Boasting scenic views and a charming cottage-style studio, this space is the perfect artist's retreat.
Inside Artist Sylvie Kettle’s Relaxed Home and Studio in Byron Bay’s Hinterland
Boasting scenic views and a charming cottage-style studio, this space is the perfect artist's retreat.
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 tour artist Sylvie Kettle's carefree home and paint studio in Byron Bay.
Emerging Australian artist Sylvie Kettle is one young creative to have on your radar. Her abstract paintings celebrate the female form and Australian landscape depicted via soft shapes and whimsical colour palettes. Sylvie's creative process walks the line between spontaneity and informed mark-making. "I start very fast, try not to think too much and venture more into the world of mark making," she shares with Bed Threads Journal.
Sylvie started painting as a child and this passion naturally developed into her full-time job after people started requesting to have her artworks in their homes. "I’m still doing the same thing I was doing when I was 8 years old, just with a little different context," she says. She is now represented by Thomgallery and had her works sold at interiors design boutique and gallery, Fenton&Fenton.
Sylvie's home in Byron Bay feels very much like an extension of her artistic self. The abode is coloured in a carefree palette of blues, greens, and yellows, delivered via her unique artworks which hang on the walls, linen, and upholstery. "Anything created with artistic intention will bring its own essence to your space," she says. Rattan furniture, in the form of bedside tables and outdoor furniture choices, and sisal rugs further add to the beachy, relaxed aesthetic.
One of the major draw cards to this property was the front porch which offers panoramic views of the Byron Bay Hinterland which Sylvie says "...gave our scattered artistic minds a sense of spaciousness."
Her studio, a former garlic drying shed, has been renovated and boasts a charming cottage-style vibe with its quaint turquoise front door and French windows. It's the ideal artistic retreat for Sylvie to create her dreamy works of art.
We spoke to the artist about her art is an extension of her personality, how she knew this was the home for her and how she styled it.
Hi Sylvie! This series is called The Makers. What is it that you make?
I make paintings!
How does the act of “making” relate to your personality and who you are?
I think being a creative, there really is no separation between your personality and the urge to create worlds. Painting isn't just what I do for work, it's a symptom of my whole being. Like the overflow of who I am. It's an expression of life itself in Sylvie form I guess.
Tell us about your career journey to date. Did you always know you wanted to pursue this line of work?
I always knew I didn't want to do something just because people told me it was the way to go. I have painted since I was a little girl, and eventually, people just started wanting a piece of that in their homes. I’m still doing the same thing I was doing when I was 8 years old, just with a little different context. So it was more a natural flow into my line of work, rather than knowing or pursuing.
Talk us through your creative process. Where do you start?
I start very fast, try not to think too much and venture more into the world of mark making. Along the way, it's really a process of defining shapes and colour until I need to crash through it with something more sporadic. It's more like dreaming than doing something consciously, so it's hard to put into words.
What’s been the single most crucial tool or strategy you’ve used to further your career?
Refining my relationship with money. As meaning making humans, we really do tend to bring a lot of emotion to the topic and create stories around our perspective of it. I’ve really had to practice staying non-attached to money. I love to anchor myself through a lens of abundance, it's definitely the most crucial tool in my business.
What’s been the most challenging lesson learnt so far in your career?
Making my business work for me and not the other way round. I want my paintings to maintain their purity, the same way a tree may produce fruit or flowers. I can't maintain that innocence of intention when I feel the pressure of too many other elements.
What’s been the best thing that’s happened to you since you started your career?
Watching my paintings move into peoples homes and lives. It's like they have a mind of their own.
Do you have a single piece of advice you’d give to your younger self or someone looking to pursue a similar line of work?
Someone once asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. "I write only when inspiration strikes," he replied. "Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp. (This is from ‘The War of Art’, by Steven Pressfield - highly recommend!).
I would say paint as much as you can and create in anticipation of the muse. I think we often get caught in the world of nouns and titles - being an artist, a doctor, or a yogi, or a something. When really the verb is way more exciting and meaningful. Just paint, or do whatever it is you must do!
Now, the home stuff. How long have you lived in your home?
Only a few months.
How did you initially know this was the space for you?
We had some beautiful synchronicities happen in the process. But most of all, the hinterland views gave our scattered artistic minds a sense of spaciousness.
Did you do any renovations or make any big changes after moving in?
I did to my studio because it actually used to be an old garlic drying shed here at Farm & Co. So I had it renovated into a sweet cottage vibe with vintage french windows and doors. It was beautiful watching the space come to life with a bit of love and intention.
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What was the thought process behind the way you’ve styled the interior?
We love anything that has character, you know like certain pieces that you personify in your mind? Sometimes, I invent full personalities around things in our house, haha. So, I guess my intention was anything with a story, real or imagined.
What are your favourite pieces in the home?
We have this 100-year-old African milking stool that was carved from one piece of wood. It's so beautiful. Also our green velvet, mid-century couch.
Do you have any special décor pieces you’re looking to add?
I really want a framed photo of George Harrison because I love him haha.
Which is your favourite room in the house?
The front porch and grassy lawn are really where we can immerse ourselves in the landscape. I have a special Saturday ritual when I come back from the beach where I laze around on a blanket on the lawn and watch the clouds go by. I often stargaze with my beautiful neighbours also.
What are your top tips for a well-styled bedroom, and home generally?
Everything carries its own vibration, so I guess it's about featuring pieces that you truly resonate with rather than buying generic and mass-produced things. This is why art is so unique. It honestly blows my mind to think of the purity of artistic creation; it can't be manufactured. Anything created with artistic intention will bring its own essence to your space.
Do you have any projects coming up you want to talk about?
This little collection pictured will be launched with Thom Gallery in Byron Industrial. Super excited to be working with Alex and his beautiful space.
For more from Sylvie follow her @sylviekettle
Photography by Benito Martin, Styling by Jackie Brown.
