Inside Lisa Danielle Smith's Charming Byron Bay Home

September 03, 2020 by Genevieve Rosen

Welcome to The Makers. Each week, we’re celebrating innovators, artisans and crafters of all types, taking you on a private tour of their creative spaces. For this instalment, we head to the warm, inviting Byron Bay home of Lisa Danielle.

When we visited Lisa Danielle Smith at her Byron Bay home, it was clear she had been nesting. The digital content expert and creative consultant welcomed her first child shortly after our shoot, a baby girl named Gigi Rae, with husband Jamie.

Just one glance around Lisa's open and inviting home confirms that here lives a young (stylish!) family with a newborn. Everything is soft and cosy—plush Hope & May armchairs squeezed into corners, gauzy curtains filtering the afternoon light, sorbet-coloured linen sheets rumpled on the bed, and bunches of flowers arranged in those iconic LRNCE Marrakech vases.

The colour palette of the influencer’s oasis is earthy—terracotta, oatmeal, and straw with lush, layered natural textures everywhere you look. On the day of our shoot, Lisa is excited. She has just spent the last few months soaking up every minute of the “luxurious lounging days” on her own with her husband, flopped on the couple’s En Gold sofa and drinking coffee around their stone dining suite from Tigmi Trading.

Their house underwent a few changes before the arrival of baby Gigi. A bedroom was converted into a nursery, with white panelled walls and doors leading onto the deck. They’ve also sourced a wicker bassinet from Sacred Bundle, to be placed beside their bed. Mostly though, their calm and soothing oasis, with peach and sage accents, was already prepped for the addition of a baby girl.

Hi Lisa! This series is called The Makers. What is it that you make?

I guess what I make is content! If I worked for a magazine my title could be creative director, stylist, model and sometimes photographer.

How does the act of “making” relate to your personality and who you are?

To me, making is creating and I’ve always been a creative person. I love the art of creating something beautiful, unique and exciting!

Tell us about your career journey to date. Did you always know you wanted to pursue content production in some form?

Far from it! Growing up I was never sure what I wanted to do with my life, so like many teenagers, I started in hospitality. I was desperate to get into a creative industry so I then trained to be a makeup artist! Eventually, I was drawn to fashion. I worked in retail for a while and then went into fashion wholesale and marketing to learn more about the behind the scenes process.

Fast forward a few years, I started taking photos of travel and fashion just out of pure passion in my spare time. At this stage I don’t even remember following any ‘bloggers’, I didn’t even know it could be a career! I enjoyed it so much that I poured endless hours into my content just for the joy of it and it organically grew. I felt so fulfilled doing this every day. That’s how I knew I’d finally found my passion.

Talk us through your creative process. Where do you start?

Pinterest is always a great place to start for inspiration and to create a mood board. Also (before 2020!) travelling to a new destination always inspired me. New landscapes and new colours always help the creative flow. For now, that will sadly have to wait, but my process is always finding inspiration; create a mood board; photograph; edit and then finally release the content.

What’s been the single most crucial tool or strategy you’ve used to grow your creative business?

I think being authentic and spreading a positive message has always been my natural strategy.

What’s been the most challenging lesson learnt since you started your business?

Knowing my value as a creative freelancer was definitely a big challenge at the start.

What’s been the best thing that’s happened to you since you started your business?

The best thing has been the opportunities to travel the world to create content! With everything happening in this current COVID world, I’m absolutely pinching myself that we were so lucky to travel the fast few years. I’m so grateful to now spend time in our country, explore more and adapt to creating content at home.

Do you have a single piece of advice you’d give to your younger self or someone looking to start their own business?

Anything you put all of your time, energy and love into will naturally flourish!

Now, the home stuff. How long have you lived in your home?

Only six months now!

How did you initially know this was the space for you?

When I was pregnant, we had a cute little house right in the middle of Byron Bay, but it was quite old and small for our growing family. I searched every day for something perfect for us, it took about 7 months and then one day I found the house we are in. Voila!

Did you do any renovations or make any big changes after moving in?

We are just renting this current house, so the best we can do is style it up with our furniture!

What was the thought process behind the way you’ve styled the interior?

As the house is a Queenslander, it’s really bright and fresh! So we wanted to keep within the style of the home. The tones are quite neutral with a pop of colour here and there.

What are your favourite pieces in the home?

Definitely our couch! It’s cream velvet and was a vintage find from En Gold. Also, our vintage restored travertine dining table we got from Tigmi Trading is absolutely beautiful.

Shop Lisa's look with the Sage Bedding Set and White Sheet Set.

Do you have any special décor pieces you’re looking to add?

Yes! We are waiting on a new Rikki Day original and I’m so excited!

Which is your favourite room in the house?

At the moment I spend a lot of time in the nursery. It’s bright, airy & sweet—I just love it.

What are your top tips for a well-styled bedroom, and home generally?

Bring in parts of you, elements of your travels or books you love. A home should be a reflection of your style and personality. I love a well-styled bedroom with bedside tables, lamps and artwork, but comfort is so important when we spend a third of our lives in bed! Beautiful quality linen bedsheets, lots of soft pillows and a beautiful soft rug under the bed makes it so lush!

Do you have any projects coming up you want to talk about?

Well, my husband and I are looking to buy a house and do a renovation! We’re so excited and can’t wait to kick off the creative process!