Shag Manor
In 2023, my partner and I bought a 1970s time capsule in Melbourne’s inner north. Built 50 years ago by a local Italian family and untouched ever since, we began lovingly restoring it to its disco-era splendour. In honour of its crazy carpet, our friends nicknamed the home “Shag Manor”.
To document the renovation, we began posting videos of our DIY journey on Instagram. Instead of gutting the beautiful four-bedroom brick veneer house and turning it “millennial greige,” we kept all the retro design elements and highlighted its mid-century-modern eccentricity.
70,000 followers later, we had become accidental interiors influencers.
media
We attracted media attention in The Design Files, Domain, The Guardian and the ABC. These interviews focused on our experience as first-time renovators as well as our passion for saving this under-loved era of Australian architectural history.
collaborations
We also developed brand partnerships with the likes of Bunnings, Panasonic, Ryobi and British Paints. We created content for them and acted as ambassadors, cross-promoting their products and services to our community.
grand designs
Then came the highlight: We were asked to appear on Grand Designs: Transformations. Shag Manor was featured in Season 2 of the TV show, which aired on the ABC in February 2026. (You can watch our episode here.) We renovated our bathrooms with a film crew in tow, creating vintage-inspired spaces using mostly secondhand materials.
