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Shaynna Blaze

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Shaynna Blaze
Blaze at the Foxtel Launch Event, February 2013
Born (1963-04-02) 2 April 1963 (age 61)
NationalityAustralian
Occupations
  • Interior designer
  • television personality
  • writer
  • former singer
Years active2008–present
Children2

Shaynna Blaze (born 2 April 1963) is an Australian interior designer, television personality, writer and former singer. She is best known for her work as a co-host on Selling Houses Australia (2008–2020) and a judge on The Block (2012–present). In 2021 she won Celebrity Apprentice Australia.[1] In early 2024, Blaze released her debut single Warrior.[2]

Early life

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Born in Melbourne, Australia, Blaze credits her parents, Basil and Annette, as her inspiration.[3] She became interested in interior design as a teenager,[4] and earned a degree in design after completing high school and designed commercial interiors at Reece Plumbing.[5][6][7]

She married her first husband, and they had two children.[5] Following her divorce, she found it "hard to run a business as a single mum" and worked as a jazz singer for 10 years, singing in clubs while her parents babysat.[8] Blaze returned to interior design after remarrying.[8]

Career

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Television career

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Blaze was working for herself and taking on residential design projects, until a 2007 advertisement in a design newsletter caught her eye. That ad led to her filming an audition tape which then led to her becoming a co-host on Selling Houses Australia, alongside real estate expert Andrew Winter and landscape designer Charlie Albone in 2008.[7]

In 2012, she was hired as a judge on Channel 9's team renovation show, The Block.[9][10]

She filmed a pilot episode for her own interior design series, Blank Canvas with Shaynna Blaze, which aired on The LifeStyle Channel in April 2013.[11][12] In 2013 and 2014, Blaze won the ASTRA Award for Favourite Personality – Female, and she co-hosted the 2014 ceremony with Matt Shirvington.[13][14]

Buying Blind was a one-season show that aired in 2018 in which Blaze and two other experts purchase houses for couples who have signed over their life savings and given a list of requirements for their dream home.[citation needed]

In March 2021, Blaze announced she would be leaving Selling Houses Australia due to a busy schedule.[15][16]

Blaze competed in the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia in 2021 and succeeded as the winner.[17][18] Blaze helped to raise over $300k for her charity of choice, Voice of Change, which supports survivors of family violence.[18]

In 2023, Blaze was revealed to be the "Bluebottle" on the fifth season of Network 10's The Masked Singer Australia. She was eliminated in episode 4 after her second performance.[19][20]

Publications

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In March 2013, Blaze released Design Your Home, an interior design book published by Penguin Books Australia. Her second book, Design with Colour and Style, was released on 25 March 2015.[21]

Blaze occasionally writes design columns for Stellar Magazine, The Herald Sun and Grand Designs Magazine.

Special media

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On 7 and 14 December 2015, a two-part TV special, Shaynna's World of Design, aired on LifeStyle Home. It saw Blaze create a range of interior lighting and travel the globe to gather design inspiration from each place she visited. She also shared her own ideas and design principles along the way, not just for interior lighting, but for everything in the home.[22] In 2016, she hosted Deadline Design on LifeStyle Home.[23]

Business career

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Founded in 2005, Blank Canvas Interiors is Blaze's interior design company which is based in Hawthorn East, Victoria.[8][24] Her approach to design is "functionality of the layout is number one, then I look at the quality and suitability of the fixtures and surfaces, then the colours and styling at the end. A bad design is bad design, no matter how pretty it is". Blaze is known for her ability to quickly and creatively know what could be changed in a floorplan, light and colour to improve a space.[25]

Blaze is a brand ambassador for the Attic Group,[26] Granite Transformations,[27] and Taubmans paint.[28]

Blaze has designed products for brands including Molmic, Urban Road, Harris Scarfe and One World Lighting.[29][30]

Music

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On May 3 2024, Blaze released her debut single Warrior, Blaze said before releasing the album that appearing in The Masked Singer (Australian TV series) season 5 had reignited a passion to sing again after revealing she had given up singing to support her family .[31][32] On 1 November 2024, Blaze released her EP album Sweeter Than Life and new single Meet Me In the Middle.[33]

Personal life

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Blaze's father, Basil, a fitter and turner, died of a heart attack in 1998.[34] After her mother died of Alzheimer's in 2016, Blaze was approached by an aged care developer to design a facility, which she accepted.[3]

Blaze has a son, Jess Kenneally, and daughter, Carly Anne Kenneally, from her first marriage.[5] She later married personal trainer Steve Vaughan,[5] and was credited by her married name, Shaynna Blaze-Vaughan, in early seasons of Selling Houses Australia. After 18 years of marriage she separated from Vaughan in August 2018.[35] They divorced in 2023.

