#video #Better Homes and Gardens - Season 32 - Episode 07
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00:06Some people are so talented that they can actually design and execute a magnificent
00:12goat tower like that one. I mean, seriously, how cute are they? But the person responsible
00:16for this is actually known for working with much smaller and finer things. But this gives
00:21you an idea that her creativity is off the scale. It's just a taste of what's to come.
00:26In fact, loads of whimsical inspiration is coming your way tonight on Better Homes
00:30and Gardens. Tonight, this midweek marvel really hits the meatball out of the park.
00:37This is an autumn sun. We love meatballs that you're going to want all year round. Trust me.
00:44Hardest part of making this chair is deciding what to call it.
00:48This type of chair is known as the Kentucky stick chair, Kentucky folding chair, or as I prefer, KFC.
00:55Juliet's making some outdoor table weights that really rock. Not only do these keep my table
01:01looking picture perfect, but the added accent also makes my table theme look even better.
01:07And if you've got that sinking feeling, we might know a guy.
01:11There are plenty of reasons why your pavers might be sinking.
01:18All right, autumn has just creeped in. It's still hot, but there's that little bit of chill coming in. So
01:24what better way to celebrate autumn than with some beautiful lamb meatballs and the best autumn vegetables.
01:33All right, a little bit of olive oil.
01:37So I've got carrots. Beautiful baby carrots. Nowadays you can get many different colours.
01:44Take the green off. Just cut them in half.
01:48There's nothing better than seeing the shape of the carrot. Don't bother chopping it up.
01:56All right, so we've got our carrots. Leave a little bit of green on. You can eat that green. Don't
02:00waste it.
02:01Into the hot pan.
02:04Beetroots. Now I love beetroots.
02:07Trim up your beets.
02:09Keep the leaves for later. You'll see why.
02:12Cut them in quarters.
02:14So roughly about the same size as the carrots. So they're all going to cook together.
02:22And roast it. It sort of releases the sugar. So when they caramelise, you get a beautiful vegetable.
02:28You want to hear that sizzle.
02:34So it only needs really three to four minutes in a hot pan.
02:37Gently stirring.
02:39You want a little bit of bite. Not too hard, not too soft. A little bit of the Goldilocks going
02:43on there.
02:44We're going to deglaze with a little bit of red wine vinegar.
02:51All right.
02:54Oh yeah, smells good.
02:58So that's what we're looking at. Beautiful roast. Caramelised beets. Carrots. A little bit of vinegar on there.
03:05So we'll keep them to the side.
03:08All right. Meatballs.
03:09So I've got 500 grams of lamb mince.
03:13About 150 grams of breadcrumbs, which will help soak up all the flavour and the fat.
03:21So the lamb's a great conveyor of flavour.
03:24So to go with the veg, we're sort of going a little bit Middle Eastern on this one.
03:30So, tablespoon of onion powder.
03:35Tablespoon of coriander.
03:40Coriander and lamb, match made in heaven.
03:43Coriander, cumin and lamb, even better.
03:45So we've got a tablespoon of cumin.
03:50And I've got one of garlic powder as well.
03:55So you've got the spices that go with lamb.
03:58Now you need the herbs that go with lamb.
03:59So what goes with lamb?
04:01Mint.
04:02I like it quite chunky.
04:07So your mint goes in.
04:10All right, can I fit anything else in a lamb meatball?
04:14Yes, I can.
04:15What would go better?
04:16Cheese.
04:17So halloumi goes really well when it's cooked.
04:19So we're going to cut some halloumi, nice and small dice, so it warms up inside the lamb.
04:26All right, our halloumi goes in.
04:31And now it's a case of just getting messy.
04:34So you want to incorporate all those flavours into the lamb mince.
04:43And now meatballs to whatever size you want.
04:46So because we're doing them in a pan, you don't want to go too big because you want them to
04:49cook all the way.
04:57So I mean, 500 grams.
05:00Are you going to feed six people with that?
05:02All right, the oil is smoking hot.
05:05Get your meatballs straight in.
05:06You want to hear that sizzle because you want that caramelisation.
05:15Give them a little turn.
05:18You can smell the lamb.
