Lisa is part Hosted Home owner, part Virtual Assistant and part searcher for balance, but a full time extraordinary woman. Collingwood in the heart of vibrant Melbourne is where her magic happens and we wanted to find out what makes her place so inspiring.
Tell me about your Hosted Home and what makes it special?
Revel & Hide has such a special place in my heart. It was the space that my partner Eddie & I retreated to during the wild recent years, and as difficult as those times were in Melbourne, I really feel it gave us both such a connection to our project of creating a hosted home, and strengthened the love we already had for Collingwood. When we bought the apartment it was a true blank canvas – we knew we had to do something bold to set it apart from those around us, and we kept coming back to wanting to create a moody, cosy space to escape, to balance out all the excitement on the streets, in the restaurants & bars surrounding us. I was drawn to earthy colours, to help bring nature in, and from the very beginning could imagine an inky blue bedroom, to encourage the slowest of mornings, with linen curtains to allow the sunlight to filter through across the bed. Every decision made we kept returning to choosing the most beautiful textures we could find, luxurious fabrics and lighting, to be not only visually appealing, but incredibly comfortable and welcoming. We’re appealing to those looking to explore all the hidden gems of Melbourne (there’s the Revel), and giving them all the need to retreat and recover before they do it all again (there’s the Hide).
We would love to know about you. Who are you? Your character and the things in life you love the most.
I crave those moments of discovery. Of something new, but always simple, near or far. Of arriving in a soon to be discovered city and that first evening of exploring, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. Or of a booth, or stool in the window of a restaurant tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood street. That first sip of French Champagne is a hard one to beat. I have such a passion for independent makers, those that find one thing, one art form, and do it incredibly well. I love to cook, and to host. Setting the table with candles and a linen tablecloth for a meal is one of my favourite things. I have a HUGE love for chai, taking a moment to pause at home to make my own steaming cup is always a highlight. I am guilty of always chasing balance – I’m a listmaker at heart, and constantly need to remind myself to slow down and find time to pause for yoga, a walk, or a moment to just be.. it is a constant battle! I’ve bought my first cross stitching kit (with inspiration from Sarah Andrews) and wonder whether this may become my new way to unwind!
Why did you choose Rewild Co’s Haze to scent your Hosted Home with?
I loved chatting with Amanda about the story of our Hosted Home – of the story behind the name, of being nestled amongst the greatest restaurants, bars, artist studios and beautiful boutiques in a cultural hub of Melbourne – but mostly of the moment of letting out a huge ‘exhale’ when our guests arrive and settle in. As soon as I heard the description of Haze I was sure we’d found the one – tonka bean & vanilla, instantly give me the coffee roastery walk-by feels, and all the other magic in there creates the ultimate relaxed mood. A few spritzes of that magic spray instantly lifts our space to something so special, you either want to curl up under the linen sheets with a book and calming tea, or mix yourself a gin, pop on some tunes and a bold lip, before heading out to discover somewhere new and exciting.
So I’ve heard Collingwood is the place to be in Melbourne. Tell me why….
I know I am biased, but it really, truly is an amazing place to be. It’s the coffee barista’s that become friends (and occasionally counsellors) at Burnside Coffee, the MANY whole in the wall sandwich places, (Niko’s is a current fav – have the meatball sub), unwrapping their magic sitting in the sun on the footpath surrounded by stunning terrace homes or some new street art. It’s meeting great people, doing meaningful things, like our friends at sustainable wine dispensary Glou. It’s finding gems like Bar Liberty and their truly epic Sunday lunch, a menu of beautiful, fresh, local produce, teamed with a huge wine list, and the friendliest staff who make you want to stay forever. It’s getting lost for hours in Happy Valley and walking out with far too many cookbooks and records to fit in your luggage home. It’s the absolute extremes – $7 banh mi’s from N Lee Bakery, to cocktails in the most intimate of settings at Above Board, tucked away above Smith St and on the world’s best 50 bars list. Or creating your own beautiful platter with supplies from Alimentari, To Be Frank, Meatsmith and The Fish Shoppe. I really think the common theme here is being able to support so many local, independent businesses do the things they are so passionate about.
We strongly believe in supporting artisans and small makers and believe in-turn they support us to create a unique and character-filled Hosted Home. Can you tell us your favourite small maker/artisan that you felt connected to Revel and Hide? What was the piece? And how did this piece fit into the overall aesthetic?
I spoke earlier about how important colour was to our story, and we are so lucky to have discovered the dream team at Scanlan & Makers. We met with Clare early on in our plans, and we instantly knew we had found our person. She understood the mood we were looking to create, and had such incredible knowledge of colour and technique to guide us to the outcome you see today. We could never have created such an impactful space ourselves with a regular paint brush or roller – the epic, all female team from Scanlan & Makers truly brought our vision to life – we’ll be forever grateful!
Your best piece of advice for Hosted Homes?
My number one will always be to study The Hosting Masterclass. Sarah Andrews is the queen of the hosting world, and is incredibly generous with her time guiding so many students to the same level of success as she has earned.
My second is – if you are wanting to host, find a way to get started. I always had the pipe dream of ‘wanting to create my own B&B one day’, and my first hosting experience was back in 2016, and as simple as popping our spare room on Airbnb to save money for a backpacking trip to the US.
A couple of years ago I realised the kind of host I wanted to be was at my fingertips – we didn’t need to be able to afford a full size house in the country or by the beach – our passion is Melbourne, so why not create a space to host visitors in the place we love the most? Once this was realised, my dream fast became a reality.
My third is, in the midst of the crazy housekeeping or guest moments, stop to take a minute to flick through your before & after photos, and think back to all the things which were once an idea and are suddenly right in front of you. Celebrate what you created and now share with the world!
