A league of their own Benji and Zoe Marshall have created a calm oasis for their little family

football maestro Benji Marshall and his wife zoe have created a calm oasis for their little family away from the big league

there is much to love about the renovated and freshly decorated inner west Sydney home of Kiwi captain and all-round NRL favourite Benji Marshall, his media personality wife Zoe and the couple’s super-cute curly topped (nearly) twoyear-old Fox. Take the personalised “The Marshalls” welcome mat out front, the chic, soothing palette throughout, a fabulous black and white photo wall near the entranceway, filled with family memories, and then there’s that gorgeous garden out back that looks like it’s been there for decades.

Yet, there is one feature that holds a special place in this family’s heart: the strikingly cute wallpaper from Kingdom Home that graces little Fox’s room. Here, a little fox (hello, Fox!) looks up towards a tiger, (that would be Benji, who plays for Wests Tigers.) But for Zoe, it’s the decision to include a moth in the stunning custom artwork-like paper that makes this a future heirloom to cherish. “My mum passed 13 years ago and she has always come across symbolically as a moth to me since her passing,” says Zoe. “So I asked if it was okay to put a moth into the artwork. And every night when we say goodnight to all the animals on the wall, we get to say goodnight to Nanna Jan.”

It’s easy to see that family is at the centre of the single-level, three-bedroom Californian bungalow that Zoe and Benji bought five years ago. When Benji returns home after footy training on the morning Home Beautiful visits – this year is his 18th professional year of playing rugby league – little Fox’s face lights up and the talk soon turns to lunch. “Vegies and bolognaise?” asks Benji. There’s a lovely easiness between the three, with Fox echoing newfound words and childchasing duties shared in a home that exudes a gentle understated elegance.

But the home didn’t quite feel that chic for Zoe when she emerged from the “baby bubble” last year after having Fox. “Half the house looked like a creche and half the house was higgledy-piggledy furniture from eight houses over the years, and nothing made sense,” says the convener of the What Women Want event series. “I didn’t enjoy being here because it felt makeshift, like uni students all living together.” After consulting architect and interior designer Laura Stanton of Stanton Architects, Zoe launched into redecorating “like a crazy woman”, switching out lights for contemporary styles, fitting luxurious drapes to replace blinds and swapping around the dining and lounge rooms to make the most of that beautiful outlook out back. “When Zoe and Laura first told me they were going to swap spaces, I was like ‘no, there’s no way it’s going to look good’,” says Benji, who was, at first, a reluctant renovator. “But now I prefer this way more. It’s fantastic in the sunshine – I was here yesterday afternoon with the doors open and the wind blowing and Fox was asleep. It was awesome.”

While Benji happily admits to deferring to his wife in all things decorating – “She’s the boss,” he says. “I know that I don’t really have an eye for anything that looks good, so I just leave it up to her” – there are some things that called for compromise. Firstly, the couch. “As a man who loves to watch his sport on the TV, the couch is the number one thing for me, everything else is fine,” he says. And then there’s his own bedroom, which is separate from his wife’s. “I think it started naturally,” says Zoe of the decision the couple made about seven years ago to sleep in separate rooms. “He was sick of being kicked in the ribs to get out for snoring and we were both sick of being so disrupted that he ended up starting to sleep in the spare room. Then we were like, ‘Why don’t you make that your room?’” The result is a masculine space of Benji’s own, filled with deep navy linen and enough space for Benji and the couple’s two dogs, Lucky and Mila, to have a good night’s rest. In contrast, Zoe’s room next door is all plush prettiness and five-star appeal. “My bedroom is my sanctuary,” says Zoe. “And the only time we’re not together is when we are asleep.”

With Benji often away for footy games – he is the most capped skipper of the New Zealand national rugby league team – time together for this family is always precious. And while Benji is a fan of the very stylish spaces his wife has now created, home will always be where his favourite people are. “It sounds cheesy, but home is where the heart is,” he says with a smile. “And when I’m away from these guys, it’s never going to be home.”

“I WANTED OUR HOME TO BE BEAUTIFUL BUT STILL REALLY LIVEABLE” ~ Zoe

“COMING HOME TO THIS GUY IS ALWAYS FUN. I THOUGHT IT USED TO BE, BUT IT’S EVEN MORE SO NOW” ~ Benji

“I THINK IT’S KIND OF MADNESS SHARING YOUR BED WITH SOMEBODY IF YOU DON’T SLEEP WELL TOGETHER” ~ Zoe

SUNSHINY DAYS The Sydney home of Wests Tigers star Benji, his wife Zoe and their son Fox (pictured opposite) is filled with a casual elegance that is as welcoming as this lovely family. With a toddler in residence, functionality played a key role in the pieces chosen by Zoe and interior designer Laura Stanton of Stanton Architects. “It was a hard decision with the couch,” says Zoe. “Laura wanted style and I wanted durability, and Benji wanted comfort.” The winning design was the super-deep ‘Long Beach’ style from Lounge Lovers . A United Strangers’ ‘Daddy O’ square coffee table from Matt Blatt was a grown-up choice with benefits – “Marble means that sticky fingers go unnoticed,” says Zoe – and a soft ‘Elsa’ rug in Cloud Grey from Castlery helps provide the serene backdrop for the glorious outlook. >

DINING ROOM “I believe that you need to have artwork that makes you feel a certain way,” says Zoe. “I’m quite into manifesting and visualisation and if you have something that is dark, that has a bit of angst in it, I feel like you’re bringing that into your home. With these pieces there was complete calm and a sense of joy.” In the dining room (top left) calm hues of an abstract piece (artist unknown) are matched by a pewter ‘Elsa’ rug in Cloud Grey from Castlery and chairs from West Elm, reupholstered by JMC Upholstery in dusty pink hues. A whimsical artwork by Alexandria Park for AJP Studio (above left) is another favourite and works tonally with curvy ceramics from Marloe Marloe. (The chic ‘Lily’ sideboard is from Castlery). “It’s really important to be calm,” says Zoe. “Because the world out there is chaos.” LOUNGE ROOM Benji and Fox (top right) relax on Benji’s much-loved lounge.

BEDROOMS His and her bedrooms make perfect sense for Zoe and Benji (with Fox and furry playmates Mila, in white, and Lucky, pictured top left). “I go to bed early and he’s late to bed,” says Zoe. “And I wasn’t on to him about cleaning his room and crap everywhere.” Feminine colours and fabrics, including linen from In The Sac, fill Zoe’s room (top right), while a repurposed lamp using a Kmart shade ticks the bargain buy box. Simple and streamlined, Benji’s bedroom (above left) combines the deep blues of Pillow Talk linen with an understated bed and artwork from Zanui and curtains from Drape Co. The customised Kingdom Home wallpaper formed the style starting point for Fox’s room (opposite) with Zoe’s feeding chair – a sentimental favourite – reupholstered by JMC Upholstery. “There’s just an energy about the house that is really good in here now,” says Zoe of her made-over home. “And I had it blessed again by a beautiful friend of mine who knows how to sage. The last time I ‘saged’ in New Zealand we got robbed – so don’t sage if you’re not sure what you’re doing.”