Free spirit This picture-perfect abode is brimming with eclectic charm
A STYLIST WHO’S NEVER BEEN ONE TO STICK TO THE RULES HAS CREATED A PICTUREPERFECT FAMILY HOME THAT’S WARM, WELCOMING AND BRIMMING WITH ECLECTIC CHARM Story KARINA MACHADO Styling LESA LAMBERT Photography ANASTASIA KARIOFYLLIDIS
ORIENT EXPRESS Unique pieces that tell a story, swathes of timber to enliven white walls and the exotic opulence of old-world brass create an oasis-like welcome in this modern central Gold Coast Queenslander that stylist Lesa shares with her husband, Greg, and the youngest of their three children, son Reid, 16. “Even when the sun’s not out, it’s still beautiful and light and airy,” says Lesa (pictured), who collects vintage brass vessels (above left). “I pull those vases out sometimes and put beautiful fresh flowers in them. I’m forever styling.” Lesa’s collector’s eye is also evident in both the dining room (above right), where old Indian screens are grouped to striking effect on ‘Palm Black’ wallpaper from Affordable Decorators, and in the family room (opposite), where a cluster of crosses gathered across the years are a conversation starter. FAMILY ROOM The pink-andrust tones of the Linen House cushion from Pillow Talk (opposite far left, on the Oz Design Furniture couch, alongside a Habitat macrame square cushion in Meerkat from Pillow Talk) inspired the palette for the “relaxed look” Lesa created in the welcoming family room. Here, her collection of Japanese vintage calligraphy brushes draws the eye atop the oversized coffee table – she has two of these “precious” centrepieces, as she calls the former Ikat weaving tables she bought years ago from a boutique homewares store that is no longer trading. “You could throw a mattress on it and turn it into a daybed if you like, they’re that solid,” says Lesa, whose “much adored” white Moroccan ottoman from Maison & Maison softens the scene. >
What began with a plan to buy an investment property in an area close to their youngest son’s school evolved into something quite unexpected – and beautiful, in every sense – for veteran renovators Lesa and Greg. When a 20-year-old Queenslander-style home came up for sale in what Lesa identified as “the best street” in the Gold Coast suburb, the couple rushed to inspect the property. “I pulled up out the front and I just thought, ‘Oh my God, I could make this house so good,’” recalls Lesa, a stylist. “I know that you’re not supposed to be happy in front of the real estate agent, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face!”
That enthusiasm didn’t wane, even when she was confronted by “a big purple wall” and a “hideous green bathroom” inside. Sparkling in northern light, and encased by wraparound verandahs, the living spaces spoke their own language to Lesa. “I just thought, ‘Nah, green bathrooms, purple walls? I can do this.’ And we bought it. Thirty days later, we were in here,” she says.
Four years on, Lesa’s signature warmth and infectious joy are evident in beautifully curated spaces – indoors and out – that inspire new friends to feel at ease and old ones to pop in on a whim with a bottle of bubbles. “Everyone loves it!’” says Lesa, who played up the wonderful natural light in the four-bedroom home by painting walls white, then injecting warmth and soul with one-off timber furniture, lush indoor greenery and unique collections. After renovating and living in more than 10 homes in the Gold Coast area, “I’ve treated it and styled it like it is my forever home,” she reflects.
Melding Asian, Moroccan and “white rustic” influences, her style is best described as “eclectic”, sums up Lesa. “I’ve collected beautiful pieces and I’ve put them together and told my own story,” she says. Her treasures include intricate Indian and Chinese screens displayed as wall art, a collection of vintage brass, and vast coffee tables that, in their former lives, were Indonesian weaving tables. “The families would sit around those tables and weave; they all do the Ikat design, so they’ve got a lot of history behind them. The one inside has got the family’s name carved on the side,” she says. >
For Lesa, putting her own unique stamp on interiors means staying true to her instincts and taking risks with furniture pieces. “Ten years ago, I painted something and someone said to me, ‘Oh no, you shouldn’t paint that, it’s Indian teak.’ So I stopped. Then I thought, ‘Stuff that, I’m going to find my own groove’,” recalls Lesa, who shares her home-decorating journey on her popular Moss And Twine Instagram account.
