HOOKED on COLOUR

Heavenly hues, playful patterns and carefully curated art elevate this fishing shack from rustic to radiant

- STORY BRITTANY SMITH | PHOTOGRAPHY HANNAH PUECHMARIN

Life-changing moments can happen when you least expect it. For Alison, the transformative experience occurred while flicking through a copy of Home Beautiful. An editorial by interior designer Anna Spiro about decorating with colour caught her eye. “It was some kind of wake-up call,” says Alison. “She declared war on boring interiors. I got completely on board.” Her husband, Tony, bought her a ticket to one of Anna's interior design workshops and the rest was history. “I started on a journey of adding colour,” recounts Alison. “It snowballed and I was hooked.”

But it wasn’t until 2021 that she got the opportunity to transform a home from the inside out. Alison and Tony were looking to buy a home that would become a short-term rental when they found this abode. “It felt like the seaside cottage of my dreams,” says Alison. The humble home, which had been a fishermen's shack, had stunning south-facing views of Norfolk Bay. While it was built in 1964, it was made of recycled materials that dated much further back. The position, size and location were idyllic, but the interiors left much to be desired. “I wanted to take it in this completely unexpected direction,” explains Alison. “When you're looking from the outside you can think, ‘oh a bloke built this’, but when you get inside, it’s completely feminine.”