Jamie Paul Durie (born 3 June 1970) is an Australian

horticulturalist Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

and

landscape design Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice, landscape design bridges the space between landscape architecture and garde ...

er,

furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...

designer, television host, television producer, and author of eleven books on landscape architecture, garden design and lifestyle. Durie was the television host of the 2008 Australian lifestyle program '' The Outdoor Room'', broadcast on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

. He hosted the dynamic design makeover show ''HGTV Showdown'' in 2009. Durie hosted the US

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series '' The Victory Garden'' from 2007 to 2010. The show is PBS network's longest-running gardening TV series. Following the end of ''The Outdoor Room'' on the Seven Network in 2010, Durie adapted the series the American

HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. HGTV Dream Home is an ...

network with a new team of designers, horticulturists and contractors. In November 2024,''Growing Home with Jamie Durie'' aired on Channel 7, a series in which Durie documented making his family home sustainable and off-grid.

Early life

Durie was born in

Manly, New South Wales Manly is a beach-side suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is north-east of the Sydney central business district and is currently one of the three administrative centres of the Local government in Australia ...

, and spent his formative years living in

Tom Price, Western Australia Tom Price is a mining town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is located inland, at the edge of the Hamersley Range. Tom Price is the highest town above sea level () in Western Australia, and is consequently dubbed "Top Town in WA". ...

. His maternal grandmother, Daphne de Zylva, was born in Sri Lanka and met his English grandfather in the air force during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. They moved to Australia in the 1950s. His parents separated when Durie was age 10, and he relocated with his mother and brother, Clyde Hep, to the Gold Coast. His paternal grandmother was a volunteer surf-lifesaver on the NSW Central Coast. Having left high-school in Brisbane at age 15, he tried his hand at cabinetmaking and modeled beachwear part-time. Durie got his showbiz start in his teens as an exotic dancer in the all-male revue troupe, Manpower Australia, with whom he toured for seven years. At age 26, he completed a four-year horticultural and landscape design course.

Landscape design and television hosting

Durie founded the landscape design company, Patio Landscape Architecture and Design, in 1998. In 2002, Durie registered the Australian business company, ''JPD Media & Design''. He then hosted the TV series ''

Backyard Blitz ''Backyard Blitz'' was a Logie Award winning Australian lifestyle and DIY television program that aired on the Nine Network from 2000 to 2007. It was hosted by Jamie Durie and was created by Don Burke and produced by his CTC Productions team. O ...

'' and '' The Block''. In 2007, Durie participated in the 6th Australian series of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'', in which he was eliminated in 7th place, on 17 April 2007. In 2007, Durie hosted ''

Australia's Best Backyards ''Australia's Best Backyards'' is an Australian lifestyle TV series on the Seven Network. The program is hosted by landscape gardener Jamie Durie, who previously hosted ''Backyard Blitz'' on the Nine Network. The first episode aired on Sunday ...

'' on the

. The show was a lifestyle garden program, similar to ''

'' on the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

. In 2007, Durie has filmed lifestyle segments with

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

, on the Oprah Winfrey Network (U.S. TV channel), whom he credits as giving him his US TV breakthrough. Durie states that Winfrey "wholly and solely" is responsible for his career being launched in the US. When Oprah came calling, Durie relocated to the US. And with her ringing endorsement it meant Durie hosted the US

series '' The Victory Garden'' from 2007 to 2010. Durie hosted the dynamic design makeover show ''HGTV Showdown'' on the

network in 2009. In 2008, Durie was the television host of the Australian lifestyle program '' The Outdoor Room'', broadcast on Seven Network, with repeats broadcast on 7Two. The premise of the show was that Durie set out to "bring the world to your very own backyard". Following the end of ''The Outdoor Room'' show on the Seven Network, in 2010, Durie relocated the concept of the series to broadcast on the

network as ''The Outdoor Room with Jamie Durie''. Unable to bring his own Australian design team along, Durie put together a new team of designers, horticulturists and contractors. In his HGTV series, Durie rescues forlorn yards in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

with design schemes inspired by gardens and landscapes from around the world. Filmed mostly in and around

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, ''The Outdoor Room with Jamie Durie'' uses sustainable ideas, such as low-water plantings and reclaimed hardscape, to design intimate, livable environments for erstwhile non-gardeners. Since 2015, Durie has co-presented as a visiting expert in gardening & landscaping, on the Australian lifestyle program, ''

The Living Room The Living Room was a music venue on Metropolitan Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, which was originally established on Stanton Street of the Lower East Side in Manhattan, New York City in 1988. The Living Room was co-owned ...

'', a quad-triple award-winner of the Logie Award for Most Popular Lifestyle Program, that airs on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

. In 2019, Durie joined Australia's

reality renovation series

House Rules House rules are unofficial modifications to official game rules adopted by individual groups of players. House rules may include the removal or alteration of existing rules, or the addition of new rules. Such modifications are common in board ga ...

as a new judge. In August 2022, Durie was revealed to be the Tiger on the fourth season of

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

's '' The Masked Singer Australia.'' In November 2024
Growing Home with Jamie Durie
' is Jamie Durie's latest television program, aired on Channel 7 and 7plus. This four-part series chronicles the three-year process of designing and building a "sustainable, off-grid" family home.

