Marlee Murphy and Ryan Rebbeck were the Adelaide contestants (and favourites to win) on the latest series of Channel Seven’s House Rules. They may not have come first, but they definitely won our hearts and made Adelaide proud!
Ryan bought his home four years ago and in that time, it’s gone from being a bachelor pad to a cosy, romantic, love nest after his gorgeous girlfriend Marlee, moved in last year.
“When I moved in, nothing matched — every cup and piece of cutlery was different. I’ve started transforming it slowly into a home for us, but it’s been baby steps… I’ve taken it one cushion at a time,” says Marlee.
Image credit: Ryan and Marlee Facebook – The holiday home from House Rules
Tired of seeing her boyfriend run himself into the ground, working two jobs to pay the bills, Marlee (a travel agent in Norwood) saw House Rules as their ticket to freedom. Their hearts were broken after being eliminated from the show in the second semi final. Boooo!
But Marlee, being the chirpy, positive girl that she is, picked herself up, dusted off her work boots and is looking forward to happy days ahead.
She’s warm, bubbly, playful and looooves South Australia! So today, she’s our Inspirational Adelady.
Here are some of her fave places in Adelaide:
Image credit: okmagazine.com.au – Ryan and Marlee in their spare bedroom
1. Fave place for breakfast
First of all, let me just say that breakfast is my favourite meal of the day and I could happily eat brekky food ALL day, every day!
Without fail, my fave place for breakfast in Adelaide is Coffee Barun on Main North Road. They do an excellent avocado salsa with perfect poached eggs. All their produce is fresh and grown locally, which we love. Oh and their coffee is ridiculously smooth too (I like to consider myself somewhat of a coffee connoisseur). I don’t mind a good cup of joe, two or three times a day!
Image credit: The Coffee Barun
Image credit: The Coffee Barun
2. Fave homewares shop
I’m a HUGE bargain hunter and there are so many places in Adelaide to find great deals and massive sales! So the top of my list for fun and funky homewares, is Kmart. They have loads of geometric patterns, colours and quirky ornaments for inside and out. Another great one is Flourish Gift and Home in Magill. They have a fantastic eye for vibrant items. The zebra print in the main bathroom on House Rules came from here. I have a soft spot for one-off items and tend to find myself in second-hand stores, looking for things to revamp!
Image credit: Flourish Gift and Home
Image credit: Flourish Gift and Home
Image credit: Flourish Gift and Home
Image credit: Flourish Gift and Home
3. Fave suburb to buy a house
I’ve always had a “girl crush” on Prospect. Not only do I adore the old style houses, with the high ceilings and big front porches, but Prospect is riddled with funky cafes and stores — including my fave Mexican takeaway, Arriba Grill! I would love to buy a run-down house in Prospect and do it up, keeping some of the original character.
Image credit: Arriba Grill
4. Fave place for date night
Hands down, Zapatas in North Adelaide is the best Mexican restaurant in SA! I remember Ryan taking me here for one of our first dates and he spent the whole night trying to talk with a Spanish accent! Zapatas has a really fun decor, with the typical Mexican theme and the food — incredible! Mexican is my favourite cuisine and Zapatas really know how to make delicious nachos! You also can’t pass up one (or three) of their margaritas! My favourite is the pomegranate-inspired Margarita Granada,YUM!
Image credit: www.foodspotting.com
5. Fave dessert bar
This question is pure torture for me because I LOVE dessert and I’d be happy with a spoon and a tub of ice-cream. But if I had to pick, my ultimate would be Chocolate Taperia (conveniently just a few doors up from Zapatas).
The churros are a must-have and I always go for the dark chocolate dipping sauce. It goes down nicely with an enormous chilli dark hot chocolate! Ryan doesn’t really like dessert, so it’s always a bonus going with him and ordering two desserts, for ME!
Image credit: Chocolate Taperia
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