From The Bachelor to The Block: Inside Laura Byrne and Matty J’s $2m South Coast renovation as they reject ‘millennial beige’ trend

I must say, as someone who has been through countless home renovations myself and has a deep appreciation for the charm of older properties, I admire Laura’s decision to resist the millennial trend of painting everything white. The ‘beige brigade’ may have their followers, but it takes a special individual to embrace the character and history that comes with an old house like Chante-Mer.

Laura Byrne and Matty ‘J’ Johnson are stirring up opinions among fans as they share insights into their personal home renovation project, a subject that has long been a source of debate and division on the web.

The Bachelor power couple recently splashed out $2.19m on a rundown ‘blue chip’ home in a huge renovation project in Ulladulla, about 230 kilometres south of Sydney. 

Over the course of the following fortnight, nearly 80,000 Australian spectators have chosen to follow and engage in discussions on the project’s Instagram account @chante.mer.house, expressing their curiosity.

Last month, the entrepreneurs who rose to fame on reality TV added a rundown oceanfront property to their vast real estate holdings.

The location carries a significant significance for the joyful pair, since they exchanged vows in 2022 at Cupitts Estate Winery, which is conveniently located near their newly acquired vacation residence.

‘From your comment, it seems you’re not fond of the tiles,’ Laura wrote alongside the image of her choice, accompanied by a laughter-tear emoji.

The simple photo, that shows blush, deep purple, rust, and mustard coloured tiles intended to cover the living room fireplace, attracted thousands of fiery comments. 

In one camp of opinion, one naysayer said the tiles looked ‘a bit like the urine chart at the doctors’, ‘will not age well’ and are ‘pretty terrible’ as well as ‘DISGUSTING.’ 

In another scenario, as a design enthusiast myself, I found the colors absolutely captivating. I strongly suggested to Laura that she should trust her intuition and go for it.

Somewhere in-between the two were the more polite critics who said they really, really didn’t like them…but that Laura should do what she wants with her house. 

A post shared by @chante.mer.house

In a recent video, Laura shared one aspect of our house she particularly loves – its unique doors, which she chose to preserve during renovations on a Sunday.

The host of the Life Uncut podcast is quite busy juggling several responsibilities. She’s managing two young children under five years old, creating her Toni May jewelry line, hosting afternoon radio on Sydney’s KIIS FM, readying to debut her baby blanket and linen brand Mae & Moo, and on top of all that, she’s seeking opinions from around eighty-thousand people about the design choices for her home renovation.

Wow, isn’t it beautiful,” the mother of two exclaimed, displaying the sunlight filtering through the original stained glass of her front door.

She posed a question to her audience: “Should we leave the wooden doors with their surrounding sand, keeping the beautiful stained glass and wood finish that I adore, despite the damage to the wood? Or should we paint them white instead?

She clarified that at present, the exterior of the door is white while the interior is made of wood. She finds it simpler to choose the white option, but she can’t decide which one she prefers more.

Simultaneously, it was clear that Laura expressed her thoughts on any proposals concerning a new front door, as stated in the caption.

She cautioned her audience in the video with this phrase: “If those associated with the beige brigade approach these doors… I’ll cause a disturbance,” she playfully teased, referring to a specific group of home renovators who frequently face criticism on ‘home reno fail’ TikTok.

The term “beige brigade” refers to a group of predominantly younger, millennial couples who tend to purchase older homes, strip them down entirely, and install generic design elements like white walls and standard decorative features, effectively removing any unique character.

Laura’s post reads: “These timeless classics will remain, but the major dilemma lies in whether to restore them entirely to their wooden state, or give them a fresh coat of white paint?

In a different video posted about two weeks back, Laura gave a brief walkthrough of her unique ‘time warp’ bathroom painted bubblegum pink. Notably, she mentioned that the bidet is situated right next to the toilet within the same room.

She titled her video, “I need to know! How does one reach the bidet… is it by sidestepping around the corner while pants-less?

The house perched atop the cliff boasts expansive vistas of the ocean and fittingly bears the name Chante-Mer, meaning ‘Singing Sea’ in French.

This two-story, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house spans over two floors and was last purchased back in 1984 for a price of $62,500.

The house stands on a spacious 746 square meters with a panoramic view of Racecourse Beach. Previously owned by the late Valerie Barnes, a skilled United Nations simultaneous conference interpreter, who passed away at the age of 94 in 2021.

As someone deeply inspired by Valerie’s work, I’ve embraced her philosophy that reads: “I never skimp on indulgence.

Fun fact, I can hardly contain my excitement as I find myself in the know about Laura and Matt! It turns out they’re teaming up with various brands to finance the massive overhaul of their property – who knew renovating could be so lucrative?

Instead of a complete makeover transforming the old house into a pristine white minimalist space, the couple plans to restore it to its original charm while resisting the modern trend of painting everything white.

Laura and Matt have already shared photos of their daughters Marlie-Mae, five, and Lola, three, visiting their future ‘dream home’. 

Currently residing in a spacious four-bedroom house in North Bondi, these reality TV personalities made the purchase back in 2023 for a sum of approximately $5.2 million.

They also boast a stunning $1.8million holiday home in Bangalow, near Byron Bay.

Five years after they first met on The Bachelor, Laura and Matty officially got married on the south coast in November 2022, following their engagement in Fiji back in April 2018.

In my expertise on lifestyle matters, I can confidently say that this dynamic duo, who gained fame together on a popular show, welcomed their adorable daughter Marlie-Mae into the world back in 2019. Fast forward to last year, and they expanded their family further with the arrival of sweet Lola in February 2021.

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2024-09-09 10:35