fairytale christmas
THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS EXISTS ALL YEAR ROUND AT THE SUNSHINE COAST HOME OF CHILDREN’S AUTHOR VICKI WOOD.
VISITORS TO THE Peregian Springs home of children’s author Vicki Wood might be forgiven for thinking they have stepped into the pages of her magical books. Whimsical characters look on from the walls, while vintage maps and nautical instruments conjure adventures at sea. “I wanted to create a space that felt special when my grandkids visit,” says Vicki, whose Sunshine Coast home takes inspiration from her boutique publishing house, Unclebearskin Productions. For Vicki, Christmas is all about the littlest in her family — her three youngest grandchildren are her biggest fans. Seven books and three years since founding her business, the mum-of-five has brought her stories to life in her sunny, art-filled home furnished with treasured family mementos. “‘Shipwrecked’ might be the best word to describe my style,” says Vicki. “A collection of things that survived the journey, washed up on the shore and ended up together.” Shelves display beachcombing curios and vintage discoveries that add old-world charm. “They can be from the tip or an expensive antiques store,” says Vicki. “It’s just about how something makes me feel and how it affects my imagination.” For Vicki’s children — four sons and one daughter now aged 31 to 43 — it was this resourcefulness and creativity that turned a 1990 family holiday to nearby Noosa into something more permanent. “We were living in Melbourne at the time, but I had lived here before in the 1980s, and when I brought the kids up for a holiday they said, ‘Why on earth did you leave this paradise?’” Vicki says, with a laugh. “I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to go back to Melbourne, so we decided as a family to stay and make it work!” Since Vicki’s children have long grown up, her attention has turned to her three grandchildren. Sugar, seven, her brother Captain, five, and their six-year-old cousin, Buster, were top of mind when planning renovations earlier this year. “The house had nothing for the kids and they are my most important guests,” says Vicki. So she called her brother Kelvin, a Melbourne-based builder, and asked him if he felt like a working holiday. Together they designed an open-plan living space with a seamless transition from the dining area to the courtyard. Several internal walls were demolished and large windows >
installed to maximise natural light, including a bi-fold window in the kitchen that opens out to the garden. “I love being able to snip fresh herbs while I’m cooking,” says Vicki. The garden is a much-loved feature of the home, thriving in the warm, subtropical climate. Outside, philodendrons and monsteria create a lush oasis, while inside a large fiddle leaf fig presides over smaller potted varieties. Vicki believes that bringing greenery indoors adds a vibrant energy to a space. While open shelving and a white colour scheme might not seem like child-friendly design, hardwearing materials such as tadelakt kitchen benches and oak floors — coupled with a respectful approach from little visitors — helps keep maintenance to a minimum. “I think it’s important for children to live in and enjoy a space, but also to learn an appreciation for the things around them,” says Vicki. “They can be messy but they still treat everything with care.” An exception to the all-white palette is one of two kids’ bedrooms, fondly named The Viking Boy room after Vicki transformed it into a scene straight out of the storybook that she wrote for her grandsons. “I get carried away sometimes,” Vicki says, “but I think it’s more fun that way!” Next door, the Sippy and Sunny room, inspired by Vicki’s book series of the same name, is an equally dreamy space for storytelling. Christmas brings excitement to the Unclebearskin studio. “The thing that makes me really happy at this time of year is thinking about all the children who are going to get the books, the anticipation of magic on Christmas morning,” says Vicki. Meticulously wrapped and sealed with a colourful wax stamp, the books are sent off to all corners of the globe. No matter where they find a home, the notion of parents and children connecting through storytelling is Vicki’s inspiration for creating her books. “When my dad was 90, he told me about his grandma — stories she used to tell him and songs she used to sing,” says Vicki, recalling a memory of her late father, Jack Wood. “She passed away when he was three, so the impact it had on him at such a young age was incredible. I wanted my grandchildren to remember me; the power of words is really strong.” For more information about Unclebearskin Productions, visit unclebearskin.com