The television presenter dreams of life fully off-the-grid.
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What is your strongest memory of your childhood home?
Always having a full house. Loads of entertaining, full of immediate and extended family, billeting sports teams (and other people who might be by themselves on major holidays) with my parents fostering a real sense of generosity and love of having a house full of happy and engaged people. It’s definitely had a profound effect on my life and something I also love to do.
What do you recall about buying your first home?
I remember falling in love with the block and the garden. The garden was huge and the house was tiny but it didn’t matter. I still loved it until I left. It had a bush outlook and to this day I still love resting my eyes on greenery. It relaxes my soul.
Have you ever house-shared with flatmates?
I spent too many years rooming with swimming teammates to go down that track. But we always have lots of visitors staying over. I love having people stay but also adore having time alone.
Can you share any tips for organising your home?
Write lists. Loads of lists. Lists are my sanity. I write them on my phone, in my diary and nothing beats the satisfaction of achieving something on my list.
Do you have a favourite room?
The kitchen. I love to cook, as I find it very relaxing so that is my happy place.
What is the worst piece of furniture or household item you have bought?
A bread maker. I know I’m not alone but we used it once. It’s still in a cupboard somewhere. I had romantic notions of waking up to the smell of bread in the mornings, but now my husband is on a wheat and gluten free diet, so it’s time to drop it off to an op shop!
What’s the best household item you own?
It’s a tie between my seriously heavy duty mortar and pestle and my mandolin slicer. I use both of them every week.
Do you enjoy gardening?
I love it. Like cooking, it relaxes me, it’s meditative and you get results. I get a lot of satisfaction out of my garden and even when we are designing homes, the first thing I always consider is what I will be looking out onto from every window, and how the garden will look from every angle.
If you could live in a dream house, anywhere in the world, where would it be?
It would probably just be at our farm in the lower Hunter Valley, surrounded by our cows with more time to work on my dream veggie patch and I’d finally be able to get chickens. Our goal in the next five to 10 years is live completely off the grid and produce most of our food so that is what drives and motivates me now.
Johanna Griggs is the host of House Rules, which airs on Seven on Sundays at 7pm and Mondays and Tuesdays at 7.30pm.
