Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer are used to judging some seriously ambitious renovations on The Block, but this time they’re the ones picking up the tools.
The interior design duo are heading to Sicily for their new Channel Nine renovation serious, 1 Euro House, which will see them transform a crumbling property purchased for the extraordinary price of just €1. The real-life policy hopes to reinvigorate certain Italian regions by inviting foreigners to invest in abandoned homes for only one Euro, if they promise to complete a full renovation of the property.
First announced as part of Nine’s 2026 line-up, we now know more about the project–including exactly where Shaynna and Darren are renovating, the challenges they faced once they arrived and when we can expect to see the finished transformation.
What is Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer’s new series about?
1 Euro House follows Shaynna and Darren as they take on a dilapidated villa in Castronovo, a historic village in the Monti Sicani region of Palermo, Sicily.
The property was purchased for just €1 as part of one of Italy’s famous one-euro house schemes, which aim to breathe new life into towns with abandoned and deteriorating properties by offering homes for a nominal price on the condition that buyers renovate them.
It sounds like the ultimate European property fantasy–until you see the house.
While Shaynna had been swept up in the romance of the idea before arriving in Sicily, seeing the property in person brought home just how enormous the renovation would be.
“ I had honestly got there through romance and excitement of doing this but when we saw it for the first time the reality really hit me in the pit of my stomach,” Shaynna told Australian House & Garden.
“I have zero problem with hard work but this was a whole new level of the unknown. There were so many structural issues that you could see once you were standing in it, which is not something pictures online will show you.”
Darren had a similarly daunting reaction in the original trailer, declaring the property “much worse than I thought.”
Inside Shaynna and Darren’s Italian renovation
Thankfully, Shaynna and Darren aren’t tackling the crumbling villa entirely on their own.
Throughout the series, they work alongside local Italian tradespeople and artisans to restore the property, incorporating traditional techniques, handcrafted details and custom furniture while putting their own design stamp on the interiors.
For Shaynna, that also meant trying her hand at some centuries-old skills.
“Their plastering technique over solid walls was pure artistry,” she said. “Watching the trades do this was quite relaxing but when I had my turn it was an absolute mess.”
Her conclusion? “I think I will stick to painting frescos.”
What is it really like to renovate a €1 in Italy?
Anyone who has ever spotted a one-euro Italian home online and briefly considered abandoning everything for a life of pasta, Prosecco and renovating in Sicily may want to take notes.
According to Shaynna, renovating in rural Italy came with a very different rhythm to working in Australia.
“Language barriers, siestas, their pace of work, timelines, access to materials and realising you are building a community, not just renovating your home,” were among the biggest differences she encountered.
“You come in hot, wanting to get stuck into things straight away and want to get things into action but you have to go at their pace,” she said.
While initially frustrating, Shaynna says embracing the slower pace became part of the experience, with food, breaks and community woven into the working day.
When does 1 Euro House premiere?
Nine is yet to announce an official premiere date for 1 Euro House, but the series is confirmed to air later in 2026. With The Block still occupying Nine’s renovation calendar, the series is expected to arrive after The Block wraps, potentially between November and early December.
Until Nine announces the date, though, we’ll have to keep our Italian renovation fantasies on standby.
Where can you watch 1 Euro House?
1 Euro House, starring Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer, will air on Channel Nine and 9Now later in 2026.
The full trailer has now been released, giving viewers their best look yet at the spectacular–and slightly terrifying–Sicilian renovation ahead.
