SOUTH YARRA II
“Simone has a wonderful eye and a great gift for tempting you with furniture pieces without you even knowing. She gently pushed my conservatism so I’ve ended up with a few edgier pieces that I absolutely love. The dining table was one. It was the second piece we purchased and became an anchor for everything else that followed.”
~ Client
Before settling in Melbourne’s leafy inner south-east, Rosemary lived in Pt Lonsdale for 21years. As the laid back coastal lifestyle became increasingly gentrified and covid’s isolating impact hit home, Rosemary decided on a move back to the city to be near friends and family. While the move established a significant lifestyle change, one thread of consistency remained between the two residences. Both were intuitively styled by Simone Haag.
“When I moved to Melbourne, Simone was the obvious person to engage. She was terrific! The house is quite small and on an unusually shaped block. It was designed by an architect from Jackson Clement Burrows and it's got a bit of flare with high ceilings at the back and lots of interesting spaces. Being older, I had paintings that had been on the journey of life with me but the procurement of all the furniture, from rugs on, have been guided by Simone. ”
~ Client
With a barrage of lived experiences behind her and a trusting relationship with Simone Haag, Rosemary’s brief for the team was light and succinct. She wanted a sofa that was structured, pieces that you didn’t need to perch on the edges of, and a visual language that manifested the sophistication of the city pad Rosemary held in her imagination.
A trip to Halcyon Lake secured the first purchase, a large silvered rug that acts as the anchor for all the textures, forms and tones that orbit it. The second purchase was the dining table. From those two pieces, a styling story unfolded with a narrative that slowly swells, imprinting itself on the senses and building into layers that, in totality, render a home of cohesive beauty.
“The master bedroom was nothing more than a white room off a fairly narrow hallway. It really didn’t have much going for it. And now it's one of my favourite rooms. Simone again gently pushed boundaries and we got some beautifully textured, dark wallpaper. What she did with the bed, the light fittings, the hanging heights of pendants, fabulous curtains that transformed the windows…has made it a spectacular room and wonderful place to sleep.”
- Client
“My soul place is my home and Simone gave me the courage to extend my boundaries while taking the pain out of the procurement process. I know what I love but getting the whole concept melding is hard and something Simone is absolutely brilliant at.”
- Client
Oban demonstrates design’s capacity to mediate between atmosphere, context and character. It is a home that leans into its architectural quirkiness, establishing a relationship between it and a styling language that moderates and celebrates its gestures while never lapsing into the realm of staging. It is authentic and welcoming, infused with a sense of quiet luxury and exclusive in its curation of pieces that spark individual and collective joy.
