Sydney Home – Lisa Tilse of The Red Thread

The Sydney home of Lisa Tilse and daughter Roxy! The two art deco chairs in the main loungeroom have been lovingly restored and upholstered in Ici et La striped fabric – they’re Lisa’s favourite items of furniture.  All photos Lucy Feagins.

Light-filled loungeroom.  Deco armchairs upholstered in Ici et La striped fabric.

SO MANY cute details in this room! Love Roxy’s super cute drawing top right – an imagined version of her parents’ wedding (complete with meringue bridal gown!).  Bottom image – Small framed heart sculpture on left by Wyan McAllister, long thin painting on the left is from her parents home in the 1970′s and holds sentimental value for Lisa, on the right an original Chinese folk art painting, and vintage christmas baubles.

I must say what I love most about photographing homes pretty much every week(!!) is the incredible variety of creative styling you see from one gorgeous home to the next!  From teeny tiny one bedders to super slick architecturally designed homes, and of course the ever popular mid-century masterpieces… it’s always incredible to see just how many varied ways there are to pull together a beautiful creative home.  Today we’re in ‘cute ‘n crafty’ territory with this gorgeous family home in Sydney’s leafy suburbs!

This lovely light-filled home belongs to artist, designer and avid crafter Lisa Tilse of The Red Thread.  Lisa lives here with her daughter Roxy (7 years), and also runs her business from home.  After many years working as a graphic designer, in 2005 Lisa took the plunge and launched her own range of artwork for children’s bedrooms, home accessories and craft kits under the name ‘The Red Thread’.  Given Lisa’s creative background and love of all things handmade, it’s no surprise to see so many wonderful handcrafted details in her home – including a VAST number of cushions!  Lisa has a self confessed cushion obsession,  I counted 25 throughout the home during my visit – very impressive cushion count Lisa!  (Can anyone out there beat that?)

Lisa has lived here with Roxy for five and a half years.  She’s been lucky not to have to do too much to the place – other than the usual paint job, carpet removal (which – to Lisa’s surprise – revealed beautifully polished floorboards that looked like they’d never been walked on!), and a little landscaping in the front garden.  What is it with all these lucky people who move into beautiful homes that require LITTLE OR NO renovation / maintenance?!  Most unfair.

Lisa says her favourite aspect of the home is definitely the living area at the back of the house. ‘It’s drenched in northerly light and sun. In the summer we fling open all the french doors to bring the outside in, and in winter it’s cosy, sunny and warm. It’s the heart of the house.’  It certainly was a showstopper on the day I visited – filled with bright light all day, and casting long warm shards of afternoon sun across the dining table and kitchen towards late afternoon.

Huge thanks to Lisa for sharing her sweet home with us today!  (Thanks also for making me LUNCH when I visited!) If you love all the handmade flourishes in Lisa’s home, chances are you’ll love her pretty product range too – do pop over and have a look!

ps. forgot to mention Lisa has an excellent BLOG too! Well worth a visit!

Love the lush greenery in the back garden, visible from every angle. (OH for a lush green Sydney garden!)

TV room!  Showcasing Lisa’s self-confessed cushion obsession!   Birds on the wall are by Melanie Swan Designs (in the ACT).  On shelf – Darling Clementine cards, and also a Darling Clementine cushion far right (available form Lark).  Sleepy dog screen printed cushion from Etsy seller Robin and Mould.  I BELIEVE that knitted pouf is by Ferm Living but I could be wrong….

TV room details.  Cushion top left by Darling Clementine, from Lark.  Circular stretched fabrics top right by Lisa.  Coloured bottles on bottom right – vintage bottles painted in primary colours on the inside!  Simple Genius.  Pouf I think from Ferm Living but don’t hold me to it.

Model boat made by Lisa’s late father – made from scratch, with a working motor! The boat is named with Roxy’s Chinese name. Behind, a vintage Qantas poster.

Master bedroom. Details below.

Crochet garland by Kids With Crayons (Melbourne).  Fantastic Mr Fox cushion from Etsy seller KushKush, other cushions made by Lisa from Cloth fabric and Ink & Spindle fabric.  Orla Kiely bedlinen!

Sweet details in Roxy’s room – More cushions! Oooshka doll made by Lisa with the Ooshka Babushka pattern kit from The Red Thread. Artwork top right made with fabric from Cloth, and plain linen over a stretcher frame.

Lisa’s home office.  She explains that last year she moved her office from the third bedroom into the light-filled front loungeroom. (The third bedroom is now a cosy TV room). ‘I love being in my “new” office because it’s much bigger, but more importantly it has a large window, an outlook onto the street and lots of natural light. It still needs some art…. the paint chip collage is a temporary thing!’ says Lisa!

Cute ‘n crafty details in the home office / hallway.  Birds and deer are laser-cut timber pieces designed by Lisa for The Red Thread.

Lisa’s favourite room in the house – The light filled back room!