An Artist’s Creative, Art-Filled Australian Home

Name:Robyn Rich, husband Jonathan, and daughter Abbey
Location:Frankston, Australia
Size:145 square meters, (1,560 sqft)
Years lived in:11 Years

I stumbled upon Robyn viaher Facebook pageone night when I was probably avoiding doing other things. I’d “liked” one of my artist friend’s newest pieces and old Zuckerberg and pals asked if perhaps I’d like Robyn’s work too? Well, I think I would,thankyouverymuch. And down the rabbit hole I went, into a charming world of fabric vegetables, found object sculptures, and delightful portraits…

Robyn’s home is warm and inviting, bright and humble. Bathed in sunlight, creations in various stages of completion and pots of colour greet the lucky guest as they step inside.

I linger as long as I can in the front rooms without being rude, visually feasting, before joining Robyn and Jonathan in the kitchen. A fresh cake has been baked and sits cooling on a rack next to crafted herbs and a felted pot of peas. There are tendrils on the ceiling and a very realistic cabbage sculpture on the bench. A smile plays on Robyn’s lips as she serves me my drink with a slice of cake (do I eat it or admire it? ).

Very cheeky, I can tell it’s a bit of a favourite game to keep people on their toes.
The cake is delicious and very real by the way. Which is good.
Nothing worse than a bit of felt stuck in your teeth.

Our Style:Eclectic, arty, vintage.

Inspiration:Being an artist I am a very visual person, and a lot of my inspiration comes from everyday life, the things we surround ourselves with: color, texture, light, artwork, people, friends, magazines likeAnthology,Kinfolk.andCountry Style, blogs likeSF Girl By Bay,The Design Files,The Room Illuminated, Apartment Therapy, and a mishmash of everything on Pinterest.

Favorite Element:My studio which sometimes but very rarely is a dining room. Being able to work and create from this light-filled room is a real pleasure. Quite often I will be working on an oil painting at my easel and Abbey will be printing at the table- it is a welcoming creative place to be.

Biggest Challenge:Never having enough wall space to display all of our favorite things, plus all the usual things that come with an old house, like keeping it warm, uneven floors, cracks- but that all adds to the lived-in feel.

What Friends Say:Usually they enter the house and then there is a pause, a little giggle, and then a “yep!” We are known for totally changing things in between friends visiting and they usually take a few minutes to work out what has happened, if we have taken a wall down, added a wall, changed rooms around, added a piece of furniture, or painted over old paintings with new ideas.

Biggest Embarrassment:Friends asking if the food I have put out for afternoon tea can actually be eaten. I make fabric food sculpture and quite often have a plate or two of that out, so it can get a little bit confusing.

Proudest DIY:I don’t think I could really name one. I love that the three of us create so much in our home. I paint, draw, and sculpt, Abbey is a textile designer, and in his spare time Jonathan builds furniture or renovates bits and pieces in the house.

Biggest Indulgence:We don’t really tend to indulge in things, nearly everything in our house has come from hard rubbish, secondhand and op shops[charitable thrift shops], garage sales or friends. We like it that way, it allows our house to change and grow and when we are finished with a piece, we then pass it on to someone else. When I really think about it, my paints and the linen I paint on are probably my biggest indulgence.

Best Advice:Surround yourself with the things you love, the things that make you happy. Don’t be afraid to be different, don’t stick to any so-called rules when it comes to making a house your home and let it grow with you.

Dream Sources:Modern Times,Arro Home,Craft Victoria,The Vintage Shed (Tyabb),Empire Vintage (Albert Park),Milkcart

• Bronze sculptures, pencil drawings, oil paintings, and aluminium cabbage –Robyn Rich
• Woven vessels: ArtistSamantha Menzies
• Chest of Drawers (early Australian): a neighbor
• Mirror: We sold our baby car seat to be able to afford to buy it when we very young from a second hand shop in Crib Point.
• Old Fire Extinguishers: hard rubbish
• Coffee table: Jonathan made it from an old dining table we had which was made from packing crates and scrap timber from Chisholm TAFE
• Lights:Beacon lighting
• Smaller leather couch:freedom
• Larger couch: hard rubbish, Moran brand
• Blue doors: eBay, originally from an old church, for our new house we are about to build
• Work bench: saved from neighbor’s house before it was demolished
• Cushions: hand-printed and -made by textile designerAbbey Rich
• Print:Artist Kristina Davidson

• Bed – made by Jonathan Rich
• Taller bedside table: hard rubbish
• Shorter bedside table:Target
• European cushion cover:Spotlight
• Doona cover:Adairs
• Quilt:Rosewood Designs
• Lamp bases: turned by Jonathan Rich before we were married 23 years ago
• Lamp shades: Target

• Pantone Thursdayphotos: Abbey and her friend Loulou dress in their favorite Pantone colors each week atRMIT, where they are studying Textile Design
• Pantone color postcards:Heide Museum of Modern Art
• Fish and bird artwork above the bed: by textile designerAbbey Rich
• Pillowcases: byAbbey Rich
• Raincoat behind door: byAbbey Rich
• Textile prints on the wall and table: byAbbey Rich
• Beanie: byAbbey Rich
• Pantone tin:Mag Nation
• Lamp: garage sale

• Oil paintings:Robyn Rich
• White oval long bowl: Provincial
• Cabinet above toilet:Ikea
• Vanity and basin:Bunnings

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