05:20You can smell the spice.
05:21Have a look at that.
05:22You've got beautiful caramelisation.
05:25But inside it's still raw.
05:26So what I'm going to do now is to the hot pan, I'm going to add a little splash of
05:32water, which is going to steam.
05:33I'm going to put the lid on and it will finish cooking the meatballs.
05:37And that water will turn into sort of a little bit of a stock because all the fat will leach
05:41into it and it will become part of the dressing.
05:44That's a top tip right there.
05:53All right.
05:56So what happens is the fat has sort of leached out of the lamb, the spices, and it's sort of
06:00giving you a little bit of a sauce with that water.
06:03So very gently into our tray.
06:09What sings autumn to me as well is mushrooms.
06:12So I've still got a little bit of that lamb fat in there.
06:15So why not utilise it?
06:27All right.
06:28Our mushrooms are half cooked.
06:30I told you, keep the beetroot leaves in on top of your mushrooms.
06:38Our mushrooms, our leaves are wilted down.
06:43A little deglaze with the vinegar again.
06:47In on top of our vegetables.
06:50Give that a little mix around.
06:56I'm going to add some pine nuts.
07:01Two tablespoons of capers.
07:03All we need now is a dressing to bring the whole thing together.
07:08Two tablespoons of mustard powder.
07:11So into our jar, 150 mils of red wine, vinegar that is.
07:17So equal olive oil to red wine.
07:26And the reason you put it in a jar is, when it's ready for use, it emulsifies your oil, your
07:35vinegar and your mustard.
07:43All right, all we've got to do is build this beautiful salad.
07:46I'm going to add a little bit of fresh mint at the end, just to make it a bit more
07:49vibrant.
07:50But you want to get a good contrast of colours and vegetables on the plate.
07:56Just to show off the autumnal vegetables.
08:03Look at that.
08:05What I do is, I'll toss the meatballs in that juice that came out in the pan.
08:09Just give them a little shine up there.
08:12Take on all that flavour.
08:14Then what you do is, you just dot them around.
08:27A little bit of fresh mint.
08:38And now you just christen that salad with the sauce.
08:51All right, give me a go.
08:58This is an autumnal salad with lamb meatballs that you're going to want all year round, trust me.
09:07Mmm.
09:14Basic tools, simple techniques and cheap material.
09:18This is a chair for everyone.
09:20Everyone knows it's a long road to achieve global success.
09:24Tonight, you're going to meet the driving force behind one of the best stories in Australian design.
09:35They say there is more than one way to skin a cat.
09:37However, I'm not sure who said that or why.
09:39Probably someone who doesn't like cats.
09:41But to use a phrase, there's also more than one way to build a chair.
09:45Now, whether you're a master craftsman or a first timer, anyone can build something to sit on.
09:50However, the hard part is, if you're a beginner, how do you make it look nice?
09:55Well, this chair over here, it not only has the good looks, but its simplicity is amazing.
10:02And it will make you look like an expert, even if you've got your old plates on.
10:15This type of chair is known as the Kentucky stick chair, Kentucky folding chair, or as I prefer, KFC.
10:22And it's the stick part of the build that is key, because it's made up of a series of different
10:27lengths of timber.
10:28And for that, I'm using some 40 by 32 dressed pine.
10:32And it's this assembly that makes the carpentry part super easy.
10:37To start off with, I'm going to cut all my pieces to make up the chair.
10:51All up, I need to cut nine pieces at 230mm long.
10:55Six at 370, two at 750, four at 780, two at 875, and two at 1m50.
11:07The next step is to get rid of these sharp edges.
11:11So I'll be doing a bit of a chamfer.
11:12For that, I'm using my battery planer now.
11:15If you don't have one of these, you can use a hand plane, or you can even use some sandpaper,
11:19just to soften the edges.
11:20My love, pushing me far away, no more, you'll make me feel like a hammer, jump, ease in your heart,
11:32run me, it's over, diamond, it's over.
11:37With all my pieces prepared, the next step is to drill all my holes, which will allow this threaded rod
11:43to go through the chair and hold it together.