Furniture design and merchandise lines

In 2010, Durie's company ''Patio Landscape Architecture and Design'' was renamed ''Durie Design'', committed to not just rejuvenating the existing gardens, but offering new exciting outdoor destinations for the clients, and with an emphasis on funky furniture design. With his furniture design success, Durie has worked for Hollywood celebrity clients, such as designing 100 pieces of furniture for American

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

host and comedian

Chelsea Handler Chelsea Joy Handler (born February 25, 1975) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk show '' Chelsea Lately'' on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documenta ...

and he designed garden landscapes for actress

Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 201 ...

for two years. In November 2024, Jamie Durie relaunched ''Patio by Jamie Durie'', his signature outdoor living and lifestyle brand. With the iconic vertical garden blankets, aimed at transforming outdoor spaces into beautiful, functional, and eco-friendly sanctuaries. The relaunch reflects Durie’s enduring passion for connecting people with nature through thoughtful design, encouraging sustainable living, and enhancing the way we experience the outdoors.

Awards and accolades

The Australian reality television garden makeover program ''

'', on the

, was the winner of six

Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Television in Australia, Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The eve ...

s of ''Most Popular Lifestyle Program'' (from 2001 until 2006). Durie won the

for the ''Most Popular New Talent'' award in 2001, and was nominated for the ''Most Popular Presenter'' award for his role in ''Backyard Blitz'' from 2003 to 2005. Durie's 2003 landscape design book, ''Patio - Garden Design and Inspiration'', (

Allen & Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It became one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and established an Australian ...

- ) was short-listed APA Book Design Awards, for Best Designed Illustrated Book 2003 Australia. In 2008, Durie won a gold medal at Britain's prestigious

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

(RHS)

Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show,Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural So ...

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

. A team of 22 workers built the AU$800,000, 200sqm celebration of the Kimberley landscape, called ''Australian Garden and designed by Durie'', in 16 days. ''Australian Garden'' won one of the eight Gold Medals given in the Show Garden category. All the materials were shipped from Australia. In 2012, Durie was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

(OAM) for services to the environment, and charity work. In 2013, Durie began collaborating with the Italian luxury furniture brand

Natuzzi Group Natuzzi S.p.A. () is an Italian furniture company founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, the group's executive board of directors' chairman. The company designs sofas, Armchair (furniture), armchairs, living room accessories, and bedroom furniture. ...

Riva 1920. Durie and Riva 1920 launched a bespoke collection of five furniture pieces, including the ''Tubular'' dining table, to widespread acclaim at

Milan Furniture Fair Salone del Mobile or Milan Design Week (, but more commonly ''Salone del Mobile'') is a furniture fair held annually in Milan. It is the largest trade fair of its kind in the world. The exhibition showcases the latest in furniture and design from ...

2013. The ''Tubular'' table and chair (the range also includes bookshelves) and Durie's ''Bungalow range'' were both finalists in the New York Design Awards, announced in Manhattan on 20 May 2014, for Product Design Category, ''Furniture Indoor & Outdoor''.

Bibliography

* ''Patio : Garden Design and Inspiration'' - Author: Jamie Durie (2003), Allen & Unwin Publishers (Reprint: 2016). * ''Outdoor Kids: A Practical Guide for Kids in the Garden'' - Author: Jamie Durie (2005), Jamie Durie Publisher. * ''Inspired : The Ideas That Shape and Create My Design'' - Author: Jamie Durie (2006),

HarperCollins Publishers HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the " Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is ...

. * ''100 Gardens'' - Author: Jamie Durie (2011), Allen & Unwin Publishers. * ''The Outdoor Room'' - Author: Jamie Durie (2011), HarperCollins Publishers. * ''Edible Garden Design: Delicious Designs from the Ground Up'' - Author: Jamie Durie (2014), Lantern Australia Publishers. * ''The Source Book: Plants, Materials, Products and Ideas for Contemporary Outdoor Spaces & Where to Get Them'' - Author: Jamie Durie (2011), HarperCollins Publishers. * ''Living Design'' - Authors: Jamie Durie and Nadine Bush (2016), Lantern Australia Publishers.

Personal life

Durie owns properties in

Pittwater Pittwater is a semi-mature tide dominated Ria, drowned valley estuary, located about north of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia; being one of the bodies of water that separate greater Metropolitan Sydney from th ...

, on the

Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia, and in

. Durie is unmarried, but he has been engaged three times. He has stated, "I've always been career-focused and my relationships have suffered because of that". Durie has a grown-up daughter who lives in Los Angeles named Taylor, from his previous relationship with Michelle Glennock. Durie says, "We go camping together, surfing and bike riding". Durie describes his life as "I want simply to find more balance and walk down the little path of self discovery...". Durie is currently engaged to Ameka Jane. They have two children together. Each year, Durie donates his time and resources to many charities, including FSHD Global Research Foundation

facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a type of muscular dystrophy, a group of heritable diseases that cause degeneration of muscle and progressive weakness. Per the name, FSHD tends to sequentially weaken the muscles of the fac ...

(FSHD), the Children's Cancer Institute and The Children's Hospital at Westmead (also called the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children or Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Westmead),

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. Durie has been a dedicated supporter o
Tour de Cure
frequently serving as an MC at their gala events in recent years. In March 2024, Durie took on a huge personal challenge, cycling over 1,200 km in just one week as part of the Tour de Cure ''Signature Tour'' to raise vital funds for cancer research, prevention, and support initiatives across Australia.

Filmography

;Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durie, Jamie 1970 births Living people People from Manly, New South Wales Australian artisans Australian company founders Australian environmentalists Australian game show hosts Australian people of Sri Lankan descent Australian landscape and garden designers Australian furniture designers Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia