Each door in Lucy Folk’s newly created Boreen Point home is a different colour as it relates to the sunset. There’s also mustard cupboards, terracotta tiles, custom ceramic lights and Spanish robe curtains that could be kind of bonkers if it wasn’t all so tonally complimentary. Here, she talks to writer and film director Sophie Edelstein about how her most personal project yet is about connecting to nature and community. And comes with a garden, just right for mixing a mezcal in. 

Luce, where are you?

I am on my balcony in Ibiza, and we’ve been on tour with the family for almost three weeks now since I saw you in Paris. We’re having a lovely time; we’re going for very late lunches and just enjoying the Mediterranean vibes. 

And why Ibiza over anywhere else in Europe?

Well, as you know, my Soph, I’m drawn to Ibiza. It’s really just refreshing, the attitude here. I think there’s a deeper level of consciousness. Without sounding cliché, the spirituality thing is appealing, and we have friends here; it’s always nice coming back to places you know so you can actually form a bit of a community. I think that’s a big part of the [Lucy Folk] brand, and it’s exciting to be able to be here and have this different side of the island. It’s more about connecting with nature and feeling quite wholesome – getting back to eating yummy food and doing all the things that we love.

I have a very mixed relationship with Ibiza as you know – I’ve never once gone there without being involved in a robbery. But what I like about it, is the fact that it is a community, and that’s something that I feel very strongly [about] even as I’m back in Europe.

And I think it’s really nice, because it’s a melting pot of people that really changed their lives in the sense that they can work from anywhere and still feel connected to people who live in cities that have a faster pace of life, but then also just need time to kind of reconnect and rejuvenate. I think living somewhere like Ibiza has really made us understand that that’s super important, especially when you’re working really hard at what you do. 

That’s really important, and actually, it leads me to ask about the house you’ve just built in Australia. How did that impact the way that you were to create a home in Noosa? Which, I guess, culturally is quite different.

Oh, it’s the complete opposite. I mean, for me, everything’s very site specific. Sometimes it doesn’t matter where it is, it’s about the house or it’s about the feeling you have when you get to a place. I think for us, finding this incredible sanctuary for our family in Australia, and having found something that actually has a history. The place is called ‘Le Bateau Ivre’ and that’s the name of a poem by Rimbaud. Rimbaud is one of Joffery’s favourite poets and the poem has been translated into the drunken boat. When we looked at the house, we were not even considering living in Noosa, and we just fell in love with the property because it was old, sort of that Caribbean slash Australian, plantation shutter kind of vibe, with this extraordinary tropical garden, sitting right on this lake, about 30 minutes away from Noosa. 

It’s quite unique in the sense that it’s an old house and has this really nice history. There was a famous pianist that used to live there, I think the Rolling Stones went to the house once for a party, and it made us feel connected because so many people had lived there and loved living there. It was all about entertaining and I think that’s what we like to do in life.

So, the house had its own atmosphere and energy before you even moved in?

Exactly. It just felt like, “Okay, this is the place where we can have all our friends in Europe to stay.” Even though we live in Australia and it’s so far, we could picture ourselves in the garden, entertaining and hosting people, celebrating, because obviously during the pandemic, there was not much of that. We were really feeling quite deprived. I’m really excited to bring people back and even maybe do some sort of artists residency or do something with chefs. That’s what made us fall in love with Boreen Point.

People all over are really curious about Australians and the connection with nature. In Australia, the community is sort of with nature – nature is your community. The older I get, the more I’m at peace with that about Australia; it’s less about the people and where you live, and it’s more about how you live. I like that idea, [and] you’re articulating that precisely.

Whenever you dream of Australia when you’re living in Europe or when you’re travelling, you’re excited for the landscape, the peace and the fact that it’s so remote. I think we were just like, “Okay, well, why would we move somewhere that everyone else is moving to?” and, “How can we kind of create our own community?” It’s nice being part of a very small community. There are only 398 inhabitants in Boreen Point. It’s very small and we feel like we’re sort of alone there, which is super nice. There’s this big expansive lake we look out over, the Great Sandy National Park and then the Everglades are close by, so there’s all this stuff happening externally. Inside the house, it really is so much about my life journey and all the things that we’ve collected over the years. It feels quite unique in the sense that it’s minimalist, but it’s also filled with all these fantastic pieces of souvenirs as such, from my travels, furniture from the apartment in Paris and it all works because it was a bit blank. When you have all your books and when you have everything together in one place, it’s quite rare for people like us who are always on the road. It feels very intimate and special to have this space to call home. Even though we’ve only lived there for a couple of weeks, it’s going to evolve and I’m excited about sharing that with my friends.

How did the aesthetic evolve? How would you describe the design of the house?