11:46Now, the tip is, this is a 6mm rod, you want to use a 7mm drill bit, because that allows
11:52a little bit of clearance and makes it a lot easier when it comes to assembling the chair.
11:56I'll drill the first piece, and then I'm going to use this as my template to mark out all the
12:01other holes.
12:02Let's get out tonight, startling out a straight corner, fall in 일断s with a blankie year.
12:11Let's get out tonight, startedling through the crystal sky.
12:16Let's get out tonight, run in time to stretch again.
12:18Let's be out,ки- 這個, we're going to start again.
12:23Bump under the ocean, on a desert planet.
12:38Now, before I put this chair together, I'm just going over all the pieces with a coat
12:42of clear. And now we are ready to put the seat together. So I've got my 6mm threaded rod.
12:58I'm just starting with a nut and a washer. And basically, I'm going to be putting together
13:02the seat first, then the backrest, and then we're going to add the two together. So to
13:09start off, it's these shorter pieces.
13:35And you'll notice that I have this long piece here, and now I'm about to put the other one
13:40on. And that actually creates the back legs. If you look here, these continue through.
13:45And that's what supports this chair.
14:05And that is the seat done, so now I can get onto the backrest.
14:07So what do you want from me? What do you need? Can you say something? Say something?
14:29With the threaded rod through all our holes. Now I'm going to stand the chair up, and do
14:34the final adjustments to get these beautiful curves on the bottom and top. Look at that.
14:45All right, so you can see I've got a fair bit of tension in today in these two spots.
15:17I'll tell you what, this would not look out of place in a furniture store.
15:21I absolutely love this style of build and assembly because you just can't get it wrong,
15:25so it's perfect for someone just starting out.
15:28And you can use it outside or inside.
15:30There's one thing left for me to do, and that's to test it out.
15:35Oh, I'll tell you what, I just need a refreshing beverage.
15:38I just want you to be better, be better, be better.
15:43Come on, cause I'm done.
15:46From Fitzroy to London to New York,
15:48meet Millie Savage and her wonderfully creative life.
15:51Aw, thanks, Jo.
15:55Not only do these keep my table looking picture perfect,
15:58but the added accent also makes my table theme look even better.
16:09What began in a humble garden shed is now a massively successful global business.
16:15Millie Savage is an Australian jewellery designer known for her colourful, wonderfully wonky creations
16:21that are turning heads all over the globe.
16:23She has stores in London, LA and New York, and a huge celebrity following.
16:29But Millie's favourite place to create is away from it all in her home in country Victoria,
16:34which is just as amazing and eclectic as her jewellery is.
16:41Hey, babe!
16:42Oh, my God! Look at you!
16:44Oh, my God, this is... I don't know where to look first.
16:47Oh, don't, don't, don't. Come to my studio first.
16:48I need to see.
16:49Alright, you did the tour.
16:50So isn't this your old logo?
16:52Yep.
16:53So it's my logo from when I first started making jewellery 12 years ago.
16:57Wow.
16:57I'd be happy to stop here, but I have a feeling that what's behind it is...
17:00Yeah, come on through.
17:02Oh, this is your studio.
17:04Welcome.
17:04I'm sorry, but just look at this little picture here.
17:07This is Miss Princess Sparkles.
17:08Hello, darling.
17:10Just propped there perfectly, hey?
17:12Ah, so this is it.
17:13Yeah.
17:13Your story is, like, stratospheric, the way that you climb up through the Reds with George.
17:18But tell me about it, because 12 years ago, you just said that when you started,
17:21you started, you've got artworks in here, you've got sculptures in here.
17:24Like, where did it begin for you?
17:25Um, so I painted at uni, and I was doing fine arts.
17:29Yeah.
17:29I found out I wasn't very good at painting, so...
17:31I thought you were very good at just filing.
17:33Ah, so I took up a silversmithing elective, and I did that for six weeks, and then I dropped
17:39out, and then I just rocked up at every jeweller's house in Melbourne with two pieces of cheesecake
17:43and a cup of coffee, and was like, can I watch you today?
17:46And was the most annoying girl in the world until, um, I learned something.
