country home facelift

walt Collins was born and grew up in England and was always destined to work in television. In fact, at the age of 14 he started a pirate TV station that used to broadcast to houses in his street, using his mother’s wok as a satellite dish! He used to produce a live two-hour TV show every Sunday (completely illegally of course), and the smooth operation caught the attention of a local media company who made a documentary about the TV station titled ‘Waltervision’.

The show aired in the northern part of England and resulted in Walt being offered a job by the BBC. He trained with them, living and working around the world, before moving on to advertising agencies and other TV stations. Eventually, he decided to step back into his role as a TV host, so around nine years ago he established his own production company called BSTV.

Explains Walt, “I saw a gap in the market for a show that wasn’t like The Block or Better Homes & Gardens, so I developed a series called Healthy Homes Australia. The show has now been running on Channel 10 on a Sunday afternoon for 11 seasons.”

As a special three-part series spin-off, Walt has just fi nished fi lming Country Home Facelift which follows the journey of the renovation of Walt’s country farmstead. Located in regional Victoria, the renovation provided the perfect vehicle for showing viewers tips and tricks and hands-on advice about updating a property.

“I worked closely with Dani Wales (now Reilly) who was on The Block. She is my co-host on Healthy Homes Australia and one of my best friends. Dani has an interior design company Manna Made, and she gifted me an interior design package. She and her team created the whole interior story based on my mood board, my wants, my needs and my lifestyle, and helped me create my dream property.”

The whole process, from moving in and embarking on the renovation to handing over the series to Channel 10, took 11 months. And that was against all adversity - the pandemic, metro and regional lockdowns, trade bans, earthquakes and riots, and pretty much everything that could be thrown at the team. as with any “

old house you never know what to expect

until you open the home up... “

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Maisa Blanc o “There were lots of challenges and learnings, aside from the pandemic issues. As with any old house you never know what to expect until you open the home up. But I trusted my trades and my suppliers and ensured we all communicated open and honestly. There were of course frustrations along the way and any number of diffi culties surrounding the demand on and short supply of trades. It was a real lesson in patience, and in learning to take control,” says Walt. The house itself is massive, and the design style is modern country with a contemporary edge. The grey palette is highlighted with reclaimed timbers and original Baltic Pine timber fl ooring, contrasted with the striking black and white Penny Noir Revival tiles from National Tiles. The super modern lighting system helps to create a beautiful blend and delicate balance of modern Australia, country and a little dash of the Hamptons. Adds Walt, “The National Tiles Revival tiles were featured on the kitchen and laundry splashback, the bathroom fl oor and the fi re hearth. As the hero tile they provided the continued theme throughout the home to striking effect. The French pattern Travertine was the big-ticket item for the fl ooring and it is so beautiful. I decided not to grout the tiles, so they look more like pavers, the look is so effective and adds a real European farmhouse vibe. The earthy tones are perfection, and the texture feels magical underfoot. They are a real focal point for the home.” On the bathroom walls Walt featured National Tiles’ Blanco Matt tiles. Walt decided to stack them vertically to work in with the really high ceilings. They bounce the light beautifully and warm, add a warm, country farmhouse feel. The lay pattern creates a striking compliment to the V-groove vanity, the colour of which matches the exterior colour of the home.

Originally living in inner city Melbourne for 12 years, Walt’s country property is now his family home. “Covid taught us that we don’t have to do what we have always done. I closed my offi ce in Prahran and can now comfortably go to Melbourne a few days a week for fi lming and then come back to my beautiful oasis where I can work from my home offi ce and do all my post-production.” Walt is currently fi lming one of BSTV’s other productions, Buy To Build, traveling to a different city every week for three days at a time until fi lming is complete. “The face of Australian television has of course changed over the years. Free-to-air TV and streaming services have opened up the market with a wide range of shows that expand the landscape of the design offering, and make it a little braver and more adventurous. Australia is slowly expanding its horizon, helped by companies like National Tiles who complement their everyday tile offering with really exciting designer tiles in patterns and textures that can really elevate a home.”

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