My Houzz: Where Art and Creativity Take Pride of Place
This Brisbane home is filled with a love of colour and passion for making, leaving little room for the mundane
Tamara Armstrong
21 June 2016
Houzz Australia Contributor. Lifestyle Photographer and Visual Artist based in the beautiful surrounds of the Gold Coast hinterland in sunny Queensland.
Houzz Australia Contributor. Lifestyle Photographer and Visual Artist based in the... More
True to form, this artist’s home is as unique as the artworks created by its owner. Ceramicist Clairy Laurence is the artist-in-residence, and it’s obvious to any passerby that inside these walls there must be some very creative minds (and hands) at work. Since moving here in 2001 with her then toddler, Laurence has gradually made changes to the home, redefining a number of the spaces to suit the demands of life as both a ceramicist and full-time single mother.
The gardens are brimming with ceramic creations and the interior walls burst with colour and character, showcasing collected inspiration to ensure a generous creative flow is felt from the moment you walk down the driveway. This sense carries through until you reach the back verandah with its tranquil view of the neighbouring bushland. This home houses not one, but two studio spaces for this creatively clever mother-daughter duo.
Houzz at a Glance:
Who lives here: Clairy Laurence, her 20-year-old daughter and their cat, Old Gregg.
Location: Indooroopilly, Brisbane, Queensland
Size: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and converted art studio.
The gardens are brimming with ceramic creations and the interior walls burst with colour and character, showcasing collected inspiration to ensure a generous creative flow is felt from the moment you walk down the driveway. This sense carries through until you reach the back verandah with its tranquil view of the neighbouring bushland. This home houses not one, but two studio spaces for this creatively clever mother-daughter duo.
Houzz at a Glance:
Who lives here: Clairy Laurence, her 20-year-old daughter and their cat, Old Gregg.
Location: Indooroopilly, Brisbane, Queensland
Size: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and converted art studio.
In 2001, after splitting with her then-partner, Laurence and her three-year-old daughter found themselves without a home. They went to live with her parents in Chapel Hill and were only there for about a month when her mum and dad kindly surprised her by offering to buy Laurence her own house. They gave her a budget and allowed her to pick the right one. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long to find what is now home for Laurence and her now-grown daughter.
The exterior wall mosaic seen as you approach the home was designed and created by Laurence. This was originally a double carport, but has since been converted into a ceramics studio.
The exterior wall mosaic seen as you approach the home was designed and created by Laurence. This was originally a double carport, but has since been converted into a ceramics studio.
Various ceramic creations are found throughout the front garden, such as these mini outdoor installations.
Laurence was looking at houses in the inner-city region and every home she viewed seemed majorly flawed. Unfortunately her budget didn’t really allow her to afford something in her preferred area. The artist now admits she may have been in denial about not being able to afford what she ultimately dreamt of, and it was her mum, Camilla, who suggested perhaps this ideal home did simply not exist in those particular areas. Camilla also knew full well what Laurence was after, and so she found a house she thought her daughter would like.
“She found a great home for us, the only catch was that it existed in the suburbs, but you know, you just don’t look a gift horse in the mouth!” laughs Laurence.
“She found a great home for us, the only catch was that it existed in the suburbs, but you know, you just don’t look a gift horse in the mouth!” laughs Laurence.
The front door opens straight into the very vibrant living room. A mis-match of patterned textiles, exotic floor rugs and one-of-a-kind artworks capture your attention at every glance on entering this artfully curated abode.
The intaglio print is by local artist Belinda Sinclair.
The intaglio print is by local artist Belinda Sinclair.
When asked about her style, Laurence admits she’s not sure she really has one, and if she did it would change rather quickly. “It’s like wanting a new wardrobe every season,” she laughs. “If you twisted my arm and made me choose a style, it would be eclectic – which means I collect things randomly and then find a way to put them all together. And of course the things I collect are the things I like!”
When it comes to Laurence’s changing style influences, she says there are just a few things that stay with her when she decides to change the look of each space, and they are the artworks that she most treasures.
The large beetle painting by Richard Dunlop is one of those treasured pieces, seen hanging here above Old Gregg.
