifulMag
Watch full episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1c73iMScLqZ357jQ_0A3eDGTysM1SUxO
Credits:
Host: Elle Lovelock
Guest: Shona McElroy
Producer: Charlie Potter
Consulting Producer: Jessie-Lee Klass
Edited by: Pro Podcasts
Executive Producer: Jessie-Lee Klass
Head of Vodcasting: Rachel Fountain
With thanks to our fantastic Home Beautiful team

Learn More:
The Edit is a production of Home Beautiful and Are Media.
https://www.homebeautiful.com.au/home-beautiful-the-edit-podcast/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should you decorate a rental like it’s your forever home? According to interior designer, Studio Brie founder and Australia’s Best House host Briellyn Turton, the answer is yes. Known for her personality-driven interiors, love of vintage pieces and playful approach to home, Briellyn joins The Edit to talk renter-friendly styling, whimsical interiors, hosting, lighting, TVs, resale myths and why the most beautiful homes are the ones that make everyday life easier.
In this episode of The Edit, host and Home Beautiful Editor-in-Chief Elle Lovelock sits down with Briellyn Turton to unpack how she creates homes with character, comfort and function. Briellyn shares how she uses fashion as a starting point for interiors, why she believes in decorating slowly, how to personalise a rental without waiting for the “forever home”, and the one hosting habit every busy homemaker should steal.
Together they explore why home should feel personal, playful and deeply useful, from where you drop your bag to how you make your coffee in the morning.
Moments You'll Hear:
Briellyn’s take on dressing your home the way you dress yourself
How to personalise a rental with art, vintage finds and moveable pieces
A tour of Briellyn’s much-loved loft-style rental
Why she moved for a courtyard, hosting space, and a bedroom with beautiful light
The empty dishwasher and empty bin hosting rule
What “whimsy” really means in interiors
How Briellyn gets clients to trust their own taste
Why your home should support your rituals, from skincare to coffee
The renter’s dilemma: do you buy for now or forever?
How to de-beige a rental without panic-buying generic furniture
Why downlights should not be the default
What to do when the TV has to be in the living room
The design mistake Briellyn wishes Australians would stop making
Why timeless homes are built slowly, not bought in one Saturday
Thank you for listening ❤️
before you leave...
🗣️ Get in touch
What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Home Beautiful community and DM us on Instagram
🎧 Listen to The Edit and follow on Apple Podcasts
Listen and follow on Spotify
👀 Watch and subscribe to The Edit This on Home Beautiful’s YouTube 📺 for full episodes and clips – and don’t miss our home tours!
Credits:
Our friend: Briellyn Turton
Host Elle Lovelock
Edited by Pro Pods
Producer: Charlie Potter
Consulting Producer Jessie-Lee Klass
Head of Vodcasting Rachel Fountain
Learn More: The Edit is a production of Home Beautiful and Are Media: https://www.homebeautiful.com.au/home-beautiful-the-edit-podcast/
👀 See more
Follow Briellyn Turton on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briellynturton/
Explore Studio Brie: https://www.studiobrie.com.au/
Read Briellyn’s Home Beautiful piece on the whimsical era in interiors: https://www.homebeautiful.com.au/home-ideas/2026-interior-trend-whimsical-studio-brie-briellyn-turton/
Follow Home Beautiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homebeautiful/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.