Life changing: Stylist turned philanthropist Tina Nettlefold

Interior stylist, philanthropist, businesswoman: Tina Nettlefold says her planets aligned when she turned 60. Now she’s creating bespoke homewares and has just launched a YouTube channel.

“Something happened when I turned 60 last year. I realised I have all this energy and needed to channel it somewhere,” says Nettlefold, who started her career in advertising.

After 15 years as a stay-at-home mum raising her three sons, she opened her interior styling business in 2014. She’s been busily curating homes for high-end clients ever since. 

“I’m not the sort of person who sits around and goes to lunch every day, I want more from life,” Nettlefold says. “My husband [former head of Sports Australia, Barclay Nettlefold, the founder of QMS Media Ltd and CEO of TGI Sport], is a little younger than me and still working, so I went on this new creative adventure because I have always had a philanthropic dream and wanted to make it happen.”

Nettlefold is known for bringing a luxury chic to her styling work, where bespoke furniture and unique pieces make their way into her client’s home, but now she’s all about expanding her message beyond that inner bayside sanctum.

Via her T. House brand, Nettlefold has teamed with Eat Up – a charity that feeds needy kids who turn up to school without lunches around Australia. She doesn’t shy from getting in on the action, hosting sandwich-making events with celebrity friends and social media influencers to get involved all in the name of a good cause. 

She’s also created a stylish apron for adults and kids to help raise money for the charity, and more homewares, such as lunch boxes, artisan vases and ceramic platters, are on the way. She works with local artisans and has a candle and room fragrances in the works.

Aligning with Eat Up means Nettlefold can shine a light on hungry kids in Australia. One in eight children attends school without food in their lunch box.

“I want to create some noise, it’s not just about creating products,” she says. “People need to pay attention to the bigger issue.

“I know there are lots of social issues at stake when it comes to child hunger, but we want to make the problem known. It’s about getting food in these kids’ tummies so they can concentrate in school and not be in the same cycle as their parents, and better themselves.”

Nettlefold is all about building her profile via her YouTube channel, too – the platform makes perfect sense for someone who already has a loyal Instagram following.

It’s there she posts daily aspirational photos and videos on how to choose a floor rug, how to embrace colour when it comes to lighting and where to find collectable glassware for your next dinner party.

“I’m known as the Martha Stewart of Brighton,” she smiles. “It made sense [that] the channel was next for me. It’ll show people how to arrange a vase, what to consider when choosing flooring to tips on styling your home. 

“I’m not sponsored to make the video. It’s my own creative voice – it’s free and fun, sometimes a little crazy, an informational platform to help you along the way – your way.”

•  eatup.org.au