H G insider
62 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
< Favourite summer gardening
activity? Watering the garden while
drinking a chilled dry white.
Books on your reading list? i collect
books on design. My everyday reading
tends to be stats, specs and the news.
What’s your soundtrack for summer?
Pretty diverse. sBTrKT and Bronski
Beat to nirvana and Kendrick Lamar.
Restaurants you’re keen to try? i love
food but never know what’s hot. i have
several favourite italian eateries: Fratelli
Paradiso in Potts Point (sydney), Cafe
di stasio in st Kilda (Melbourne)
and Locale in noosa.
Preferred summer tipple? negroni.
How will you unwind? sailing. it allows
me to forget everything else.
Shaynna Blaze
Interior designer, judge
on television series The
Block and co-host of
Selling Houses Australia.
Summer is... relaxing, peaceful and
when i smile more than at any other
time of the year.
A favourite summer pastime? sitting
outside until the sun goes down and
lighting the fire pit when the chill sets in.
summer is outdoors.
What’s on your reading list? The Wrong
Girl by Zoë Foster-Blake, John Farnham:
the Untold Story by Jane Gazzo and
Game On by Bianca Chatfield and
Leigh russell. All books by strong,
inspiring women.Soundtrack of your
summer? every summer
there’s a new one but Justin
Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the
Feeling will be on high rotation.
Favourite sundowner? Vodka
with soda and cucumber.
A restaurant you’re keen to
try? i can’t wait to get back
to donovans in st Kilda.
Summer indulgence? swapping
a main meal for gelato.Tips for a summer home spruce-up?
+ draw back the curtains and open the
windows. sunlight and fresh air are
like an injection of happiness.
+ Use citrus-scented candles in the
bathrooms and living areas. They’re
cheaper than fresh flowers and add
a long-lasting scent to the room.
+ Clear all your surfaces. summer
is about feeling free and easy, so
clutter on the benchtop, on the
bedside table and on the coffee table
makes you feel visually heavy. Use
fresh flowers, candles and platters
of food as decoration.
And for entertaining?
+ serve drinks in coloured jugs and
glasses. it makes any occasion
feel festive.
+ Have the best cheese you can
afford in the fridge, a variety of
biscuits in the pantry, and a
couple of bottles of wine
or bubbly in the fridge. You
never know when
someone is going
to pop in. And if no
one does? Well go
ahead and spoil
yourself! #Summer is... ‘Relaxing,
peaceful and when I smile
more than at any other
time throughout the year.’
Shaynna BlazeHOW WILL YOU UNWIND? ‘SAILING. IT ALLOWS ME TO FORGET
EVERYTHING ELSE.’ MYLES BALDWINPhotography from Alamy (frangipani) & courtesy of Ikea.