17:50I remember my first market, I sold out, and I had, like, three or four grand, and I was
17:55over the moon at every cent I put back in, and I did the next one, and just kind of
17:59popped
17:59off from there.
18:00So when did you know that you had your signature style?
18:03Because you would have tried a few different things, I'm imagining.
18:06To be honest, my first ring that I ever made kind of looks like my jewellery now.
18:10Like, it's really funny.
18:11If you go back and look at my first Instagram post, like, it's definitely not as refined.
18:15I wasn't very good technically, and I've, like, learnt a lot.
18:18But it's the same kind of idea.
18:20You talk about that, and you now have stores around the world.
18:23I mean, like, does it blow your mind that you're in New York and that you're in England?
18:27So we did New York pop-up first.
18:29It did really well.
18:30Went to do London pop-up, and I was like, oh, my God, it's so much work doing a pop
18:34-up.
18:34It's basically the same as opening a new store.
18:36Let's just open it and risk it.
18:37Well, risk it to get the biscuit.
18:38Just open it.
18:39So we just opened that, and then a year later we went and opened New York.
18:44Wow.
18:44Which is really cool.
18:45Where does that gutsiness come from?
18:47Like, you're backing yourself the whole way, so where does that come from?
18:50It's probably my parents.
18:51Like, yeah.
18:52I've always been told, if you can't do it, you're going to get pushed.
18:56So you better jump.
18:57Like, you know.
18:58And what about the celebrities that now literally, you know, line up to wear your extraordinary
19:04pieces?
19:04Have you had pinch me moments along the way?
19:06Yeah.
19:07Miley Cyrus held up a sign once that said, I love Millie Savage.
19:11So that was cool.
19:13Chapel Roan, where's my jewellery?
19:15I just made customs for Addison Rae.
19:17Millie, before we go and explore the rest of the house, I've just clocked that light
19:20out here.
19:21That was actually meant to be in the kitchen, but I thought it was a bit too girly and frilly,
19:25so now I have the world's most extravagant outdoor light.
19:28It's absolutely ridiculous that that's outside, but it's Lisa Warrington, who's a friend of
19:32mine and a glass blower.
19:33And she actually did the ones inside above the drop-down and the bedroom, which you'll
19:38see soon.
19:49And this is my kitchen.
19:54Look at the colour in your home.
19:57There is so much going on, but it works.
20:00Yeah.
20:01It's pink, green, rainbow in here.
20:04Everyone's like, oh my God, your house is so crazy.
20:06It's so rainbow.
20:06And it is.
20:07But if you look at each space separately, it's actually only two colours and a few little
20:11accented bits, you know?
20:12So is that the key to making that work?
20:15I think so.
20:15I think they're complementary, contrasting colours.
20:18They look so good together.
20:19This is amazing, but of course your eyes do get drawn to that incredible feature wall
20:23that you have going on there.
20:25That's the crystal wall.
20:26The crystal wall.
20:26And a bit of taxidermy these days, but yeah.
20:29So I went to the Natural History Museum in New York and I was walking around and I saw
20:35all the crystals there and I was like, oh my God, it's so amazing.
20:37How do I put that in my house?
20:39Speaking of something that is unique, can we go have a look at this open lounge room?
20:44Yeah.
20:50So Millie, I'm actually looking around and I think there's about 10 things that I would
20:54list as my favourite.
20:54So I want to know what your favourite thing is.
20:56Oh, probably these lights by Lisa Warrington.
21:01They are amazing.
21:02Yeah.
21:02They're really weird and spiky.
21:04The couch honestly looks like it's the comfiest thing in the world, but there's actually a
21:08bit of thought that's gone into that as well, the sunken lounge, isn't there?
21:11Yeah.
21:11So I wanted like the floppiest, squishiest, comfiest room ever.
21:16So this couch, when I got it custom made, I was like, oh, how do we make it like really
21:21floppy?
21:22And so I designed like a doona that Velcro's on.
21:25So it's actually a leather doona over the top of the couch.
21:27So that's why it's so soft and floppy.
21:29Oh, that's amazing.
21:31Yeah.
21:31And the stairs, they're a work of art coming down in here.
21:34Yeah, I probably drew the location of them about 50 times.
