Tell us a little about yourself and your creative journey.
I am an event producer. I started my agency 25 years ago and our offices are situated just up the road on Queen Street. I have worked in event management my entire career, starting with ideas on a piece of paper and bringing them to life, all with the goal of connecting people and influencing their behaviour through creating positive in-person experiences.
The genesis for our work is first asking how we want people to feel when they attend an event we are producing. I have always applied the same emotionally led approach to the multiple renovation projects I have completed over the years, and this home is an authentic reflection of that.
How would you describe your personal style and aesthetic?
Having spent my childhood growing up on a family farm in country NSW, and being a great lover of the natural environment, I am drawn to materials like raw timber and stone cut from the Earth.
I love colour, particularly warm colours, which feel like a soft embrace when you are amongst them. For me colour is a celebration, so I have incorporated pops of joy throughout the home, which catch the eye and invite curiosity and delight.
For me, these essentials are for a home to feel calm, energetically warm and connected to nature. Within these walls I have created a home for guests to retreat from the busyness of life outside the front door. Here they can exhale and unwind.
Tell us about Spicer Street Cottage and the story behind the home.
About 15 years ago I rented the house next door and fell in love with the village and the community in the area. I grew up in a country town where people stop and say hello, know your name and are neighbourly in a genuinely caring way.
Then this house came up for sale 4 years ago, and I looked at it and thought I could utilise a lot of the architectural and creative design elements from my home, and the relationships I had established with the builder and trade contractors to create an equally fabulous home in the same style as my home for it to be a guest house when needed or rented to guests as well.
The home, which is a traditional workers cottage, was built almost 150 years ago in 1880. It was occupied by blacksmiths and is named as The Grooms Cottage in historical records.
The 12-month renovation, which was completed late last year, involved demolishing and constructing everything, except for the front façade walls which were retained and rendered.
What’s your favourite part of the home, and why?
My favourite part of the home is the combined indoor and outdoor living, dining and kitchen area that connects with the very private, sunlit garden.
For the scale of the home, it is incredibly generous and a lovely surprise for guests to find at the end of the central hallway. I designed the sliding doors to recede into the wall cavity so that the flow from inside to outside is visually and energetically seamless.
The sandstone fireplace is a central focal point. The warmth and glow are mesmerising and disarming and invite guests to slow down and simply be present.
Can you tell us a little about the artwork throughout the cottage and the artists behind it?
I love and am passionate about art and how it influences our lives, not just in moments but in a long-standing way.
Researching and curating the pieces for this home was a really enjoyable experience for me. To me art is not just an expression but also an invitation.
All of the original pieces in the home are by emerging or established Australian artists. This was a deliberate choice of mine, in knowing many of the guests will be international travellers. I wanted to lightly showcase art from our part of the world and support our local art market.
How do you want guests to feel when they stay here?
A recent guest from the States who had never been to Australia before, wrote me a lovely thank you note to me after she had returned home.
She wrote about how lovely it was to stay in the house. She said, word for word, that she loved the house and loved the neighbours and neighbourhood and would definitely stay again if she ever found herself in Sydney in the future. She also said it really did feel like home to her.
This expression of appreciation really captured the essence of what I want the home to offer guests.
What do you love most about living in Woollahra?
The Queen Street Village is a friendly and bustling precinct of boutiques and cafés. It is lively during the day and quiet at night, which is the perfect combination.
This home offers a convenient lifestyle surrounded by some of Sydney’s finest dining and shopping.
With Centennial Park a short stroll away and the city or beaches within easy reach it captures the absolute best of Sydney living; refined, peaceful, and perfectly situated.
What drew you to working with Hotelesque?
I was referred to Monique Eyles, the Co-Founder and CEO at Hotelesque, by a discerning and trusted friend.
When I met her, we immediately hit it off. I felt that both her and her team would be the perfect polished and professional agency to represent the home for me.
Hotelesque has done a fantastic job generating the collating the content for the home, managing it on a day-to-day basis and, importantly, ensuring the occupancy is maximised with the high standard of clientele that I was seeking.
Spicer Street Cottage is available to book through Hotelesque. View the home.