EAST MELBOURNE II

“When I moved in five years ago, this townhome was probably about 15 years old and in need of an update. It had big ceramic tiles on the floor and that yellowy tone. I decided to paint and, wouldn’t you know, one thing led to another and suddenly I wanted to move the kitchen, change the floors, elevate the whole house and make it more cosy. Simone was on my radar because she created such beautiful, comfortable spaces. The pieces she uses are just different and it’s so refreshing to see things that aren’t everywhere.”

~ Client

Entering into the relationship with the Simone Haag team, the client was initially still determining if the scope of the engagement would be of interest. Slowly, in telling her story, her own motivations for how she envisioned Agnes and why became clear. At a time in her life when everything was slightly off-kilter, she needed a home that exuded quiet sanctuary and a resonant sense of calm. 

‘I sit in my living room and night and think “God, I love this place.” In a process that I thought would be a purely transactional thing, Simone and Cindy have gone above and beyond to create a home that is so calm. A place that I love coming home to.”

~ Client

Shortly after establishing the brief for Agnes, which called for a layered, textural approach that slowly crescendoed until it reached a point of resolve, the client took part in an LA tour with the Simone Haag studio. This led to procuring a few key international pieces for the project and cultivated a depth to the relationship that allowed the client’s expectations to be intuitively challenged to render a home of exquisitely personal synchronicity. An overriding serenity reigns while individual pieces become intriguing fragments that ultimately fit seamlessly together in a picture of artistry. 

“The pieces in this house all have their own story. I know every piece, where it sits and where it was found. I know the artists and went to a few art galleries and art fairs to make sure I was involved in the process. All the pieces that have been placed on bookshelves or coffee tables can move constantly. I can shift and change things, add or remove pieces in a way that reflects my life experiences so authentically. It brings in a level of control, allowing my hand to help orchestrate the visual story of my own home.”

~ Client

With its halcyon atmosphere and the delicate modulation of textures and expressions in preference to colour and drama, Agnes has been carefully formed into a sanctuary of gentle femininity and retreat. The home’s intentional curation of exceptional pieces that each mediate between purpose and aesthetics while remaining intuitively in sync with the client’s heart, has rendered a place of quiet beauty.

“There is a stunning artwork in the master bedroom by Malcolm Fraser’s sister. She was born in the 1920s and was an unrecognised artist given her gender. She decided to move to Italy where she settled in a studio, got married and produced all this art under the name Lorraine Whiting. I love that when faced with obstacles, she just took herself off to somewhere she could do what she loved. She just made her life happen. Its placement above the bed, in a room where I feel most myself, is perfection.”

~ Client