Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Rugged South Aussie Coastal Site Inspires Studio Sanctuary
Creative Australian artist Winnie Pelz has harnessed the wild beauty of Cape Jervis's coastline to inspire her art and her studio sanctuary
The stony, exposed ridge that overlooks South Australia’s Backstairs Passage and Kangaroo Island was an ideal place for artist Winnie Pelz to design and build her 42-square-metre studio, but the extreme weather, unpredictable soil and nosy wildlife proved a bit more difficult for a surrounding garden.
“It’s an experiment that has taken me out of my comfort zone and made me question my sanity at times,” she says. “Low rainfall, gale force winds, heavy clay soil full of rocks, rampant rabbits, kangaroos and parrots have created a challenging garden environment.” But after a six-year battle with the terrain, her sanctuary is complete, allowing her time to focus on painting. And the arrival of 20 species of birds to her garden has provided welcomed inspiration.
Studio at a Glance
Who works here: Winnie Pelz, with her labrador-mastiff dog Bristle
Location: Cape Jervis, South Australia
Size: About 42 square metres
Cost: $25,000
“It’s an experiment that has taken me out of my comfort zone and made me question my sanity at times,” she says. “Low rainfall, gale force winds, heavy clay soil full of rocks, rampant rabbits, kangaroos and parrots have created a challenging garden environment.” But after a six-year battle with the terrain, her sanctuary is complete, allowing her time to focus on painting. And the arrival of 20 species of birds to her garden has provided welcomed inspiration.
Studio at a Glance
Who works here: Winnie Pelz, with her labrador-mastiff dog Bristle
Location: Cape Jervis, South Australia
Size: About 42 square metres
Cost: $25,000
A combustion wood fire keeps the studio cosy during harsh winters. Large windows bring in light and a feeling of connection with the garden and wildlife. The concrete slab floor was made with a light-coloured sand and white cement.
Pelz created a low-maintenance garden, including a rock labyrinth, framed by a mix of Australian natives and exotic plants. “The most successful natives are correas, grevilleas, casuarinas, westringias and hakeas,” she says. “Many of the plants are those that thrive in Mediterranean climatic conditions – olives, rosemary, irises, tough old-fashioned roses, pelargoniums, and a wide range of succulents.”
Pelz’s three-year-old dog, Bristle, enjoys the view out to the coast. “Elements of the garden are deliberately designed, such as the labyrinth,” says Pelz. “Other areas have grown organically and the planting choices have had to adapt as things have either thrived or died.”
Pelz gets inspiration from the abundant birdlife attracted by the native vegetation as well as a small pond and a number of bird feeders. Here she displays a collection of old wire cages.
The studio looks south towards Kangaroo Island. The stone spiral was created from limestone found on the property.
Tour Winnie Pelz’s main house
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes in Australia and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more inspiring projects.
Tour Winnie Pelz’s main house
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes in Australia and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more inspiring projects.
Laserlite is used for the front gable to let in additional light.