Call him old school, but for interior designer, podcaster and long-time The Block judge, Darren Palmer, the experience you gain along the way is the most important part of your career journey, and it all comes down to attitude. “I feel like, as an employer, you can teach skills, you can teach culture, but you can’t teach attitude. And if someone has a great attitude and a great work ethic, I will hire that person above the person that has skills and experience every single time,” says Darren Palmer in this week’s episode of The Edit.
Alongside Home Beautiful editor Elle Lovelock, for a conversation that’s less about cushions and more about courage. Both Elle and Darren share their career journeys and what they feel has been the secret to their success. It’s reflective, funny, occasionally filthy, and unexpectedly tender.
“I realised I can learn from these people – I’m getting educated, and they’re paying me – so this is an opportunity. I don’t feel like that’s the way people think these days.”
Darren Palmer
Darren opens up about growing up in an industrial Queensland town where he didn’t quite fit, learning his craft without formal training, and why curiosity, not confidence, has shaped his career. We talk about why great design should never look the same twice, how formative homes stay with us (whether we like them or not), and what happens when you finally stop editing yourself for public consumption.
Along the way, Darren shares the story of being outed by the media and how choosing honesty changed everything, plus why Almost Home isn’t really about houses at all, but about memory, identity and the spaces that make us feel safe enough to be ourselves.
There’s also a joyful deep dive into his current home: colour, texture, scent, sound and the artwork that follows him everywhere because it still makes his heart beat faster.
We also catch up with Mel Nottage from Luxaflex on the quiet shift happening in Australian homes away from hard finishes and toward softer, more cocooning window treatments outdoors that prioritise how a space feels, not just how it looks, with more people looking to entertain at home.
It’s an episode about ambition, vulnerability, and the quiet power of showing up as you are, Zara outfits, filthy jokes and all.
Bonus tip: How to block out the sun without blocking out natural light
Our design expert Mel Nottage from Luxaflex sheds some light on how to use exterior window treatments such as blinds and awnings and external screens to maximise the light that enters your home, while keeping your interiors comfortable, elegant and stylish.
“I learnt early on that if you want to get ahead… if you want to stand out, you need to go above and beyond.”
Elle Lovelock
Listen now: Episode five of The Edit is available via the iHeart app, homebeautiful.com.au, or wherever you get your podcasts watch below or listen here.
The Edit podcast from the team at Home Beautiful is supported by OZ Design and Luxaflex.
A space to connect and belong to a growing group of our audience who want to go behind the scenes of our glossy pages to discover exactly what makes a house a home.
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