I think it feels very Mediterranean. It has a lot of beautiful accents of colour, which obviously is hugely important to me and such a big part of the brand. Everything is quite textured. There’s lots of interesting details that are accented by artists that I really love and believe in and have helped nurture within my stores. All the lighting in the house is custom by a variety of ceramicists from Australia and internationally. The shelving has been custom made by Lex Williams or fantastic furniture makers from Byron Bay. We found a lot of vintage furniture from the surrounding stores in Queensland plus, Tamsin Johnson has obviously curated a lot of the furniture from my house in Paris, and we’ve brought that back to the house. We’ve got beautiful tiles by Will Cooper. It’s a curation of all the things that I love in art and my world. You would have seen my collection Sun Worship a few years back? Above each door, in every room, there’s a sun that’s cut out wood, and then each door has a different colour that relates that to the sunset. It’s these things that remind you of this optimism and this light feeling. I think it’s incorporating all these elements by people that I really love. Obviously, Tamsin who is an old friend and I worked together on the house. 

There’s something that creates a certain energy and vibe, which makes your house so personal. I think that’s why it’s so special because it’s not an aesthetic that is done.

I think there’s such a formula these days with interiors, and there’s all these trends. That’s why I wanted to work with so many artists and do everything custom because I was like, “Okay, well, this is something very unique to this project, and therefore quite hard to emulate.” I think [it is] also super personal and my Mum is an interior designer and she’s obviously hugely influential and she was really pushing me to do certain things – like the sun motif above the door. The sun motif above the door I suppose is to bring good luck. It’s just nice having all these little elements that mean something. The way you can entertain in a space is a big part of the hub of the house. The kitchen is special, and we deliberated over it for so long. It’s a really nice space where everyone can hang out. There’s an island bench and this big stove. It’s all very comfortable and user friendly, but it’s about enjoying and not being too precious about anything as well. I think doing a house was possibly the hardest thing I’ve ever done, because I’m so particular about the details.

Oh, you think, really? I’ve never known that about you.

Once you let it evolve, it takes time, and when you realise that nothing’s forever, then you relax into the project, start learning.

Yeah, and doesn’t that make it more and more satisfying when it’s done?

Oh my God, so much more. When you have that relationship with the people making [the house], it’s such a nice process. And that’s also why I think in life, when you work with your friends, it’s so enjoyable because we don’t have as much time as we all would like, so if you can spend that time with your friends doing something creative, it just feels great. 

I was talking to somebody about how you can have incredibly deep emotional relationships with inanimate objects, like a building, and I think that those relationships can sometimes be based on a need for security, but sometimes they’re based on an actual connection to something energetic or spiritual. It feels to me like it’s very important that you have that relationship with a house. But it’s not just because it’s a house, it’s because of everything that you do, the underlying energy of the place, in the same way that you feel connected to Ibiza, I suppose.

100 per cent. But also, I think everything that’s within that house is so incredibly personally curated as well. Like the first chairs that I bought overseas in Morocco at this really cute shop in the Medina or the loveseat from the Marni exhibition at Salone de Mobile Milan. Chairs from the flea markets in Paris. All of my books, the vases, the plates – like the Luke Edward Hall Plate that he made for me. It’s almost like a showroom in that sense, but because I haven’t had a home that’s my own for such a long time, it feels so special. Every touch point in the house, there’s a sensory experience with it, if you know what I mean? Because it’s either very textural or there’s like some sort of element. For instance, with the hardware, every single door handle has been designed by us, by me and my team, and we’ve had them made in bronze. They reflect like my jewellery. These little elements that can be quite mundane often in a space. 

It could be anyone else’s house, in the sense, but all the memories wrapped up in it are so personal to you.

Exactly. But also, if I don’t find something that I love, I try and create it. It’s like, “Okay, why did you do apparel?” Oh, I did apparel, because I was on holidays, and I was feeling confused as to why I couldn’t find things that I love to wear. And then, you walk into a space, and you see a fabric and identify with the colour, then you create something from that moment. You design something. Then obviously it’s a long process between but it’s so personal. In places, I fill them with things that I want to create and try and make a version of that thing that doesn’t have to feel too polished, but it’s got this really nice textural kind of handmade appeal. 

I guess I feel the same way about writing and movies and everything else – I want to make the movies that I want to watch. It’s coming from a very pure place. I went to a house recently and I walked in, and It was the most beautiful house – heaven –  but, for some reason it was completely lacking in any sort of energetic force.

There’s no spirit. It’s like when something’s so clean and you almost feel uncomfortable putting a glass down on like a benchtop or something – you’re just waiting for someone to present you with a coaster. For me, that’s not comfort, that makes you sort of anxious.

I agree that feeling of freedom, in a house where you feel relaxed and at ease, creates a certain atmosphere of feeling amongst friends, which I seem to value more and more.

What can really make or break a space too is light. We’re super lucky with this space that we have this incredible view over a lake, and we see the sunrise and the sunset. We open all our shutters, we don’t draw our blinds, and it’s very bright and fresh. You wake up and you’re suddenly connecting with the outside world, you don’t want to look at your phone when you wake up in the morning. You look at the sun. I think being surrounded by nature, trees and wildlife; we’re getting back to basics. 

To experience RUSSH Home in its entirety, issue one will be available on newsstands from October 20 and through our shop. Find a stockist near you.