The large beetle painting by Richard Dunlop is one of those treasured pieces, seen hanging here above Old Gregg.
This space is truly the heart of the home and it’s as warm and inviting as it is eclectic. The living room seamlessly extends out to the back verandah, taking in the beautiful natural surrounding bushland.
When Laurence first moved in, she says the house was a little pokey and it had a divider in the lounge room and a sliding aluminium door onto the back verandah. Within the first month of living there, Laurence recalls that a bottle of wine and a crowbar quickly led to an enormous hole in the back wall of the house. “That hole stayed there until my housemate at the time started dating a carpenter about a year later,” she says.
This wall was originally part of the exterior and the verandah once ended at the same point. It has now been extended to an adjoining deck, which leads to Laurence’s home ceramics studio.
The ceramicist specialises in figurative ceramic sculpture, and has become well known for her signature ‘Lil Babe’ range, some of which is pictured here.
The ceramicist specialises in figurative ceramic sculpture, and has become well known for her signature ‘Lil Babe’ range, some of which is pictured here.
Walking out to the verandah and turning left takes you to this large covered deck leading straight into Laurence’s home studio, which sits in the converted double carport to the side of the living room.
Tour the rest of the home studio
Tour the rest of the home studio
This window was also originally part of the exterior and now links the interior space to the newly added deck area. More of Laurence’s collections decorate the wall. The painting was created by her mother, and it is clear to see that creativity runs strong in the family.
Heading back inside the home, another add-on is seen with this privacy screen that encloses the other end of the verandah. Laurence’s ceramic pieces are also on display in this open outdoor space.
Collections of artistic photographs, postcards and bits and pieces can be found in the kitchen, providing another wall of inspiration in this already bright green-painted space.
Drawing inspiration from the 1950s Wedgwood cabbage range of functional ceramic pieces, Laurence created her own range of cabbage tableware, which can be seen here artfully holding the week’s fresh fruit and veggies.
The laundry is located at the far end of the home next to the kitchen, and a back door leads to a long jetty-like verandah where the clothesline can be accessed.
The home not only backs onto bushland, but the block also has a steep descent, which makes this extension of the verandah a far handier space for hanging clothes than the sloping garden would be.
Back in the living room there is a large antique cabinet, and to the right of the cabinet is a hallway that leads to the ground floor bathroom and another larger bedroom, which Laurence and her daughter use as a TV room.
This cabinet showcases another collection of one-off ceramic creations. Some are by Laurence and others are by fellow ceramicist David Usher.
This cabinet showcases another collection of one-off ceramic creations. Some are by Laurence and others are by fellow ceramicist David Usher.
The hallway leads to the downstairs bathroom and is painted in lilac purple. A bright selection of original paintings fill the space.
Laurence admits a lot of her style is also influenced by budget. “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” she says, “because being a ceramicist means I have had the opportunity to acquire some beautiful pieces of art by doing swaps for my own work.”
Floral painting: Georgina Berkman
Laurence admits a lot of her style is also influenced by budget. “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” she says, “because being a ceramicist means I have had the opportunity to acquire some beautiful pieces of art by doing swaps for my own work.”
Floral painting: Georgina Berkman
Naturally the bathroom is as eclectic and unique in its decoration as are the rest of the spaces around the home. An assortment of vintage mirrors hanging on the walls and a beautiful white horse lamp provide more points of interest.
Three bedrooms and another bathroom are located upstairs.
One of the bedrooms has been converted into a studio space for Laurence’s daughter to work in; she too shares her mother’s passion for making. There is a more youthful vibe in this second creative space, with colourful and eclectic items both new and old on display, as well as some of her own original artworks.
Natural light streams in through the generous windows of this very large room. The walls and floors are all painted in a crisp white, making this an ideal space to photograph her mother’s artwork – which she regularly does to help update the website she created for Laurence.
Living in the outer suburbs may not have been where Laurence envisaged herself, but it has worked out perfectly as a place that fosters creativity for this family of two.
TELL US
What do you like about this colourful home? Let us know in the Comments section.
TELL US
What do you like about this colourful home? Let us know in the Comments section.
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