Visit Airbnb to book your experience at Revel and Hide.
Our Muse…
Tell me about your Hosted Home and what makes it special?
Revel & Hide has such a special place in my heart. It was the space that my partner Eddie & I retreated to during the wild recent years, and as difficult as those times were in Melbourne, I really feel it gave us both such a connection to our project of creating a hosted home, and strengthened the love we already had for Collingwood. When we bought the apartment it was a true blank canvas – we knew we had to do something bold to set it apart from those around us, and we kept coming back to wanting to create a moody, cosy space to escape, to balance out all the excitement on the streets, in the restaurants & bars surrounding us. I was drawn to earthy colours, to help bring nature in, and from the very beginning could imagine an inky blue bedroom, to encourage the slowest of mornings, with linen curtains to allow the sunlight to filter through across the bed. Every decision made we kept returning to choosing the most beautiful textures we could find, luxurious fabrics and lighting, to be not only visually appealing, but incredibly comfortable and welcoming. We’re appealing to those looking to explore all the hidden gems of Melbourne (there’s the Revel), and giving them all the need to retreat and recover before they do it all again (there’s the Hide).
We would love to know about you. Who are you? Your character and the things in life you love the most.
I crave those moments of discovery. Of something new, but always simple, near or far. Of arriving in a soon to be discovered city and that first evening of exploring, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. Or of a booth, or stool in the window of a restaurant tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood street. That first sip of French Champagne is a hard one to beat. I have such a passion for independent makers, those that find one thing, one art form, and do it incredibly well. I love to cook, and to host. Setting the table with candles and a linen tablecloth for a meal is one of my favourite things. I have a HUGE love for chai, taking a moment to pause at home to make my own steaming cup is always a highlight. I am guilty of always chasing balance – I’m a listmaker at heart, and constantly need to remind myself to slow down and find time to pause for yoga, a walk, or a moment to just be.. it is a constant battle! I’ve bought my first cross stitching kit (with inspiration from Sarah Andrews) and wonder whether this may become my new way to unwind!
Why did you choose Rewild Co’s Haze to scent your Hosted Home with?
I loved chatting with Amanda about the story of our Hosted Home – of the story behind the name, of being nestled amongst the greatest restaurants, bars, artist studios and beautiful boutiques in a cultural hub of Melbourne – but mostly of the moment of letting out a huge ‘exhale’ when our guests arrive and settle in. As soon as I heard the description of Haze I was sure we’d found the one – tonka bean & vanilla, instantly give me the coffee roastery walk-by feels, and all the other magic in there creates the ultimate relaxed mood. A few spritzes of that magic spray instantly lifts our space to something so special, you either want to curl up under the linen sheets with a book and calming tea, or mix yourself a gin, pop on some tunes and a bold lip, before heading out to discover somewhere new and exciting.
So I’ve heard Collingwood is the place to be in Melbourne. Tell me why….
I know I am biased, but it really, truly is an amazing place to be. It’s the coffee barista’s that become friends (and occasionally counsellors) at Burnside Coffee, the MANY whole in the wall sandwich places, (Niko’s is a current fav – have the meatball sub), unwrapping their magic sitting in the sun on the footpath surrounded by stunning terrace homes or some new street art. It’s meeting great people, doing meaningful things, like our friends at sustainable wine dispensary Glou. It’s finding gems like Bar Liberty and their truly epic Sunday lunch, a menu of beautiful, fresh, local produce, teamed with a huge wine list, and the friendliest staff who make you want to stay forever. It’s getting lost for hours in Happy Valley and walking out with far too many cookbooks and records to fit in your luggage home. It’s the absolute extremes – $7 banh mi’s from N Lee Bakery, to cocktails in the most intimate of settings at Above Board, tucked away above Smith St and on the world’s best 50 bars list. Or creating your own beautiful platter with supplies from Alimentari, To Be Frank, Meatsmith and The Fish Shoppe. I really think the common theme here is being able to support so many local, independent businesses do the things they are so passionate about.
We strongly believe in supporting artisans and small makers and believe in-turn they support us to create a unique and character-filled Hosted Home. Can you tell us your favourite small maker/artisan that you felt connected to Revel and Hide? What was the piece? And how did this piece fit into the overall aesthetic?
I spoke earlier about how important colour was to our story, and we are so lucky to have discovered the dream team at Scanlan & Makers. We met with Clare early on in our plans, and we instantly knew we had found our person. She understood the mood we were looking to create, and had such incredible knowledge of colour and technique to guide us to the outcome you see today. We could never have created such an impactful space ourselves with a regular paint brush or roller – the epic, all female team from Scanlan & Makers truly brought our vision to life – we’ll be forever grateful!
Your best piece of advice for Hosted Homes?
My number one will always be to study The Hosting Masterclass. Sarah Andrews is the queen of the hosting world, and is incredibly generous with her time guiding so many students to the same level of success as she has earned.
My second is – if you are wanting to host, find a way to get started. I always had the pipe dream of ‘wanting to create my own B&B one day’, and my first hosting experience was back in 2016, and as simple as popping our spare room on Airbnb to save money for a backpacking trip to the US.
A couple of years ago I realised the kind of host I wanted to be was at my fingertips – we didn’t need to be able to afford a full size house in the country or by the beach – our passion is Melbourne, so why not create a space to host visitors in the place we love the most? Once this was realised, my dream fast became a reality.
My third is, in the midst of the crazy housekeeping or guest moments, stop to take a minute to flick through your before & after photos, and think back to all the things which were once an idea and are suddenly right in front of you. Celebrate what you created and now share with the world!
Visit Airbnb to book your experience at Revel and Hide.