21:38They were originally there and there and anyway.
21:41Upstairs, the bedroom and that bathroom area.
21:44Yeah.
21:45I am obsessed with baths.
21:47I bath twice a day.
21:48I love having a bath in the middle of my room.
21:51Got that bath custom made.
21:52It's beautiful purple color.
21:54And then I got the green contrasting.
21:57It's green onyx.
21:58Wow.
21:58So sourced that too.
21:59And then got all that put in.
22:01I love everything in the inside of your home.
22:03I mean, there's not a lot of people who could pull off as much as you've got in it, but
22:07do it so well.
22:08Obviously, listening to your collaborations with all your mates, obviously everyone who's involved in your life is creative on some
22:15level as well.
22:16Does that extend to the gardens as well?
22:18Yeah.
22:18So one of my best friends, Colin Hyatt, designed the gardens and I think he's coming over today, so maybe
22:23get to meet him live.
22:24Let's go.
22:25And that's coming up later in the show.
22:30Coming up, entertaining outdoors.
22:33You'll be blown away by this clever project.
22:36I'm going to show you how to create gorgeous table weights.
22:40And if you thought her home was beautiful, wait till you see Millie Savage's gem of a garden.
22:46The pitch was Wizard of Oz, so we planted thousands of bulbs.
22:57Picture this.
22:58You have all of your favorite people coming over for a gathering.
23:02You've set the table beautifully and then all of a sudden the wind picks up and everything's on the floor.
23:08But wait a minute.
23:09There is a stylish solution to that problem.
23:12I'm going to show you how to create gorgeous table weights.
23:19What I love about creating your own table weights is that you can customize them to your own personal style.
23:25The look I'm going for today is a relaxed coastal boho vibe.
23:29So I'm using these natural tones and textures.
23:32These are beautiful, these stones.
23:34And I've got this cream twine here.
23:36The end result will be a lot like macrame, but a lot less complicated.
23:39I promise.
23:41No tricky knots.
23:42The first thing you need to do is get one of these curtain clips and you'll just remove this ring
23:47here.
23:47So you're left with the hook.
23:51So once you've removed that ring, you just make a hole again so that you can put some of this
23:58twine through.
23:59And what you want to do is get four pieces.
24:01I've pre-cut these to about just under a metre each.
24:05Then you fold it in half and thread that loop at the top through the hole at the base of
24:13your clip.
24:14Just like that.
24:15Then you just want to take the two tails and bring them through.
24:19Pull it nice and tight.
24:21Then it's just a very simple left over right, right over left knot.
24:28And it makes it a lot easier if you take your clip and place it on something just to give
24:33you some stability.
24:44Once the four pieces of string are tied onto the hook, you can then start to separate out the strands.
24:50The most important ones are these two end pieces.
24:53And then you want to tie each two together along.
25:00The knot is very simple.
25:02You just want to take it up over your fingers and bring it through.
25:07And depending on the size of your pebbles, about one and a half to two centimetres down.
25:31To create the net to hold the pebble, you want to just keep repeating the process.
25:35And just make sure each time you separate out those end strands.
25:39And then tie together each pair in between.
25:49You want to wind the tape fairly tightly around the end so that you can thread it through one of
25:55these little wooden beads for a bit of decorative detail.
25:59Then you thread it on and wind it all the way up to the base of the pebble.
26:07And then just another simple knot at the bottom of the pebble.
26:12Once you've done that, you can decide how long you want the tassel to be.
26:17Cut it off there and then use a comb to comb it out.
26:27And that is it.
26:28How cute do these look?
26:30So boho and chic.
26:32And of course you'll need one for each corner of your tablecloth.
26:34So I have another three here.
26:36For one that's even simpler, you can take some beautiful smooth dark stones like this and wrap them with some
26:44leather to tie around the centre.
26:47Same idea, you want to start with one of these curtain clips and then take your leather.
26:53You can use a tiny bit of hot glue if you want to to start just to hold it in
26:57place.
26:58And start by threading the leather through your clip.
27:16Then you'll want to just tie it off at the back, trim the ends and that one is done.
27:23So simple and so, so sweet.
27:28For this final idea, I am going to get the paint brushes out and get creative.
