Inside Breathtaking Homes Across Australia with Martyn Lawrence Bullard

Australia has long occupied a fascinating place in the global design conversation. Geographically distant yet culturally porous, it has developed an aesthetic that borrows confidently from around the world while remaining unmistakably its own—relaxed without being informal, layered without excess, and deeply connected to landscape. In this latest episode of Live, Love & Decorate, Martyn Lawrence Bullard travels from Melbourne to Sydney, meeting the designers, collectors and creatives whose homes reveal the richness of that distinctly Australian perspective.

The journey opens in Melbourne with entrepreneur and television personality Chyka Keebaugh, whose apartment is anything but restrained. Suspended above the city's Victorian rooftops, it is an exuberant composition of saturated color, antiques, flowers and treasured finds collected over decades. Colorful walls envelop intimate rooms, collections of French copper and apothecary glass fill every surface, while fresh flowers appear in almost every corner. Chyka delights in rearranging objects, hunting through antique markets and allowing her interiors to evolve with the seasons, creating a home that feels animated by curiosity rather than convention. As Martyn observes, the apartment becomes less a showcase than a travel diary, reflecting a life shaped by collecting and discovery.

From the city skyline, the episode moves into the rolling Victorian countryside to visit celebrated landscape designer Paul Bangay at his extraordinary estate. Created over more than two decades on what was once an empty paddock, the property demonstrates Paul's belief that architecture and landscape should be conceived together. Inspired by the proportions of Italian hillside villas, the limestone house settles gently into the terrain, its lime-washed exterior echoing the color of the surrounding earth.

Inside, earthy terracotta walls, antiquities and carefully framed views ensure the gardens remain the principal focus. Beyond the windows, formal parterres, rose gardens, woodland walks and intimate garden rooms unfold with remarkable restraint, each revealing itself gradually rather than all at once. It is an estate where patience has become part of the design process, allowing time to lend the landscape a quiet sense of permanence.

Sydney offers a different expression of Australian style. In Paddington, Martyn visits longtime friend Annie Kelly, whose Victorian terrace balances English tradition with Australian warmth. Filled with inherited furniture, Aboriginal art, Chinese ancestor portraits and textiles collected across continents, the house embraces eclecticism without ever feeling crowded. Annie's eye for juxtaposition allows dark antique furniture to sit comfortably alongside Indian block prints and Syrian influences, while subtle nautical references acknowledge the harbor only moments away. The result is a home that feels deeply personal, shaped by family history, travel and an instinctive understanding of color and texture.

The mood shifts once again at Greg Natale's Sydney penthouse, where glamour takes centre stage. Lacquered finishes, polished brass, mirrored surfaces and bold geometry create a contemporary interpretation of 1970s sophistication, recalling the confidence of Studio 54 while remaining unmistakably modern. Rich color and dramatic materiality transform the apartment into an immersive design statement, demonstrating Australia's willingness to embrace boldness with precision.

Martyn then arrives in Rose Bay to visit Kym and Robert Herjavec's serene waterfront retreat. Flooded with natural light and connected effortlessly to the harbor beyond, the house captures the ease often associated with Australian coastal living, where interiors dissolve seamlessly into outdoor spaces and understated luxury comes through craftsmanship rather than excess.

The episode concludes at Capella Sydney, one of the country's most remarkable recent hotel restorations. Housed within the painstakingly restored Department of Education building, the hotel balances heritage architecture with contemporary refinement, preserving its historic grandeur while introducing a distinctly modern sense of comfort. It provides a fitting conclusion to a journey that celebrates Australia's remarkable ability to reinterpret global influences through its own lens.

Across every stop, Martyn uncovers a common thread: homes that feel collected rather than composed, generous rather than performative, and rooted in a genuine appreciation for craftsmanship, landscape and individuality. Together, they offer a compelling portrait of Australian design today—worldly, confident and entirely comfortable in defining its own point of view.