9 home tours we loved in 2025

Everyone loves a home tour. What better way is there to see what a person values, what they hold dear?

This year, Domain got to tour homes of all shapes, sizes and styles.

From authors to jewellery designers and chefs, these are some of our favourites.

1. Author and academic Bri Lee

About the property: Bought during the height of the 2020 lockdowns, author Bri Lee’s apartment in Kings Cross, Sydney, was in a “dire state” before she transformed it.

The two-bedder is a sanctuary for Lee, her husband and their dog, Judit. It’s designed to be calm and comfortable rather than polished and perfect, and features floor-to-ceiling bookshelves for her extensive collection.

Why we love it: This is a masterclass in making a small space feel rich with character. The decor is unpretentious and layered with stories – quirky details include a baguette lamp by ceramicist Milly Dent and a framed map of Antarctica from Lee’s travels.

Lee avoids “precious” furniture and opts for second-hand rugs so she doesn’t have to worry aboutr spilled wine at dinner parties.

Watch the tour: A tour of author Bri Lee’s cosy bookish sanctuary in Kings Cross

2. Gogglebox stars Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd

About the property: Gogglebox fans are used to seeing Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd on their couch, but every corner of their reimagined home deserves time in the spotlight.

The Sydney couple engaged Studio Priscilla to reimagine their 1960s red-brick bungalow, turning the pokey interiors into a bright and open family home. Interior designer Priscilla Elasi was given the brief of setting a luxe yet tranquil tone with moments of visual drama.

Why we love it: The design balances high-end glamour with the reality of family life. The kitchen features a stunning deep-green marble bench for a hint of sophistication, but practicality is always king: the couple swapped their velvet sofa for a beige couch because the fabric is “drool-proof” for their bulldog, Bane.

The new living area has soaring 5.5-metre raked ceilings to create a sense of grandeur.

Watch the tour: Inside Gogglebox’s Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd’s renovated 1960s Sydney home

3. Laura Ryan’s ImPossible House

About the property: This 104-square-metre terrace in Newtown earned its name not for its architecture, but for the regulatory hurdles the owner, Laura Ryan, overcame to renovate it.

The fully off-grid home sits in the middle of the city, with inclusions like solar power, battery storage and an incinerating toilet. The property is disconnected from the mains water and sewerage, and instead has innovations like an Aqua Clarus, a device that recycles grey water for the garden.

Why we love it: The design proves that home owners can minimise their footprint without moving “to the sticks”, as Ryan puts it.

With recycled materials, a little creativity and a lot of persistence, it’s possible to do the impossible: you can create a regenerative home in a dense urban environment.

The home was featured as part of Sustainable House Day in 2025 and appeared on Grand Designs Australia.

Watch the tour: The ImPossible House: On show at Sustainable House Day 2025

4. Hoof Doof: Millie Savage’s eclectic Surf Coast abode

About the property: Hoof Doof is the whimsical home of jewellery designer Millie Savage.

Savage describes the property as a “pretend farm” where she lives with a menagerie of rescue animals, including horses, goats, alpacas and a mischievous peacock named Lazarus.

The renovation, completed with friend and builder Joseph Moon, began in 2023 and was a labour of love that resulted in a space reflecting the designer’s vibrant brand.

Why we love it: It’s a fearless expression of Savage’s personal style: the interiors are like a jewellery box, from the pink terrazzo floors to the purple-and-gold claw-foot bath in the main bedroom.

Savage dreamed up other elements to make the home comfortable for her many friends who stay, including a custom “leather doona” couch and a bunk room with four queen beds.

The goat tower built by Savage’s father, however, takes the cake for the most unusual item.

Watch the tour: The colourful wonderland of jewellery designer Millie Savage and her surf coast home

5. Chef and ‘MasterChef’ alumna Laura Sharrad

About the property: This 100-year-old home in Henley Beach, Adelaide, sits on the site of an old dairy.

When MasterChef fan-favourite Laura Sharrad bought this house, she loved the original leadlight windows and timber floors, as well as the way these areas connected with the modern extension at the rear.

Sharrad and her husband Max, also a chef, have updated the property to suit their love of hosting, with the addition of an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven.

Why we love it:  We love Sharrad’s practical approach to the kitchen – a must with two chefs in the house. Here, she touts the benefits of a “less is more” approach to having the latest gadgets.

Watch the tour: Inside MasterChef Australia contestant Laura Sharrad’s foodie-filled Adelaide home

6. ‘Real Housewives of Sydney’ star Krissy Marsh

About the property: In the exclusive enclave of Double Bay, Krissy Marsh’s 1920s home is as grand as you’d expect.

Despite the manicured gardens and nero Marquina marble floors (which remind Marsh of the home’s original architecture), it’s a lived-in home for Marsh, her architect husband John, their three children and five dogs.

The property strikes an artful balance between opulent design and spaces equipped to handle the needs of a busy family.

Why we love it: There’s a feeling of old-world glamour in this home, which sits on an impressive 2300-square-metre block.

A dreamlike garden embraces the grand, stately structure, yet the couple have made the interiors feel homely.

Marsh has also mastered the art of pet-friendly luxury: her secret weapon is the use of outdoor fabrics on her indoor white furniture.

Watch the tour: Opulence, glamour and five dogs: Krissy Marsh of Real Housewives of Sydney’s Double Bay home

7. Magenta House: A community-centric tiny terrace

About the property: This 3.1-metre-wide terrace in Redfern is a home to owners Mariam Ella Arcilla and Mason Kimber – at least, the second level is.

The first floor of Magenta House is dedicated to the community: whenever they host their regular events, the ground floor becomes a lively gathering space for creatives and those looking to connect with their cultural roots.

An internal courtyard is the beating heart of the property, which was renovated by architect and prior owner Adele McNab.

Why we love it: The home redefines what a typical home looks like, proving that privacy and community can coexist, even in small quarters.

Arcilla, a writer, and Kimber, an artist, love giving back to the neighbours who make their life in Redfern so fulfilling.

Watch the tour: Magenta House: The beating heart of Sydney’s creative community

8. Artist and designer Rachel Burke

About the property: In the leafy Brisbane suburb of Gordon Park, artist and maker Rachel Burke has created a home of two halves within a classic 100-year-old Queenslander.

The downstairs studio is a bowerbird nest of tinsel, glitter and craft supplies, while the upstairs living zones are kept calm and quiet to provide a visual break for her husband and son.

The home is an artful blend of personality and practicality.

Why we love it: Unapologetically joyful, Burke has filled her studio space with “shrines” dedicated to the things she loves.

Burke’s home is one that embraces the “more is more” philosophy, showcasing the joy of dopamine decorating and collecting.

Watch the tour: Inside the crazy, colourful home of designer, author and artist Rachel Burke

9. Actor and artist Sam Cotton

About the property: For artist and comedian Sam Cotton, his three-storey townhouse is a canvas for his imagination.

The home’s bold colour scheme is not just limited to the walls, with Cotton taking to the doors with a paintbrush to bring his bright family home to life.

Cotton shares the space with his wife, Maddie, and their baby daughter Daisy.

Why we love it: Cotton’s creative work is everywhere, with many of his cartoon characters scattered throughout.

“Steve” is a cartoon lodger and cranky fisherman living behind a miniature door in the skirting board, “chippie chasers” (or seagulls) grace the walls, and couch cushions take the form of gulls, crabs and jellyfish.

Watch the tour: Welcome to Sam Cotton’s colourful, cartoonish Sydney home