Listen to our chat with Leigh Ellwood, an experienced renovator and Melbourne interior designer behind some of our favourite home tours — including an apartment in the iconic Beverley Hills building, and a dreamy timber beach house! She shares the words of wisdom she’s picked up after completing 10 renovations in the past 24 years.

Expert Advice From A Seasoned Renovator, With Interior Designer Leigh Ellwood

TDF Talks is a fortnightly podcast by The Design Files — Australia’s go-to destination for design inspiration since 2008. Join founder and host Lucy Feagins as she interviews inspiring local creatives to discuss renovating, sustainability, and more!

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In our last episode for the year, we speak with Julie and Vincent Fodera who are restoring one of Melbourne's oldest mansions, a historic homestead in Caulfield known as Heatherbrae. They share how they've been sympathetically renovating the grand abode and the importance of preserving heritage builds.

Restoring A Historic Melbourne Mansion, With Julie + Vincent Fodera

Melbourne couple Patrick and Ruby Shields bought their first home in Mount Evelyn in 2018. Since then the carpenter and interior designer have landed new jobs, gotten married, but they're still working on their renovation — five years later! Hear why they bought the house when it was essentially a building site, their love of second-hand furniture and why it's taken them so long to complete.

A First Home Buyers’ Never-Ending Renovation, With Pat + Ruby Shields

When furniture makers Al and Imogen Roberts found themselves priced out of Torquay’s real estate market, they decided to buy a block of land and build their sustainable dream home instead. They join us to share how the challenges of 'The Good Day House' project, the hidden costs that come with new builds, and why they decided to start from scratch rather than renovate!

Building A Sustainable Home From Scratch, With Al + Imo Roberts

We're back with more renovating stories, and today's episode reveals how TDF Talks host Lucy Feagins and her husband Gordy Johnson transformed their family's Blairgowrie beach shack with a hands-on approach. They speak to producer Christina Karras about the biggest costs, challenges and how they navigated working together on the project as a married couple.

The Highs + Lows Of Renovating A Beach Shack, With Lucy And Gordy

In the final episode of our sustainability series, Momentum Energy’s managing director Lisa Chiba helps us understand how Australia will make the transition from fossil fuels to renewables!

Expert Advice From A Seasoned Renovator, With Interior Designer Leigh Ellwood

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