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We may be on season 4567 of The Block (or so it feels) but Amity Dry was the original Blockhead.

The 39 year old won the very first season back in 2003 with her husband Phil Rankine.

Now a singer and songwriter, Dry’s house is still what you’d expect from an interior expert – stunning.

Think The Hamptons-style decor, marble and soft down lights.

How does she make it look so good? “You spend eight hours cleaning it before a photo shoot,” she joked toI Don’t Know How She Does Ithost Alissa Warren.

Listen: How to make your host look like fancy on a small budget. Post continues after audio.

“It’s a normal house. I’m one of these people if I’m entertaining, everything will be perfect. Every other day, not like that. Poppy [daughter] is the messiest human on earth, I’ve given up on her room. There are costumes, dolls, craft and everything everywhere.

“We have a dog, who was never meant to be on the couch is on the couch all the time.”

She says she tries hard but sometimes you’ve just got to pick your battles.

“If I spent everyday trying to make my house looking like how I want it to look I would lose two hours of working time everyday that I don’t have to lose,” she says.

“But you can’t drop into my house. You can’t just turn up uninvited. Because if my house doesn’t look how I want it to look, you can’t come in. Maybe my best girlfriends yes, but anyone else I’d say I’m sorry you’ll have to come back another time.”

That said, she does have some great tips for getting The Block look without the big budget. Oh, and they’re child-friendly too.

1.Declutter.

“Clutter is the enemy. Cluttering is what makes you feel anxious. When there’s just stuff and pencils everywhere… you need storage,” she says.

“If you live in Sydney like we used to and you have no storage, use storage tubs. Go to Kmart or Ikea and you can get cheap storage tubs and have places for things so you can just scoop it up, and put it away.”

According to Dry, if it looks good on the outside it makes you feel better.

2. You don’t have to go to expensive furniture shops.

“You don’t have to spend lots of money to make your house look nice. Kmart, Target, Ikea, I love those shops. My kids bedrooms are full of stuff from those stores,” she says.

3. Have a cohesive colour palette.

It makes a big difference.

“Pick the colours that you want in your house and even some scented candles, then you can play with changing cushions,” she says.

“Buy a plain couch which you can then update with the trends from the cheaper stores and it can look really cute.”

What are your interior decorating tips?