Abbie Chatfield explores new ‘70s vibe

Abbie Chatfield has unveiled curious plans to give her life more of a retro feel.

Abbie Chatfield at her home in Tamarama, Photos by: Darren Leigh Roberts

Before Abbie Chatfield was thrust into the public spotlight via TV’s The Bachelor, she worked as a property analyst and she loved it. However, her media career has prospered following her villainous stint on ‘Batch’, taking out I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here and currently, appearing as a panellist on TV’s The Masked Singer, plus radio and podcast gigs. That said, Abbie is confident that property will always be a part of her life. Having bought a place near Byron Bay, Gold Coast-born Abbie has now settled into her second acquisition – an apartment in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

“A lot has happened in three years, but I don’t spend my money on anything else,” she says. “I don’t buy designer things and I work so often I don’t actually do anything else … that’s how I could buy two properties.”

Abbie fell in love with the Art Deco features of her 1920s apartment block. Photo by Darren Leigh Roberts

She fell in love with the Art Deco apartment, much to the puzzlement of her buyer’s agent, who had been trying to steer her in the direction of a red brick 1980s style block.

“She had a more modern style, but I wanted something with character and my dream was a 1920s or ’30s apartment. This place needs renovating but it has good bones,” says Abbie.

Abbie’s apartment is about to be refreshed with an updated kitchen and bathroom, but in the meantime she has made it fun with lots of colour including an oversized green couch. Photo by Darren Leigh Roberts.

Plans are in place to move out for three months while the two-bedroom apartment is stripped of dated tiles and vinyl flooring, and the traditional monochrome white kitchen and bathroom is given a major update. Until then, she is refusing to let us photograph those rooms.

“The kitchen is so ugly it gives me anxiety and the bathroom is the cheapest renovation you could do in 2010 with fake marble. In truth, I don’t spend much time in the kitchen – the dishwasher doesn’t even work. The flooring throughout this place is so hideous too, so I’m going to rip it up and put in floating floorboards.”

The architectural plaster ceiling details are different in each of the bedrooms and living areas. It’s one of the heritage features Abbie will preserve in the apartment.

The high ceilings with detailed panelling in the main living room and bedrooms is one of the reasons Abbie fell in love with the apartment, and – despite stupefying her buyer’s agent – she also intends to keep her gold framed mirror built-in wardrobes.

“She was like, ‘this gold is so ugly, but you can easily fix it’, and I’m like ‘are you joking? It’s one of my favourite things in the house’. It’s obviously so ’80s, but that part I like.”

In true Abbie style, the outspoken personality is not going down the traditional route with a residential interior renovator.

“I’m working with someone, (Dani Dean of The Make Haus) who renovated the place where I get facials. It’s all ’70s inspired stuff with green marble and burl wood. It’s quite eclectic, but that’s the vibe I’m going for.” That said, she would eventually like to upgrade to a house and is acutely aware the market for a 1970/80s inspired apartment is quite niche. “I want it to have personality but not be completely offensive to people who love all-white,” she says.

Abbie wants her renovated apartment “to have personality”. Photo by Darren Leigh Roberts

The electrical wiring should probably also get a look-in during the renovation.

“When I bought this place there was a random cord along the bedroom wall. It was an ’80s throwdown to turn off the sconce light while in bed. The first time I turned it on the light bulb exploded. I don’t know if this is a coincidence but the whole of Tamarama’s power went out. I had just bought the apartment and thought, ‘what the f*ck have I done’?”

While Abbie is keen for the renovations to get started, she is glad she had the foresight to spend time in the space first.

She had pre-empted walls would need to be knocked out and living spaces rearranged to make it homey. The main bedroom would be bumped from the middle of the apartment to the back and the kitchen and living areas would come together in a more open plan fashion.

“I really didn’t like the layout when I first moved in, but now I really like having separate living to dining,” she says.

Abbie intends to rip up the dated tiles in the dining/kitchen space but in the meantime has added her own touch of 1980s glamour with a gold-trimmed wall unit.

The love of gold detailing extends to the drink trolley … and of course, the gold-framed mirror in her bedroom.

When the renovation is complete, Abbie intends to decorate it in a savvy way, foregoing up-to-the-minute interior trends.

“I bought my olive green couch for half price when the furniture store Matt Blatt closed in the first weeks of Covid. I love a bargain and getting on the site Marketplace – I am obsessed. I am also a sucker for vintage or antique shops.”