27:33It's a great one to get the kids involved with because you can paint whatever you want onto them.
27:38These little flowers are sweet, swirls, you can do little waves and the great thing is they don't have to
27:43be perfect.
27:44If you're really not confident, you can even just do dots with the end of your paint brush and that
27:48is what I'm going to do today.
27:50To start, you'll want to paint your rock using an undercoat.
27:53I've used an all-in-one primer and then you can use whatever coloured acrylic paint you have at home.
27:58I'm using this really beautiful blue tone.
28:03For the best results with this dot technique, you want to just go straight in and out and onto the
28:11rock and back again.
28:12Don't swirl it round.
28:20Once the paint is dry, you can take some wire and attaching it, you know the drill now, to one
28:26of these clips.
28:31At the back, you want to twist the wire round and tighten it using the pliers.
28:36Once you've got enough to thread through the hook on your clip, you can snip it, thread it through and
28:48then just fold it over to tighten it.
28:54That's it.
28:55How cute.
28:56Kids would absolutely love this.
28:58So pretty.
29:04Not only do these keep my table looking picture perfect, but the added accent also makes my table theme look
29:11even better.
29:12So I'd say these weights really rock.
29:24The common brushed turkey is a familiar sight, from southern New South Wales all the way to Cape York, even
29:31in the suburban areas of Sydney and Brisbane.
29:34Now, love them or hate them, they can pose a problem around the home and garden, creating damage and mess.
29:42To try and keep brushed turkeys out of your backyard, you need to keep the backyard neat and clean.
29:47So something like that, your compost heap, you've got to cover it so they can't access it, right?
29:51And things like this really want piling up somewhere.
29:54They can move those fairly easy sticks like that because they've got big, strong feet.
29:59When it comes to fruit trees, right, they tend to ring bark them.
30:02Something like this to protect the root zone is an ideal situation.
30:05If you use just fibre mulch, the birds will rake that out of the way in no time at all.
30:11If you've got an area where you want to mulch a large surface, then why not use something a lot
30:15heavier, like big rocks?
30:17They work far better.
30:18And not only that, even a strong brushed turkey can't move rocks around.
30:22They work far better.
30:26They work far better.
30:27They work far better.
30:29They work far better.
30:30They work far better.
30:31Bamboos might make a great screen, but they also drop a stack of leaves.
30:35And the male brushed turkey would absolutely love this here because he would use these leaves to build his mound.
30:42And that's how they incubate their eggs inside an earth mound.
30:45So what do you do?
30:46Rake all this stuff up, compost it and cover it.
30:50Once you cover it, you're in charge.
30:57A common problem is sinking pavers just like this, and I'll show you how to fix it.
31:02Hang on, we need to talk about the gate.
31:03I made the gate.
31:05What?
31:05So you actually welded the gate?
31:06Yeah, it was really fun.
31:15Now, there are plenty of reasons why your pavers might be sinking.
31:18It might be poor drainage, poor compaction, poor prep, it might even be ants.
31:22This is a classic case.
31:23So let's lift this up and take a look at what's going on.
31:35I just needed to remove a few pavers to work out exactly what was going on.
31:38And you can see here, the sand that is the base for the pavers is simply washing out of these
31:42holes.
31:43So I'm going to lift them all up.
31:44I'm going to block those holes up, check for any more.
31:47Then I can relay the sand and get the pavers back.
32:00So you can see there's a hole down there, and when the water comes through, it just washes the sand
32:04out.
32:04Now, you could just block that up, but instead I'm going to try and prevent it from happening again.
32:08So I'm going to take the two runs out, I'm going to stand them on edge to create that little
32:12garden bed,
32:12and that's going to catch the water and direct it down the side of the house where it can get
32:16out.
32:25I'm not going to claim that I did this edge, because I didn't.
32:28But miraculously, it's here, which is wonderful, and it creates a garden bed.
32:31It also creates a stop point for the water, so the sand can't escape anymore.
32:36What we need to do now is screed out our sand and relay our paving.
32:43We're using river sand, which is much coarser, and it locks together and doesn't wash out as easily.
