Come in From The Cold: 5 Cosy Hideaways
As the temperatures drop and the reality of winter dawns, we reflect on what we love about this time of year; suspended sleep-ins cocooned under warm layers of bedding, and of course — the comfort of home. To help ease into this seasonal shift, we’ve rallied the cosiest places we’ve visited, and the details that make them so: roaring open fires, a patch-work of textiles & textures and sunlit corners that simply beg to be inhabited. Join us in welcoming these months of gentle hibernation as we revisit five spaces where beauty & comfort abounds.
A Castlemaine Charmer
In Castlemaine (Djaara Country), the Goldfields region of Victoria, is where Clementine Day and her partner struck their own gold: a 1950s home perched atop a hill, just ten minutes from town. Just like her hugely successful food project, Some Things I Like To Cook, Clem’s home has benefited from her patience & skill, slowly tending to its dated fixtures all while inhabiting the space, no easy task...
"My interior style seems very hodge-podge, lots of different things from different eras and styles brought together. There’s definitely strong strokes of mid-century influence. Scandinavian, Danish and Japanese design has always been of interest to me - but the nature of collecting things mostly second hand means it is a bit eclectic. I try to balance that out with simplicity and minimalism but honestly it changes depending on my mood at the time."
An Art-filled Sanctuary in Rural Victoria
We meet Pip Aplin at the beautiful home she shares with her partner Nic and two charismatic Bengal cats; Ernest Hemingway and Margot Tenenbaum. Hidden away in rural Victoria the home has become a sanctuary and a source of great pride for the creative couple. We chatted to Pip about her love of unique pieces of design, hunting for an artwork that would become the soul of the home and spending quiet weekends amongst the trees.
“Starting a weekend day with a coffee in the sunshine or ending a day relaxing in front of our wood log fire with a book; it really is just a super calming space to exist in. I was so excited when we were moving here at the prospect of being able to place music at any volume due to there being no close neighbours but it turns out that the sound of the birds outside wins out most of the time.”
A Renovated 1960's Apartment
We sit down with one of our favourite creatives whom we’ve had the pleasure of working with a number of times over the years; Stephanie Stamatis. It’s been a busy year for Stephanie who is navigating motherhood for the first time with her beautiful baby Saška and husband Timothy, while also continuing her work as an art director and stylist collaborating with clients both in Australia and overseas.
“We have been living in our home, a renovated 60s apartment, for nearly 2 years. What I love most is the light and the space. The proportions and windows are generous, in a special way that older apartments can offer. We are on the first floor and on top of a hill so our views are open over the valley so we can watch the weather.”
A Collector's Alistair Knox Rental
Lucienne Van Sebille has a special gift for unearthing gems, led by a deep appreciation for sustainability, history & beauty. Her home, an incredible 70’s era Alistair Knox design is no exception. Residing on Wurundjeri land, the stylist & furniture collector shares this rental - another rare find - with her husband, Sebastian and son, Valentin. Moving from Melbourne/Naarm’s north to the outer suburbs marked a ‘tree change’ that also welcomed a new chapter: motherhood & mon house – a vast curation of found furniture, objects & lighting, and an opportunity to sharpen her eagle eye.
“My interior style is really just the coming together of pieces I love, built over time, through different phases of life. It could certainly do with some paring back if I was looking at it with a critical eye, but I love being surrounded by the layers of treasures and collections and objects of meaning, practicality and joy to our family.”
A Lovingly Restored West Melbourne Home
We’re thrilled to meet talented interior designer Brahman Perera whose unique body of work has been on our radar for quite some time. We visited Brahman at the lovingly restored West Melbourne home he shares with his partner Jason and two miniature poodles, Billie & Ella. The space has an innate sense of warmth and personality about it while still allowing the heritage and charm of the property to shine through. We spoke to Brahman about bringing the space to life, his creative process and balancing sentimentality and intent in his work.
"Sentimentality has been a consistent source of inquiry in my work. I love honouring the personal narratives of my clients and ingraining their most cherished pieces in the interior in a way that resonates. I often favour hand-crafted, artisanal pieces – their provenance is personalized and authentic. The notion of an object being made by one set of hands, and cherished by another is heartening."