max, ochre + art

"In 2011 Fliss and Hal packed up all their belongings, rented out their Queenslander and moved their young family to Bali. They stayed there for a year and found a small, ethical production house to manufacture their design and clothing brand, Udder. It was an experience that has, on every level, changed their lives. Upon returning to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and their beloved family home, they have imbued the interior with a distinct Indonesian aesthetic. The children's rooms are living, breathing reminders of their travels where the practical elements of childhood blend effortlessly with art installations and handmade toys."

I had the pleasure of writing about Max, Ochre and Art's rooms for the latest issue of Little One Kids magazine (in newsagents now!). Fliss has a innate ability to create beauty in the home (and the garden) and for the past year she has been working on the kid's rooms - creating unique and organic spaces. She doesn't follow a plan nor does she set out to create a theme; instead she adds items as she finds them - the rooms are ever-changing. "I ask the children if they like things here or here, I listen to their ideas and then I mix in my own and from there it evolves," she says.

I really appreciate Fliss' intention to create authentic and comfortable rooms for her children. As she mentioned to me during our interview: "It's essential that they have their own personal space for them to be. To be quiet, noisy, to dance, play, create, dress-up." 

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I gave Che's room a good spring clean on the weekend and together we arranged his beloved possessions and planned to buy some picture ledges to use as book shelves. On Monday afternoon he added a new item - a tissue box with ten caterpillars (they were eating my herbs), a few sprigs of green and a folded tissue for a pillow. The next morning he woke to find that his "new pets" had gone crawlabout. He found one in his school shoe, I found two more later in the day. The others? I have no idea.