32:53I'm just mixing a little bit of gray cement through our river sand.
32:58This isn't going to set solid, but it is going to give it a bit of strength, which is what
33:03we need being at the bottom of the slope.
33:04That way, it's never going to wash out anywhere.
33:29To finish off our paving, I'm just using some pavelock.
33:33If you didn't have that, you could just use a fine washed sand.
33:36It gets in between the gaps and just helps to lock everything together.
33:38The tip, though, is it has to be bone dry when you do it, otherwise it turns to a complete
33:42mess.
33:44The thing I love about this job is we've fixed a problem.
33:47It looks much better. We've added plants. It's a good weekend's work.
34:05Earlier, jewellery designer Millie Savage showed us around her spectacular house in country Victoria and her unique style and wonderful
34:14art.
34:15Now, she's about to show us her gardens.
34:19So, Jo, this is my friend Colin Hyatt.
34:21Hello, Colin.
34:22Hi, Jo. How are you?
34:23Colin Hyatt, garden, landscaper, designer extraordinaire, hey?
34:27So, how do you two know each other?
34:29This is my dad's best friend, but I've pinched him and now he's my best friend.
34:33And I think Mick's a little bit jealous.
34:35He is. Sometimes he's like, is Colin coming?
34:38Well, if Colin's coming, where's my invite?
34:40Oh, that's hilarious.
34:42So, obviously, walking in here, I feel like we've kind of walked into some kind of fairytale book.
34:46The glass house and the mushrooms, where did they come from first?
34:50I designed them and got them shipped over about two years ago.
34:53So, they've all been sitting, waiting for the rest of Colin's garden to erupt around it.
34:58Well, there was sort of a garden here already.
35:00Similar sort of layout, but it was...
35:02Not like this.
35:03No.
35:03It didn't work, did it, babe?
35:04No, it didn't work.
35:05It didn't work.
35:06It needed to be sort of segmented into rooms.
35:09Okay.
35:09So, colours and textures and sort of moods as well.
35:13With this beautiful glass house garden to make this into the Australian native garden.
35:18Grasses that moved around.
35:20Billy Buttons going everyone.
35:22Yeah, a little bit crazy.
35:23Yeah, okay.
35:24And then where did that lead you to?
35:25Then that led us to the kitchen garden.
35:27Right.
35:28Millie's bathtub garden.
35:29Hang on, Colin.
35:30Hang on.
35:30You can't just talk about that.
35:31We need to see that up close.
35:43This was room number two.
35:44Tell me about it.
35:45This was room number two.
35:47And this was probably Millie's garden that she had worked on herself quite a lot.
35:52So, I sort of had to be very cautious not to stand on Millie's toes.
35:56The creative.
35:57Yeah.
35:58My vision versus your vision.
36:00Yeah.
36:00So, I had to blend this garden back into the other rooms that we had planned on moving
36:06into.
36:07And then feathering through some other bits and pieces to pull it all together and,
36:13you know, have that sort of mass-planted floral sort of bouquet.
36:16The pitch was Wizard of Oz, so we planted thousands of bulbs.
36:32I think one thing that you said is, like, let's group things rather than I'm just like,
36:37whoa, let's vomit it everywhere, rainbows.
36:40And Colin's like, okay, this is the area where the sunflowers are going to go and they
36:43will stay in this area.
36:44Can we have a look at the gardens out the front of the home?
36:47Let's go.
36:56So, I feel like we've saved, like, one massive garden to last.
37:00We probably should have started out given that this is, like, the front of the house.
37:03But tell me about this.
37:05This is the entrance to Millie's gorgeous property.
37:09We enter through these main gates.
37:11Hang on, we need to talk about the gate.
37:13Oh.
37:14The gate is epic.
37:15I made the gate.
37:16What?
37:16With Dave Allison, who's from Rosebud Engineering.
37:19And I went down for two days and he taught me how to weld.
37:22So you actually welded the gate?
37:23Yeah.
37:24It was really fun because there's bits of leftover green onyx which I used in the house.
37:27And I smashed it up and I realised it's like making a giant ring.
37:30Like, you have to bend and make the bezel for the bead of stone.
