At the speed of our life, it sometimes happens that the best indoor plants are painted flowers! Proof of this is the house of the Australian artist Marcella Kaspar

Artist Marcella Kaspar

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

Marcella Kaspar, an Australian artist of Czech origin, has been creating bouquets on canvases that look like they are alive for more than twenty years. Needless to say, her own house on the coast of Coogee in Sydney has an unusually blooming appearance.

The living room is surrounded by a double courtyard: on one side there is a swimming pool and a beautiful old shrub, and on the other there is a pond and a garden planted with black bamboo.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

“We bought the house in 2008, when the global financial crisis hit,” Marcella and her husband, designer Mark Cooper, recall. At another time, we would have had to fight for this place.” Then the dilapidated cottage was demolished, and a few months later the couple moved into a new house. “We designed it, creating a sense of life in a resort where it is good not only to relax, but also to work,” says Marcella. — In particular, they abandoned air conditioners in favor of a supply and exhaust ventilation system. From the experience of previous repairs, we knew that it was much more comfortable for life.” As for the layout, all living rooms are oriented to the courtyard with a swimming pool.

The garden is a natural extension of the house.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

“We have created the feeling of a resort where it is good not only to relax, but also to work”

The bedroom is flooded with the sun coming in from the garden through the French doors.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

“We like the combination of nature and interior,” the owners say. “And at the same time, it means that the house is always cool in summer, and we enjoy the play of light when the glare of water runs up the walls of the rooms.” The floors in all rooms were covered with granite tiles. The walls were painted in charcoal gray tones, the artist made up the shades herself to create the perfect background for her canvases, and a wax grout was used for the ceiling, which gave the effect of a light shine.

Canteen. On the wall is a landscape by Catherine Ryan.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

The kitchen table is made of an old Chinese door, on it are colored crystal glasses from Marcella’s collection. The pendant lamp made of natural veneer is the work of New Zealand designer David Trubridge. The charcoal-gray shade of the plaster is chosen as an ideal background for the paintings of the hostess.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

In the guest bathroom there is a cabinet for sinks and mirror frames inlaid with mother of pearl. Bluestone marble and Carrara marble are used in the decoration of the room.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

The bathroom is attached to the guest bedroom. The pendant lamp made of natural veneer is the work of New Zealand designer David Trubridge.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

The house is filled with many beautiful things, old and new. Marcella supplemented the custom-made sofas with pillows that she sewed from Japanese obi belts and Varanasi saris brought from travel. “I’m obsessed with vintage colored glass,” the artist admits. — I even added green crystal drops to the chandelier. My childhood spent in Prague with my beloved grandparents has an effect. I have a huge collection of glasses and trinkets, from which I make still lifes. There are always fresh flowers in vases — they inspire me to work.”

Guest bedroom. On the wall at the head of the bed is a painting by Marcella Out of the darkness (“Out of the darkness”), oil on canvas. The hostess turned vintage Portuguese wine bottles into the bases of lamps. Bedside tables made of carved rosewood, China, antiques.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

And yet the main acquisition of the family was a century-old frangipani tree, which Mark saw while driving through an abandoned neighborhood in the southern suburbs. The tree cost the owners a small fortune. It took four people to dig it up and bring it back, and a year of gentle care to make it look vividly written — to match the artist’s works. @marcellakasparart, www.marcellakaspar.com

Canteen. A round marble table with a carved base was bought many years ago in Indonesia. The vintage chandelier sparkled with new colors after Marcella added green crystal drops to it.

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

“I love colored glass. Even in a vintage chandelier, I added a few green crystal drops”

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SIMON KENNY / CONTENT AGENCY / LIVING INSIDE

Polina Chesova

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