As the woman behind The Interiors Addict – a fun, deliciously inspirational website showcasing the best of Australia’s home reno and interiors projects – Jen Bishop has become a well-known name right across our industry. And while she’s (always!) at pains to point out she’s not a qualified interior designer, she shares two qualities that appeal to many HIA members: a passion for beautiful homes and an unstoppable entrepreneurial drive.

Jen, who will be speaking at the HIA National Conference's Business Building Sessions , has been ‘addicted’ to beautiful interiors since childhood. Her first project was a bedroom makeover, age 13. ‘I vividly remember the first time I got my own bedroom. How excited I was to have it exactly how I wanted it,’ she says. ‘That kind of joy is what I hope everyone could have from their home.

‘Part of my mission is to make people realise that if you spend more time on your house – displaying your personal taste with perfect organisation – it could make you feel so good. It's almost life-changing,’ she says.

This genuine delight and belief in the power of pleasing aesthetics has informed The 
Interiors Addict since its earliest days. The authenticity with which Jen shares her ‘obsession’ has resulted in a large and loyal audience – around 150,000 unique website visitors per month; 100,000 Instagram followers; and 80,000 Facebook followers.

How it all began

UK-born Jen is a journalist by trade, and began her professional life working on English newspapers, reporting from crime scenes and courtrooms. In 2008, she crossed the globe for a 12-month stint in Australia. Upon arrival, she secured a job editing a business magazine and soon found herself applying for permanent residency.

By day, she interviewed and wrote profiles of successful entrepreneurs. By night, she indulged her love of homes by compiling a little blog about interiors. ‘It was just a hobby,’ she says. ‘It was just for me, maybe my friends back home.’

That all changed when the magazine folded in 2013, and she found herself out of a job. ‘Then I thought, you know what? I'll give it a go.’ She gave herself six months to turn her blog into a business.

Within two years, The Interiors Addict had become a prominent homes destination on the internet and Jen was immersed in ‘this world I absolutely loved’. She reached out to industry professionals, showcasing their work online and creating content that readers couldn’t get enough of. Advertising dollars soon started coming in, followed by collaborative brand partnerships.

‘I was very lucky with the timing,’ she says. ‘No-one called us “influencers” then, but it felt my personal relationship with my readers was important. I felt like I knew them, and I still do.’

Trend monitor

Showcasing new products, ideas and inspirational real-life projects, Jen’s website has become a pulse-point for what’s new and popular in Australian homes – from the paint colours we’ll be seeing next season right through to broader trends such as lifestyle inclusions and sustainability-driven changes.

‘We are pitched projects by interior designers, architects, builders on a weekly basis, so when you're constantly looking at new projects, you become aware of what's trending,’ she says.

She’s observed a recent uptick in renovations as well as a focus on finding sustainable solutions. ‘I’m seeing more passive house design coming across my desk. It’s great because many houses are so inefficient.’

She says finding the balance between giving an older home new life and optimising its performance levels and comfort is a tricky area for many homeowners to navigate, particularly when working to a budget.

‘You look at sustainability. It's sustainable to not knock down a house and put it in landfill but it's very sustainable to build a new energy-efficient home. So, none of it is straightforward.’

Finding her niche

The Interiors Addict is now well-established, and Jen has found her place within the industry. She’s not a designer (though she’s the queen of the ‘vignette’); ‘I'm a journalist, sharing their wisdom and sharing their stories,’ she says.

Essentially, her role is to celebrate and promote great design, and link housing industry professionals, their products and services with the buying public.

She’s still incredibly hands-on with the website, writing much of the content herself, while navigating media spokesperson roles and partnerships with big-name brands such as Ikea, Amazon, Spotlight and ING Bank. She’s also become a sought-after commentator, regularly chatting about home decor as well as sharing her business expertise on TV, podcasts, at industry events and in magazine articles.

While Jen credits some of her early success to the highly receptive online environment of the early 2010s, the internet is a fickle, ever-changing place. The Interior Addict’s ongoing popularity and profitability are the direct result of her hard work and astute business sense. ‘It hasn't been easy,’ she says.

‘It requires constant reinvention. Basically, every couple of years you have to change how you make money because it doesn't stay the same. As a smaller independent operation, there's nothing to fall back on. So you have to just keep innovating and working really hard.

Love what you do

Jen is an engaging, energetic and savvy operator and while her business model has evolved over the years, she continues to find joy in what she does. She says her ideal workday would include interviewing designers about their recent projects, writing up before-and-after renovation stories, and attending launches of beautiful products. ‘All of it still lights me up, to be honest.’

She’s thrilled to be a part of the speaker line-up at this year’s HIA Conference in Melbourne and is looking forward to the chance to meet our members. ‘It's a great opportunity to speak to builders. I would love to learn more about how they work with interior designers and how that dynamic works.’

Don't miss out

Book now to secure early-bird discount for the HIA National Conference 2025 in Melbourne on 15-17 May. Join us for world-class speakers, interactive workshops, building products expo, networking opportunities and the HIA-CSR Australian Housing Awards.

Book your spot now

First published on 11 March 2025.