Shaynna Blaze’s Deadline Design
Shaynna Blaze is one busy lady. From her TV commitments on The Block, Selling Houses Australia and new show, Deadline Design, brand ambassador roles (Shaynna is ambassador for Taubmans, Asko, The Rug Collection, Reece Plumbing, Molmic, One World, Urban Road and Audi) and her interior design company, blank canvas INTERIORS, Shaynna never seems to stop but she takes everything in her stride, seems to relish in the challenges and is tireless, professional and always willing to get her hands dirty. Shaynna is also a successful commissioned artist and jazz singer. A woman of many, many talents!
Shaynna’s latest show, Deadline Design, is a 10-part series that takes you behind the scenes of Shaynna’s interior design business and shares the real-life journeys of home owners looking to renovate their space. These are real clients with real budgets and their own unique tastes, styles and stories. Deadline Design is on Wednesday nights at 9.30pm on Lifestyle (Foxtel).
We spoke to Shaynna about Deadline Design and her tips for updating your home and what inspires her:
1. On Selling Houses Australia, we see aesthetically pleasing and toned down makeovers to obviously appeal to home buyers, have you been able to show a more creative aspect with the interior design on Deadline Design?
Deadline Design is all about a client’s personal brief and how they want to live so this is all about injecting personality rather than taking it away. On top of that I actually get to push the envelope in design and colour and take the clients to the edge of their comfort zone as they are on the show because they want something that is different, rather than a perfectly styled showroom look.
2. As a long time viewer of Selling Houses, we know you have had some doozies to make over on a budget (and now with Deadline Design), what are some of the easiest ways someone can update their home on a budget?
A great saying is, ‘buy cheap, pay twice’. The best way to get something out of your home on a budget is to take your time and do it right the first time rather than a budget fix, that you get sick of or falls apart in a short space of time. Whether that is waiting for the right tapware for your ‘forever bathroom’ or waiting to the kids to get out of the baby stage before you spend too much on your furniture.
3. My favourite look is the Hampton’s interior style, do you have a particular style you tend to gravitate to?
I always gravitate to classic architectural looks of Victorian and art deco for the building and with the furniture I tend to go very simple and casual in the shapes. The structure of the building and the shapes of the furniture give me the perfect balance between formal and casual.
4. What advice would you give a homeowner who is looking at making over their home but aren’t sure where to start?
The floor plan is the best starting point as you need to make sure of the flow between each room but also the size and placement of furniture works with the shape of the room. Then allocate your budget to what are your ‘must haves’, and what you can compromise on. Unless you have an unlimited bank balance, your tastes more often than not are bigger than the bottom line figure.
5. What inspires you?
My inspiration always comes from taking what is going on around me, what I see in nature and how people interact and live. I have found in the last 18 months that my life has become very fast (like so many other people) and feel like it’s time to make the world wait a little. I am taking a deliberate step back on the surroundings and focusing on music, colour and movement as a source of inspiration.
