"It's like having your own personal stylist"

When Block teams arrive on site, it doesn’t take long for a division of labour to happen.

There’s usually one half of the team that is happy to stay on site and oversee the day-to-day construction and build process and another who hits the road to find all the fixtures, furniture and assorted styling items that bring it all together.

In house three, where Victorian best mates Ricky and Haydn landed for The Block Island, the job of styling the house fell to Haydn… but there was a problem.

Haydn had researched trends, figured out the style he thought would work best in the various rooms they’d be building and knew the look and feel he wanted for their house… but he wasn’t quite sure how to get there.

Which is where the design experts of Freedom came in, he says.

One of Australia’s leading furniture and homewares retailers, Freedom has outlets around Australia packed with the couches, chairs, tables, rugs and much more that the Block contestants needed.

And better yet, they also have the experts who can tell you how to make it work.

“It was definitely difficult making choices at first, but I learned pretty quickly to lean on the professionals,” Haydn says.

“Sometimes it's not about what you know, it’s about who you know so you need to find the right people, ask a lot of questions, and listen to what they say,” Haydn says.

“If you take all that on board and use their suggestions and use them in the right way in the right room then things can get a lot easier.”

All the Freedom team were there for advice, Haydn says, but finding the inhouse design specialists and advisors was a game changer.

“Jack (Freedom design consultant) became my go-to for advice,” Haydn says.

“Basically, I would walk in there and explain what I wanted to do and what my vision was and he would show me items that would work together - it was like having a personal stylist!

“All the questions like what size furniture works in a certain space, how do you get your colour palette right, how do you get the right items to match that – even something as simple as how many pillows should put on a bed, he was able to help me out.

“I became Jacks apprentice!”

One key piece of knowledge Haydn learned was the importance of a mood board before shopping, then a design board so he could help solidify the dream he had for a space.

From that beginning, it then becomes a matter of finding the items that match what you were thinking.

That’s also where you can make sure the items you choose for one room and consistent with the look of other rooms.

“Continuity is important,” Haydn says. “That’s something else I learned fast!”

And the Freedom design consultant service is not just reserved for Block contestants, Jack is quick to point out.

Anyone wanting to build a new style or those looking to revamp an existing space can either make a booking to speak with a consultant or drop into their closest Freedom.

“It can be for a whole house starting from scratch or just advice on how to give an existing space new life,” says Jack says.

“What usually happens is someone will walk in, see the signs advising them a consultant is on staff and then we take it from there.

“I’ll ask them a lot of questions about what they want to achieve, what look they’re going for and then we start selecting pieces.”

If needed, the design consultants will even make a visit to your home to see what could work, what sizes are best for tables, sofas, or rugs and what else is needed.

There’s a $150 fee for the in-home consults, but the price of that is redeemable if more than $3000 is spent in store.

“Sometimes that’s really good if it’s a new build or if people want a fresh start but don’t know what will work,” Jack says.

“It can really help to be in the space itself then help design a whole look that will work in their home.

“Then other times it can be as simple as suggesting the right colours or pieces that will work in their space.

“People often know what they like when they see it but can’t think outside the box to get to that choice.

“We can help them be a bit bolder, to think of solutions they might not have considered… and the difference that can make will really transform a home.”

Working with Haydn in house three, for example, Jack has helped the boys retain the pops of colour and sense of fun that is their trademark style while making sure it will still appeal to a wide buyer pool.

Their living room, for example, is a warm and inviting space built around the Freedom Sorrento Fabric Modular Sofa that’s perfect for any family to gather around the fire, television or just a chat, with playful artworks and styling items complementing.

“It's a winning combination,” Jack says.

With his freshly sharpened sense of style Haydn says he’s even prouder of the home he and Ricky built than he already was.

But again, there’s a slight problem…

“I now walk around my own house saying: ‘I need to get rid of everything and replace it with pieces from Freedom,” he laughed.

“And I'm already doing that! I'm still in contact with Jack now!”