Photography: Hannah Puechmarin
Life-changing moments can happen when you least expect it. This was the case for Alison, the homeowner of this Airbnb. For her, the transformative experience occurred while flicking through a copy of Home Beautiful. An editorial by interior designer Anna Spiro about decorating with colour caught her eye. “It was some kind of wake-up call,” says Alison. “She declared war on boring interiors. I got completely on board.” Her husband, Tony, bought her a ticket to one of Anna’s interior design workshops and after that, the rest was history. “I started on a journey of adding colour,” recounts Alison. “It snowballed and I was hooked.”
But it wasn’t until 2021 that she got the opportunity to transform a home from the inside out. Alison and Tony were looking to buy a home that would become a short-term rental when they found this abode. They knew it would be perfect for an Airbnb. “It felt like the seaside cottage of my dreams,” says Alison. The humble home, which had been a fishermen’s shack, had stunning south-facing views of Norfolk Bay. While it was built in 1964, it was made of recycled materials that dated much further back. The position, size and location were idyllic, but the interiors left much to be desired. “I wanted to take it in this completely unexpected direction,” explains Alison. “When you’re looking from the outside you can think, ‘oh a bloke built this’, but when you get inside, it’s completely feminine.”
Who stays here here?
Alison, a school careers advisor, Tony, a mathematical modeler, and their children, Rosie, 16, Theo, 14, and Jean, 10. They also rent it out on Airbnb.
What’s your design style? Alison: “Warm, cosy, irreverent, feminine, comfortable and happy. It feels like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ met up with ‘The Little Mermaid’… at a British hotel by the seaside.”
Weekend ritual? “We’ll often start by having a swim off the jetty, snorkel around that spot, then get in the hot tub and quite often stay there for the rest of the day.”
Best renovating tip? “I learnt so many things from YouTube. Even small things like how to patch holes in plaster.”
Inside the colourful Airbnb transformation
What came next was a labour of love that progressed over the course of two and a half years. The home was in sound structural condition but the layout needed tweaking. The living room and main bedroom switched positions, leading to a large and luxurious bedroom retreat. The wall separating the new living space and the dining room was knocked down, creating one long, open-plan area that faced out to the deck and seaview beyond. In the bathroom, Alison tiled two walls and replaced a shower-over-bath with a standalone shower that spanned the width of the room.
She leant into maximalism, collecting second-hand pieces and covering the walls in a mix of bright hues, patterned wallpaper and enough art to make a curator jealous. While the prospect of creating overwhelm with the palette was nerve-wracking, Alison was bolstered by the knowledge that this home was but a fleeting stay for guests. “I wanted people to visit and experience what it’s like to live with so much pattern and colour,” she explains. While it felt risky, Alison couldn’t be prouder of the result. “It gives me a deep sense of joy being immersed in something that’s colourful, warm, cosy and comfortable.”
Living
Decorating this Airbnb began with a green feature wall in the living room. “The light reflecting off the ocean is quite blue and with a neutral palette it felt cold,” admits Alison. “The green wall absorbed the blue light and made it feel warm and cosy.” South Hobart Tip Shop provided a lot of second-hand treasures, including the lamp base, lampshade and green Constance Spry urn. The round, gilded mirror, sourced from Red Fox Antiques in Launceston, creates contrast against the predominantly straight lines and rectangular shapes of this tableau, including a window seat, upholstered in Ottoline ‘Sporty Stripes‘.
We love… decor inspired by native flora and fauna
Alison was inspired by the stunning seaside surrounds while decorating. “The interiors reflect the beauty and the sensitivity of the local area,” she explains. In the living room, Farrow & Ball ‘Aranami’ wallpaper in 4601 creates a neutral backdrop with a subtle, marine-inspired pattern while a watercolour painting, sourced from South Hobart Tip Shop, depicts an orchid endemic to Tasmania. This strong connection to the local flora and fauna is an especially nice touch for guests at the Airbnb who wish to connect with the place they are staying in.
“I had this worry that there were rules and if you didn’t know the rules, something would go wrong”
– Alison
Kitchen
Alison tiled the splashback herself, using a National Tiles gloss square option. A vintage seagrass rug from Antiques to Retro in Hobart covers the floor near the rear door, finished in three-quarter strength Porter’s Paints Roman Holiday. This was mixed by Fragments in Hobart.
The deck with sea views
At times, the views include the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights. “On any given day, seals will go past, dolphins will go past, sometimes whales,” Alison says. “It’s
in this magical place, but it’s still quite close to Hobart.”
Dining
In the dining room of this Airbnb, a bookcase from Trove antiques shop houses objets. “It’s filled with things I collected from the water’s edge, like sea sponges and shells,” shares Alison. A Margate Train Traders cane trolley and bench seat bought at Gowans Auctions are positioned beneath another gallery wall. Artworks by friends are prominent, including a sketch of the critically endangered local red handfish from The Changesmiths by Mel Stanger and a tablescape by Chrisy Wong.
Bedroom
The antique brass four-poster bed was Alison’s must-have for the Airbnb and was also a Gumtree find. “It was based on my love of British hotel interiors,” she explains. Thick, luscious green velvet curtains were another wonderful secondhand purchase. They are Alison’s most treasured Facebook marketplace find.
Wainscoting with VJ panelling also continues the heritage charm, with ‘Acanthus’ wallpaper from Farrow & Ball positioned above. This was chosen for the pattern, which is reminiscent of local bull
kelp forests.
Above the wainscoting, Alison has displayed framed botanic specimens, which she found in Glenorchy Tip Shop. They were dated and collected by C Rathbone, a man who had worked for the Parks and Wildlife Service, but had sadly since passed away. “I’m glad I was able to save some of his precious specimens,” shares Alison, who notes that they are all species endemic to Tasmania.
Bathroom
Blue wainscoting-style tiles from National Tiles were laid by Alison. The wall sconce, from South Hobart Tip Shop adds a touch of glitz and glamour, positioned above a small vase of corymbia ficifolia, also known as red flowering gum.
Backyard
As with the interiors, Alison, who previously worked as a florist, created this garden herself. It was the biggest speedbump in the entire project, due to a particularly wet year. “There were days where I just sat in the dirt and cried,” she recalls. Now, it’s one of the areas she is most proud of. A firepit from local metallic artisan Ninapatina creates a cosy centrepiece amid Phlomis ‘Lemon Blush’ and Cotyledon orbiculata ‘Silver Dust’.
Hot tub
The cedar hot tub, from Shym Saunas, is the perfect place to take in views of the bay. This is especially spectacular on nights when the colourful Aurora Australis is visible.
Source book
Stay: You can book ‘The Lady Primrose Sands’ via Airbnb, here.
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