It was lovely to work with Style Queen Karen on her and her husband Pete’s home. The interior fixtures and some lighting had been selected, so we worked together to bring the spaces to life – a melding of some old and many new pieces (furniture, accessories, rugs, curtains), plus a curation, updates and placement of her existing art collection.

I looked at what she had in her previous home and worked on a new look that expressed her style. I called it Organic Luxe. Everything was informed by that term and the view of chalky cliffs, which reminded me of my childhood at Nelson in country Victoria.

ENTRANCE
I wanted something dramatic and had commissioned pieces from Denholm previously. I put this Denholm console forward as the entrance piece, which sits beautifully with the Christopher Boots pendant, which Elvira and Karen had chosen previously. Above it sits a timber mirror from her previous home, an Alfred Lowe piece Karen purchased online and I put forward the Henry Wilson brass vide poche beside it. It’s styled here with a Jo Gray ceramic vase and orchids.

DINING
Karen and I worked on how her art collection would work in the new home, including reframing to update much-loved works and how they moved and gathered through her home. I loved the colour of this First Nations piece to lead into the main living and dining with her Elle Campbell work behind and Muuto pendants overhead. Karen loves Mark Tuckey, as I do, and she loved his table, which we commissioned in a white oil and chose the iconic Wishbones (yes, they are real) from Cult to sit around the table. I don’t like placing chairs at the end of the table, so put forward a little shearling stools (Cult). Once it arrived, Karen loved it so much we got another!

CURTAINS
I put forward beautiful linen sheers and a heavier stonewashed linen curtain in this area - I’m obsessed with Westbury’s Emporio Linen sheer and Washed Luxembourg. Thank you Adele from Window Studio for organising them and installing.

RUGS
Underfoot I selected a natural palette of various styles for the main living, dining, kitchen, upstairs living, main bedroom and second bedroom. I didn’t want the home to look contrived, and that’s not Karen’s vibe, so all take from nature but there is a mix of organic and more refined finishes, depending on where they were used. Purchased from Temple Fine rugs and Armadillo.

LIVING AREA
I’ve loved this sofa concept - this one is the Cinder Block from Cult - for the longest time. It’s the ultimate entertainer’s sofa - if you’ve got the space! It’s very apt for this couple, who have the best playlists, calamari prowess and hospitality finesse! I wanted to get the biggest modular selection possible for them, and while floor planning it to within an inch of its life, I was still so nervous when it arrived! But it fits perfectly and I balanced the darker tone with the off-white and nude of this run from Temple Fine Rugs. It was a rug I had truly loved for a few years and tried to get into projects, but it had never worked until Karen’s home. Also notice the gorgeous Serax organic-look floor-standing lamp and little stripey stools from Winnings… we sat these with Karen’s existing petrified wood stool and little Japanese stool.

On the fireplace bench, Karen and I positioned the First Nations works near the Tom Dixon lamp for that continued Organic Luxe look… foliage was to continue the ‘leaned over the fence for a little forage’ thrown-together feel! What you can’t see here is the sound system and what comes out of that is one of the best things of the house. These guys have great playlists!

KITCHEN
I designed this freestanding cabinet with the wonderful Angus of Remington Matters. It is sitting in a small space and Karen is a lover of beautiful things that need to be displayed. So I came up with the idea of an open-shelf play on a 1920s cabinet with a spinning shelf at the rear to make it fun and practical to reach what you need easily. It needed to be walnut, have a touch of brass and a smokey 20s-style stipple glass. Et viola! Finessed by Angus; dressed by Karen! Loving our little grouping of artworks to the side – we did this so it could be added to as Karen collects new pieces.

BEDROOM
This was all about indulgence… it’s also where not only Karen and Pete sleep, but some of my favourite pieces… First the bed: I’ve loved Gervasoni since the late 90s and Paola Navone is one of my all-time design heroes. I put forward her Gem bed in a beautiful faded porcini colour from Anibou and added sublime bedsides beside the bed and Mold pendants above, both from Ligne Roset Perth.

For decadence, it had to be boucle curtains (Marrakech from Westbury/Tessuti Moo) and this rug. I’d shown Sandy at Temple fine Rugs a rug I wanted, and she sent a few similar options through they had seen overseas - it had to be this one. It’s incredible in real life… I’d put forward a Vanessa Russ artwork in my moodboard, and Karen revisited it after moving in. I love Vanessa’s work, which is from Art Collective WA.

Karen had fallen in love with this Timothy Oulton hairy chair pre-me getting onboard, and I combined it with another of my favourite designers and pieces: the Articolo Studios side table. Again, the low metallic glint against natural wools is all Organic Luxe…

The ensuite… Karen and I were (and still are) loving South Drawn at the time - hence the rail over the kitchen bench and this pendant. The little stool is a contemporary take on a ‘pig table’… I’m utterly obsessed by them, first hearing about them through the design doyenne Ariane Prevost, discovering more, then seeing one owned by Karen and Pete. I worked with Angus (Remington Matters) to create this little Pig Table/Stool for the bathroom… it’s walnut and shou sugi ban, mimicking the raised legs and organic feel of the original. I brought their original old greyed off pig table back inside and sat it in the upstairs living room…

UPSTAIRS LIVING
I am all about integrating what you love, rather than throwing out memories and heirlooms… I loved this bench seat - the designer’s name escapes me at this minute… it was gorgeous as is, and Karen had already styled it with this lamb skin throw and cushion in her previous home. Why would I change perfection? We updated the pretzel chair with a natural toned boucle fabric… You will see a tiny bit of the beautiful Crossroads rug from Temple Fine Rugs in foreground. You can’t see it, but we retained a modular sofa from Karen’s original home here and it worked perfectly. It’s the pieces from your past that can be integrated into the future to take on a beautiful new life!

Interior Designer & Shoot styling Anna Flanders
Images Angelita Bonetti

Design and interiors Bacic Group
Landscaping Andrew Beck