'Angles, lighting and post-worthy archways': how stylists style their own homes

Fashion designers, stylists and media influencers are posting from home more than ever thanks to the pandemic, but finding that perfect location within all comes down to more than lights, camera and action.

When Jesse Dempsey started her fashion blog What Would Karl Do (a hat-tip to her Karl Lagerfeld obsession) a decade ago, she’d rely on finding that perfect shot by walking around her local area of Stonnington in Melbourne to pose outside nice homes, but these days the busy mother of three doesn’t even need to leave the house.

Dempsey worked with interior stylist Cassandra Walker of CW Design on her new Armadale home, with a brief designed to fit her social media profile. It was all about angles, lighting and post-worthy archways because, after all, this is her workspace and so much more.

“My brief to Cassandra was to have floor-to-ceiling windows to allow as much natural light into our home as possible and to maximise the time in the day to create content,” she says.

“It was also important to have a minimal palette so there are no bad corners to shoot in and a smooth subtle backdrop too. My Signorino Super White benchtop and splashback make for the perfect flat lay. Essentially, a functional family home meets home office.”

Dempsey heads to her main bedroom for plenty of posting too.

“I film a lot of my styling videos under the arch that divides my bedroom and walk-in robe. It is a fun space to play dress-ups in for my audience to see new collections from my brand partners,” says Dempsey.

“The second place I love to use is my living room with the beautiful in-lay window arches and the abundance of natural light.”

Interior decorator Nicole Rosenberg has worked with shoe designer and fashion stylist Lana Wilkinson to transform Wilkinson’s home in the Melbourne suburb of Niddrie to reflect her style.

“I was politely shocked at Lana’s home when I saw it because the person I saw on Instagram had a house that didn’t match with her persona. She wasn’t house-proud, so I was excited to marry up her home-life vision with that of her own personal style,” says Rosenberg.

Wilkinson, who has dropped two shoe collections during the COVID-19 pandemic, had to quickly start using her home to keep her brand front and centre – and it worked.

According to Rosenberg, a custom arched door has lifted the mood, while panelling purchased from Bunnings made a huge difference to the feel of the living and dining area and wall lights gave new life over a single globe.

Wilkinson got what she wanted, clean lines, marble and white with a nod to interesting colour, too – yes, there’s a pink wallpapered area that you’ll find on her socials.

Some of her most popular pandemic posts include standing outside of her home in a pair of new heels from her range, while another was sitting on a King Living modular couch – with people asking, where is the furniture from?

“I could be in the wrong business,” Wilkinson smiles.

“But seriously, interiors are huge right now.

“My best-selling May range was all shot on me in my house. It enabled me to connect with people in a relatable way – from my bedroom floor, bed and walls to the amazing cabana room that Nicole reinvented, turning it into an Italian oasis area with pictures of the Amalfi Coast, white weave baskets and white lamps that lead to the pool.

“Another aspirational place to post from that is working right now.”

VRC’s Melbourne Cup Carnival ambassador Nadia Bartel, who also runs her own label Henne, posts plenty of fashion and makeup tutorial content from her home.

She even took to her socials using her front porch to declare the race that stops the nation will go ahead – and there’s plenty of hampers to choose from online for the carnival.

“I find the front of my house is really good for photography,” she says.

“My porch is a favourite spot as is my bedroom, it’s where I have studio lighting to do all my makeup tutorials and that works for my beauty posts too.”

Rosenberg brought her interior magic to the main bedroom, allowing for clean bright lines, and kitchen makeover, where Bartel continues to post from.

“I have been using the kitchen for hampers at home posts, so it’s good that I have a nice area to do it from,” Bartel says.

“It’s all about light, keeping the area de-cluttered and making sure it’s bright enough.”

There are new pendant lights hanging which warm the space and styled open shelves too.

According to Rosenberg, working with fashion stylists and designers as clients means she looks at their homes differently when it comes to a revamp.

“I think of style in terms of frames and how the space will function not just in their day-to-day life, but how will people see them on socials, where can they work from with ease,” Rosenberg says.

“It’s also nice that many of these high-profile women are turning to homewares too. It gives their social presence a personal touch and that’s what people love the most.

“They want to see what’s happening in their own home, not so much in the marquee at the races – it gives them a great insight into the personal life without giving it all away.”