Populated by pleated skirts and hair rollers, Elvis Presley and monstrous TVs so big they constituted standalone pieces of furniture, the 1950s was a time when dishwashers remained in the kitchens of society’s richest inhabitants. A time when families sat around the radio at night or, if they were lucky enough to have their own television, waited with bated breath for the next hilarious episode of I Love Lucy. It was an era of enormous cultural, social and economic change.
This is the decade revisited in its 19th season. Taking a step back in time, the contestants were tasked with renovating five houses designed and built in the 1950s, as well as creating a secondary accommodation on their property. Set in the family-friendly Melbourne suburb of Hampton East, the ageing homes on the aptly named Charming Street are now well and truly the belles of the ball.
