Plenty to reflect upon in this evolving sculptural garden.
Passing through the evolving garden where pittosporums are falling away to a preference for Western Australian natives, succulents and Victorian coastals, it's easy to see why this acre in North Mount Eliza (erhem... South Frankston) has captured Emma Davies' heart.
The artist, who was recently featured in the window of The Colour English for the Drift Mt Eliza Sculpture Trail, views the garden as a work in progress. "When you've got a garden like this, it is like sculpting," explains Emma of the acre she shares with her two children.
A portrait of the city, as seen from a rise in the garden with a purposeful hammock.
"It's a balance trying to keep the garden not looking overly manicured but you've just got to sort of manage it. Otherwise, it goes wild." The back garden gives the impression of a park, where landscaped vignettes give way to lawns, a forest of trees to a cubby house hidden in the trees, and a view of the city from a hammock slung lazily between two trees.
The home itself is has heritage credentials. The previous owner built the Knox House on the property, positioning it with enough area at the front and rear to shroud it in privacy. Constructed on three, tiered slabs with local and reclaimed materials, the ingenuity of the design is in its flexible floorplan, adaptable to working from home, a large family, entertaining with a timeless grace and functional generosity found in grand homes designed for generational longevity.
Slate and brick underpin solid timber frames and furnishings in the home where decorative features inspire conversation and creativity.
When homes have bona fides like these, living in them is more caretaking than owning. "I'm passing through this house, leaving it for the next person to enjoy," says Emma with reverence for a building near-perfectly designed for the post-modern Australian lifestyle with human values that effortlessly transcend eras.
From a grand fireplace dominating the living area to the Aga stove in the kitchen that runs year-round, it's a home where a cup of tea is always moments away and as Emma says with some pride, "It's the heart of the house. It's the best cake maker I've ever met." Even in summer, when the home is naturally cool and breezy, the stove is an attraction, the hearth of the home, where taking in the scope of the property and the home itself is delivered by a towering ceiling and views outdoors on three sides of the kitchen.
Views out to the garden are best enjoyed from the kitchen, where eggs harvested each day help the AGA’s reputation as an excellent cake maker.
Ritual as religion in pieces that pay homage to craftsmanship and instruments to create artistry.
"I went to Montsalvat (in Eltham) when I was young and I wonder if I manifested this house," offers Emma. It's stained-glass windows, cathedral ceilings and even acoustic merbau salvaged from the Sydney Opera House appear at turns to create an impressive slate – scalable and adaptable to the personality of those who dwell within.
Emma wasn't sure of the area when she found the house six years ago. But it was love at first sight. "I was the only bidder at the auction. There were heaps of people, but they'd all come up from the street Christmas party!" she laughs.
Extensive travels off the beaten path to Torres Straight, Arnhem Land, Soweto and Japan inform Emma’s work.
Joking that she now lives in Portsea North, Emma's initial hesitation at a location far from her studio in Highett is rewarded on the daily by the quiet, remote location that allows her to turn the music up as loud as she likes. "I pretty much wake up every morning and love living here," she says as we chat in her home studio, where large scale projects are underway.
"I drive in and I could be anywhere."
Emma's range of decorative pieces are available at:
The Colour English
Shop 7, 87 Mount Eliza Way
Mount Eliza
Blending and molding: the garden’s perfection lies in its fragile confidence of purpose and comfort.
5 Live Loves
Live for the vegetation – "It's a big thing for me. I love the trees and the leaves."
Love the beach – "...without trying to sound like everyone else."
Live for my work – "Having an environment where I can make things..."
Love the space – "I'm just moving through here, keeping it for the next owner."
Live for the inspiration – "If I go for a walk, I feel like all my sense are alert.