And yet, as picture-worthy as her home may be, these are no look-but-don’t-touch showrooms. It’s a loved and lived-in family home for Lesa and Greg, who have two adult children, as well as son Reid, 16, whose HQ is downstairs. “I laugh because my house is actually like this all the time,” says Lesa, who’s set aside, for now, the original plan to do an extensive renovation and sell on. “People think, ‘Oh no, that’s just an Instagram shot,’ and I have a giggle to myself and go, ‘Actually, it’s not.’ I’m a really house-proud person. There’s a lot of love here, there’s a lot of warmth.”
SPARE ROOM
This space (top) “currently accommodates my middle child, Hayden, while he is home from his world travels,” explains Lesa. “I hand-painted the bedhead with chalk paint six years ago. Its first life was as an Indian room divider.” Dark-hued tribal cushions from Bandhini Design create dramatic contrast against the stunning piece, while feathered cross and heart artworks by the window were a gift from Lesa’s friend, Gold Coast-based artist Kim Raath.
BATHROOM
“We upgraded the bathrooms from the tree-green original, pretty much in the first few months,” says Lesa of the wash zone (right). And the benefit was immediate. “A neutral palette will not outdate and allows me to bring in a pop of colour with my towels, and texture with a hanging plant,” she says.
“I LOVE LINEN, LUSH LAYERS OF linen. PORTUGUESE COTTON IS ONE OF MY favourite THINGS AND I LOVE COTTONS OUT OF INDIA, TOO” ~ LESA
MAIN BEDROOM Painted in a fresh and restful pale sage (Green Frost Half by Dulux is similar), Lesa’s bedroom showcases her specialty – arranging layers of linen to create an irresistibly inviting bed (above). “My friends say, ‘I want my bed to look like yours,’ so I go into their linen cupboards and rip everything out and start again,” she says. Here, the fringed pillow in the foreground is from Bungalow Living Bali, while the rest of the cushions and linen are by Pillow Talk. “I love to escape to my bedroom with a great magazine or interesting podcast,” says Lesa, who bought the duo of lamps from a Byron Bay boutique that’s since closed (get the look with the ‘Cylinder Eve’ porcelain table lamp from Temple & Webster). “It’s such a comfortable place, as it’s layered with luxe linen and natural fibres, of course.” >
“I REALLY adore AUTUMN HERE, WITH THE TEMPERATURE AROUND 20 DEGREES, THE HIGH ELEVATION AND THE verandahs WRAPPING HALFWAY AROUND THE HOME” ~ LESA
BACK DECK “This is the heart of our home, our central hub to gather on the weekends,” says Lesa of the back deck (left), anchored by “a very solid, oversized daybed from Indonesia I’ve had for 15 years.” (See the range at That Bali Shop for a similar look) and the second teak weaving table atop an outdoor rug from Pillow Talk. An abundance of greenery from green-thumbed Lesa enhances the sense of an exotic retreat. The exterior gates (above) are Lesa’s best bargain buy. “I picked them up on the side of the road in a ritzy Gold Coast street for $50,” she says. >
FRONT PORCH “This is where we come when my friends rock up with a bottle of wine and say, ‘It’s wine time!’” says Lesa, of the idyllic spot (above) where they can get comfy on the Bayview outdoor setting from Pillow Talk (cushions at right, from front to back, are from H&M, Bandhini Design and Bungalow Living Bali). For that outdoor-bar feel, guests can perch on “$10 stools” she painted pale pink. “The bar is an old tool bench I made over,” explains Lesa, who also painted the Teak Indian coffee table white. “I love mixing the old with the new.”