‘This is life with a 2yr old’: Inside Liz Cantor’s chaotic home
TV presenter Liz Cantor takes us inside the home where she expertly juggles her ‘chaotic’ work and family life.
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They’re calling her TV’s new golden girl, but superwoman would be more apt.
With three children and two demanding jobs, Channel 10 weather presenter and Channel 7 Creek to Coast and Weekender host, Liz Cantor, runs a tight ship.
But she’s nailed a routine that allows her to work from the Gold Coast three days a week, two from Brisbane, and be home in time to read the kids a bedtime story.
Cantor and her husband, Ryan Lysaught, built their two-level, dream home in Miami, moving in during June of 2022. Her love for her family hits you as soon as you step inside the bright and breezy house and see the huge photo wall alongside the staircase.
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“I’m a bit sentimental,” Cantor says. “I love those memories, and this is somewhere that we pass every day. My grandma was British, and she used to always say to me: ‘The classy homes don’t have photos on the wall, they only have art.’ So, I think, sorry grandma. She’d be turning in her grave.”
But she does have some art on the walls, including an investment piece by Aboriginal dot painting artist, Daisy Hill.
“Daisy in Dots is one of my favourite Indigenous artists,” Cantor says. “I love the storytelling behind her art.”
A large mirror graces the foyer, so the busy media personality can always check herself before rushing out the door. “Now I’m a mum of three, I need to do a last minute check. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to walk out and been like: ‘Oh, my Lord!’”
A former professional surfer, Cantor’s perfect weekend involves waking early, grabbing a coffee, packing the surfboards and heading down to the local beach with the family, which includes her “number one child”, 15-year-old dog, Bear Grylls. “He’s a bit of an old boy now. Vicious guard dog!”
The home is immaculate, but there are subtle signs of the chaos she speaks about if you look closely enough. One of the photo frames is broken, there are marks on the couch, and the garage is packed with her surfboard collection and kids’ toys.
“Rookie error — we got the couch prior to having children, so I don’t think we’d ever get a white couch again.
“The other day I went to pick up the photo frame and it’s just missing the whole back. I’m like: thanks guys.
“This is living with a two-year-old.”
Cantor reveals she learnt to play her first musical instrument late in life, and is now teaching her kids to play. “All my life I’ve wanted to play the piano, and I’ve always said that when I have a family home, I’d get a piano.
“I found one on Facebook Marketplace and then covid lockdowns happened, and I taught myself to play the piano during lockdowns.”
After almost 20 years presenting the outdoor-based programs, Cantor knows a thing or two about the weather — and there was one thing she insisted on when it came to building the home.
In the ceiling of her walk-in wardrobe is a giant skylight, revealing a colour-coordinated array of on-camera clothing below.
“The thing I loved about building this home was being able to implement natural light,” she says. “This was a bit of a gift to myself, getting a skylight.
“What I find fun is when you’re getting ready for the day, you can look up. You’re like: ‘Oh yep, it’s a clear sky’ or, ‘no, it’s cloudy, rainy’ and that’s my weather check.”
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