‘We love it here’: Inside The Block creator’s own tree change renovation

Life, as we know, doesn’t always go to a carefully considered plan. And so it came to be, in mid-2020, that The Block co-creator and executive producer Julian Cress and wife Sarah Armstrong surprised even themselves by making a tree change with their family.

This, of course, was an unprecedented time in history. And COVID had a way of triggering dramatic reassessments of priorities.

Sarah Armstrong (left) and Julian Cress at their Gisborne property.Credit: Natalie Jeffcott

“We’d just come out of the first long lockdown, when we were all scared and worried about our future,” says Armstrong, a senior producer on The Block.

“Being a country girl, the lockdowns also made me yearn for grass and wider outdoors for my mental health and the health of our two small boys, who were spending way too much time inside.”

Arriving at the property near Gisborne in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges, just 45 minutes from Melbourne, the parents of Max and Charlie immediately felt they had been transported to a faraway world – a world so mesmeric that it seemed they had stepped into a dream.

“The entry to the property is in a towering pine forest,” Cress says. “I was pretty sold by the time we’d driven up the driveway.”

Cress and Armstrong renovated a single-level 1980s kit home on a sprawling block. Credit: Natalie Jeffcott

Perched near the crest of a mountain, the site’s nondescript single-level 1980s home had been well-cared-for over the decades. To Armstrong and Cress, however, it was nature’s work of art that enveloped the house and instantly stole their hearts. A vast, undulating established garden was decades in the making by the home’s previous custodians.

“The property has 10 acres of landscaped garden, all planted by the couple who were here before us,” Cress says.

“They were true horticulturists, bordering on botanists. Sadly, the wife had passed on, and the garden was getting a bit much for the husband to continue with. The house itself was an ’80s kit home that didn’t really do it for us. But, for us, it was always about the garden, which we were just enchanted by. We have towering cypress hedges all around, mulberry trees, as well as beautiful sequoias, elms, hornbeams and oaks.”

Armstrong and Cress were so spellbound by their bucolic surroundings that it made perfect sense to film a series of The Block almost on their doorstep: the unforgettable 2022 Gisborne season.

The couple focused on renovating their home once the Gisborne season of The Block was complete.Credit: Natalie Jeffcott

“Everyone we’ve met agrees that 2022 was the most brutal winter they’ve ever experienced here – and we shot right through it,” Armstrong laughs.

With the Gisborne season of The Block complete, it was time for the couple – who have retained a city residence – to turn their attention to their own country house, with help from, who else but a talented contingent of Block alumni.

“We knew the house was never going to work for us as it was,” Cress says. “It didn’t even have any insulation. The renovation was always going to require a full strip-out, but that was fine. We prefer it that way. We got our Block architect Julian Brenchley onto it. We also brought in our good friend Matt Martino – who’s a brilliant interior designer/architect – as well as another former contestant from the show, Spence Thomson, who was our builder. It was definitely a Block family affair.”

Over 12 months, the home was transformed into a warm, inviting abode that captivates all.

The couple transformed their home into a warm, inviting abode.Credit: Natalie Jeffcott

“I think we’ve made great use of the spaces,” Cress says. “It’s come up a treat. This is our version of living in the country.”

While a limited palette of materials in cossetting earthy hues provides a sense of harmony, artful delights are present around every corner. To passionate collectors Armstrong and Cress, art will always be prominent in any place they call their own.

“I’ve just also finished setting up a garage space – which is not just any garage space – and it’s filled with art by both of my parents as well as some of my photography,” says Cress, the son of Archibald Prize-winning artist Fred Cress and Dobell Prize-winning artist Anne Judell. “It’s a place I can now go with a couple of mates, have a whisky and listen to the record player.”

Armstrong adds: “I call the style of the home contemporary country eclectic. Our boys are also both budding artists, and we’ve got their art on the wall too.”

Cress’ garage, where he has a whisky with friends.Credit: Natalie Jeffcott

Max and Charlie now attend a local primary school and love country life. Archie, the family’s beloved Maltese-poodle, is also happy. “There’s so much for him to chase here,” Armstrong says.

And yet, this is only stage one of the couple’s renewal of the home.

“The idea is that one day in the future, if our ship comes in, we’ll build an extension that will include a new entertaining space and main bedroom suite for us,” Cress says. “That’s the dream.”

Certainly, Armstrong and Cress have put down roots for the foreseeable future.

“We’ve decided that this is going to be our home forever – or at least for the next decade or so,” Cress says. “We’ve turned our whole life upside down, and our house in the city is now a place we might go to on the weekend. We love it here.”

This article was originally published by Domain.com.au. Reproduced with permission.