Deborah Hutton owned and occupied one of the most beautiful homes in Sydney’s affluent Bronte.
But last year, the Australian TV host made the difficult decision to sell the oceanfront masterpiece, which she bought in 2015 before giving it a full Hamptons-inspired makeover.
The 60-year-old former model, whose brand new series Find Your Dream Home airs on Foxtel* tonight, admitted to news.com.au that despite the fact the two-storey house was her very own “dream home”, she has struggled with a lack of privacy in recent years.
“It’s very exposed, everyone knew I was there and unfortunately, there was always paps and photographers around hiding,” she said. “It was awful.”
Aside from privacy concerns, Hutton said re-emerging from a months-long lockdown changed her perspective of living in Sydney.
“The isolation we had in lockdown, I loved it,” she said. “There was a peace and quiet in Sydney I’d never experienced and I was grateful to have that house at that time.
“But when we came out of lockdown Bronte became a different place. I thought, ‘Is it my time to live somewhere more peaceful?’”
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Following her gut, Hutton bought an oceanfront renovation project on the south coast, but it’s going to be about three years before she can actually call it home.
“It’s a little red-bricker, it’s got concrete cancer. It has it all going on,” she laughed. “But I’m in no hurry. I want to get it right.
“This is hopefully the last time I’m doing this so I want it to be perfect.”
Hutton’s latest TV project – Find Your Dream Home – also had a say in the matter, encouraging her to figure out what her ideal living arrangement looks like.
The eight-part series follows Hutton as she tours some of the most memorable homes around Australia, from sustainably built properties to tiny cottages and church conversions.
It was supposed to take four months to film, but due to complications arising from Covid, it took a good year, though Hutton isn’t complaining.
“We had some stop, starts but I loved shooting it. I was driving most of the time to some really remote locations, all while everyone was staying in in most parts of Australia,” Hutton said.
“I was fortunate for that time. It was an absolute joy to travel around and meet these divine people who opened their doors to us.
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“These people are having the courage after what we’ve been through to step forward and seek a different way to live.”
Find Your Dream Home premieres tonight on Foxtel’s LifeStyle
*Foxtel is majority-owned by News Corp, publisher of this website
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