What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?
We are on a mission to become a global lifestyle brand synonymous with everyday joy. Our vision is to create carefully considered places and products with trusted partners which are beautiful and functional and bring joy. Last year we launched wallpaper and fabric with Quercus and Co and this year our furniture collection with BOYD Blue which has been three years in the making. We have exclusive new accessories, custom soft furnishings and styling services now available through our Rushcutters Bay store and exceptional studio client projects and product collaborations in the making which we are all so incredibly proud of.
Your most treasured possession?
My family. My husband Tim taught me to fly 25 years ago (literally, he’s a pilot and was my flying instructor) and our beautiful kids Henry (10yrs) and Agnes (7yrs) are the light of our lives.
Your favourite holiday destination?
For many years I had annual buying trips to the Busatti fabric mill in Anghiari, Italy. It is a tiny, ancient village perched on a rolling Tuscan hill overlooking Leonardo da Vinci’s infamous plains of the Battle of Anghiari (1505). I grew up with the sons of the family’s eighth generation and their children are the same age as mine. I have picked olives on their farm, sampled the oil from their harvest and eaten the most wonderful meals at their kitchen table. They possess a spirit of generosity and warmth and a deep love of craftsmanship, heritage and family which has left an indelible mark on my heart and infused my fondest travel memories with dreams of la dolce vita.
Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar?
Favourite hotel – I had the great privilege of staying at Soneva Fushi with my family for my 40th birthday. It is an idyllic ‘No News, No Shoes’ island hideaway which exceeded every expectation.
Favourite restaurant – We loved Bei Amici in Sydney’s Darling Point for the longest time. I celebrated my 30th birthday there and Felix and Leigh catered Tim’s 40th birthday at our home. We shared client and family dinners there alike and are still grieving their move back to Switzerland this year! Sean’s Panorama on Bondi Beach is always beautiful, warm and inviting with its ocean views, homestyle food, eclectic art and polished neighbourly service. 4
Favourite bar – 10 William Street, Paddington. A sophisticated hole in the wall where I have shared many treasured midweek meals with friends.
Your favourite book, film & song?
Favourite book – The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen. An eloquent explanation of the power of compounding small decisions to effect substantial change.
Favourite film – Anything by Nancy Meyers. The homes, the art, the fashion, the music – I love them all.
Favourite song – Frank, Dean, Bing, Nat. I love all the classic crooners.
Your favourite food and drink?
Favourite food – Pasta and pastry. Any which way.
Favourite drink – Full cream flat white in the morning, gin and tonic with plenty of ice and cucumber or fresh rosemary in the afternoon. And a good buttery chardonnay always.
Your favourite way to spend an afternoon?
Cooking in my kitchen for family and friends.
If you weren’t in this sector, what would you alternative profession be?
Obstetrics. It was my fork in the road after school – move to Melbourne and study medicine or stay in Queensland to work at Mother Meg’s which led to food styling, writing and eventually interiors. I think I would have made a lovely, calm obstetrician and I did get the grades though I was mostly inspired by the effervescent Dr. Megan Eisenberg from Nancy Meyer’s Father of the Bride II.