Blaze once dreamed of being an air hostess, but at only 5 foot 3 inches (160 cm) tall, she was too short.[7]

Blaze's hobbies include yoga, meditation, sketching, painting, reading and walking her pet border collie.[3][25]

Blaze is an advocate for women, and a social justice campaigner who has supported a number of organisations tackling domestic violence in Australia. Blaze has MCd candlelight vigils for women and children lost to family violence and presented keynotes at International Women's Day events.[30]

With her children Carly and Jess as writers and co-directors, Blaze was the executive producer of The Fort, a 2021 feature film about a woman's battle to escape her abusive marriage while attempting to shelter her son from the realities of domestic violence.[30][36]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2008–20 Selling Houses Australia Herself / co-host 148 episodes
2012–present The Block Herself / Judge Since season 5
2013 Blank Canvas with Shaynna Blaze Herself Pilot episode
2015 Shaynna's World of Design Herself 2 episode special
2016 Deadline Design Herself 10 episodes
2016 Upper Middle Bogan Herself Season 3 Episode "New Kids on The Block"
2018 Buying Blind Herself
2021 Celebrity Apprentice Australia Herself Series winner
2022 Country Home Rescue Herself / Host 6 Episodes, appearing with her kids Carly & Jess
2023 The Masked Singer Herself / Contestant 2 Episodes, as Bluebottle

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Work Category Result Ref
2013 ASTRA Award Selling Houses Australia Favourite Personality – Female Won
2014 ASTRA Award Selling Houses Australia Favourite Personality – Female Won
2015 ASTRA Award Selling Houses Australia Most Outstanding Presenter – Female Nominated
2016 AACTA Award Selling Houses Australia Best Female Presenter Nominated
2018 AACTA Award Selling Houses Australia Best Female Presenter Won [37]

References

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  1. ^ Craze, Kirsten (12 October 2013). "Interior design queen Shaynna Blaze gives homegrown tips to make thousands on your home". News.com.au. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  2. ^ Writer, Staff. "'Watch this space': The Block's Shaynna Blaze teases mammoth career move". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Teh, Melody. "Shaynna Blaze opens up about kids and career: "Just don't embarrass me" | OverSixty". www.oversixty.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  4. ^ Halliday, Claire (7 April 2012). "The best interior eye on The Block". Domain. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Duck, Siobhan (2 August 2014). "Hardworking TV presenter Shaynna Blaze 'is the original Duracell bunny'". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  6. ^ Olssen, Arrnott (2021). "Exclusive Interview: Shaynna Blaze".
  7. ^ a b c "Shaynna Blaze on The Block, family and music". Stuff. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Helen O'Neill (21 June 2008). "Designer lives". The Australian. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  9. ^ Murfett, Andrew (21 June 2012). "Bringing a fresh eye to The Block". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  10. ^ "The Block: Shaynna Blaze". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  11. ^ Bishop, Jen (30 March 2013). "Shaynna Blaze gets her own show, Blank Canvas". The Interiors Addict. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  12. ^ "Blank Canvas With Shaynna Blaze". The LifeStyle Channel. Foxtel. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  13. ^ Eck, Karen (21 March 2014). "2014 ASTRA Awards: winners named". ASTRA Awards. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  14. ^ Eck, Karen (3 February 2014). "Hosts announced for 2014 ASTRA Awards". ASTRA Awards. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  15. ^ "Selling Houses Australia bids farewell to Shaynna Blaze". Foxtel. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  16. ^ Perry, Kevin (14 March 2021). "SHAYNNA BLAZE CONFIRMS DEPARTURE FROM SELLING HOUSES AUSTRALIA AFTER 13 YEARS". TV Black Box. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  17. ^ Knox, David (12 October 2020). "Celebrities revealed for Celebrity Apprentice". TV Tonight. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Exclusive: Shaynna Blaze opens up about her experience with family violence". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Amazing Shaynna Blaze Unveiled in Bingable 'Masked Singer Australia'". abctv.com.au. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Shaynna Blaze unmasked as Bluebottle | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Shaynna Blaze Announces New Book". Xposed Media. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  22. ^ Knox, David (19 October 2015). "Airdate: Shayna's World of Design". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  23. ^ Knox, David (5 November 2015). "Foxtel Upfronts 2016: Local thrillers, Lifestyle & US Drama". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  24. ^ "BlankCanvas". Shaynna Blaze. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Shaynna Blaze | Caroma". www.caroma.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  26. ^ "Storage Queen Partners Up with Attic Group". Attic Group. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  27. ^ "Shaynna Blaze Joins Granite Transformations as Brand Ambassador". Granite Transformations. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  28. ^ Williams, Marina (11 November 2014). "DIY: Spring into last-minute design projects". The Border Mail. Retrieved 9 March 2015.(subscription required)
  29. ^ "Introducing Shaynna Blaze for Harris Scarfe". Harris Scarfe. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  30. ^ a b c "About". Shaynna Blaze. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  31. ^ Baker, Danica (3 May 2024). "The Block's Shaynna Blaze explains her surprising new music career". Chattr. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  32. ^ "'Gave me goosebumps': First listen as Shaynna Blaze releases her rebut single 'Warrior'". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  33. ^ Writer, Staff. "The Block judge Shaynna Blaze makes unexpected career announcement live on-air". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  34. ^ Marinos, Sarah (21 May 2015). "Shaynna Blaze on The Block, family and music". Domain. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  35. ^ "The Block judge Shaynna Blaze announces her separation". News.com.au. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  36. ^ "The Fort". FilmFreeway. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  37. ^ Armstong, Sarah (11 December 2018). "All Hail Queen Shaynna!". theblockshop.com.au. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
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