37:33So the fact you've got all these mounded gardens and the use of your big rocks.
37:37Like, you've just created so many little pockets of interest for your eyes to get drawn to.
37:41Yeah.
37:41We needed to collect a rock that was indigenous to this area to become sustainable.
37:47Well, that's your signature, isn't it?
37:48You put indigenous rocks, indigenous plants in.
37:50Yeah.
37:50We don't want to track things further than we really do need to.
37:56Yeah.
37:56And we really like to have the gums and the grasses to be indigenous to the area if we can.
38:01So it brings the native wildlife back through Wildlife Corridor.
38:05It brings the right bird, the right bee and the right bug.
38:09Tell me about the trout.
38:09That's also indigenous.
38:11I got that from Winchelsea, which is 10 minutes down the road.
38:14I love that.
38:15I found it on Facebook Marketplace and I'm like, Cole, let's get that one.
38:18I love that.
38:19Because even from inside the house, you see that it's still playing,
38:21you're still connecting your eyes to the colours and the patina on it.
38:24We really did need something that was orange and blue.
38:27And then I like the fact that you've added some sculpture in here with your plants,
38:30with the cacti as well.
38:31Yeah.
38:31Well, the cacti are my thing.
38:33That's very Colin.
38:34Wow.
38:35I do love those big sort of sculptural forms.
38:38You know, you travel throughout the world and you see these gorgeous specimens.
38:42It's a place where the weather's ever changing.
38:49Millie, just when I thought there was nothing else to discover about your incredible story,
38:53about your home or garden, we hadn't even touched the menagerie of animals that you have.
38:58Yeah.
38:58So, I'm very lucky.
38:59I have mostly ornamental animals.
39:01They're paddock ornaments.
39:03The goats, the alpacas, the peacock, the horses are ridden.
39:07And it's, I've been riding since I was three and these stables, I wanted to do the stables
39:12before I did the house.
39:13This is like my seven-year-old childhood dream to have this.
39:16These are custom.
39:17This is my horse Martini.
39:18Yeah.
39:19And this is my friend's horse Tora.
39:21Oscar's in the paddock.
39:22You can hear him.
39:23That's Oscar in the background.
39:24Doing a tantrum.
39:25Where did the love of horses come from?
39:27My granddad.
39:28Yeah.
39:29He was best friends with Bobby Skelton.
39:32So, he taught me how to ride and then I've just been riding ever since.
39:36Honestly, I mean, we came here to do a story on your phenomenal ride, you know, onto this
39:40incredibly successful global business with your jewellery.
39:43I didn't expect that that would carry through that creativity into every part of your home,
39:47which is colourful, it's whimsical and it's explorative.
39:52Like, you actually want to look around every corner because you know there's going to be
39:54something beautiful.
39:55Yeah.
39:55Yeah, cool.
39:56Well, I've got to say, I have a feeling that everyone in our country is going to be
39:59talking about you for many more decades to come, so I feel really lucky that we've
40:03come here early years in your stage of your career.
40:05It's been a real joy.
40:06Thank you Tora.
40:07Yeah, well you have to come back and see us again.
40:08At some stage we're all, it's amazing.
40:10We'll see you next time with more Better Home to Garland.
40:12Cool.
40:12Thanks guys.
40:13Bye.
40:13Bye.
40:16It all comes back to you.
40:21Next time, we're hunting for Australia's hottest suburb.
40:25But had Joanna and Dr Chris gone a bridge too far?
40:29With fresh eyes, something you thought you knew can be entirely different.
40:34If you're looking for an easy meal for busy nights, Colin really knows his stuffing.
40:39It's got all the essence of stuffing, but with the chunks of chicken.
40:44Even the most easy-going plants have their diva moments.
40:48Citrus will survive on neglect, but show them a bit of love and they'll flourish.
40:54Plus, we've got a living room makeover that's more than just all white.
40:59A neutral colour scheme does not have to be a boring one.
41:04And Graham's certainly got no beef with Wellington.
41:08As we continue our incredible cruise around New Zealand, we've got some great gardens to show you,
41:13including this beauty here in Wellington.
41:16That's next time on Better Homes and Gardens.
41:18There we go
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