Daily muse: Fashion designer Prue Acton selling Wallagoot home

It’s rare for a purpose-built artists studio to enter the market. It’s even more extraordinary that the studio is home to Australian design royalty.

The concept for 1476 Sapphire Coast Drive was envisaged by the previous owner, fashion designer and artist Prue Acton. Acton has lived and worked at the property, fondly named Many Swans, with her husband, artist Marv Moriarty.

“15 years ago, Merv and I found this forested site on the banks of Wallagoot Lake,” says Acton.

“We decided to build a home and studio among the towering trees, some centuries old.

“Together with local builders, we constructed our home using the white sand on which it stands to make the concrete walls. The few trees we needed were milled and cured on-site to build the ceiling, stairs and kitchen.”

On a practical level, the foundation of the home is the natural materials found in the bushland. On a theoretical level, the foundation is an appreciation of beauty, light and the native vegetation that’s a trademark of this particularly stunning corner of Australia.

“For the past decade and a half, this has been a creative hub; the forest in which we live; our daily muse inspiring us to paint,” Acton says.

“Every day we wake to the dawn chorus of the myriad birds who live in the forest – honeyeaters, wrens, thrushes, shrikes, falcons and sea eagles.”

From the floor-to-ceiling windows on the northern side of the home to the winding staircase at its centre and the expansive living area upstairs, this home is delightfully rustic and unequivocally distinctive.

It’s constructed to make the most of its surroundings; the ample natural light and the spectacular bushland.

“The lake is a dramatic backdrop on which the drama of the weather and the sky plays out every day. It is also our larder from which we source our prawns and fish,” says Acton.

The property is nestled among natural parks, yet conveniently close to the towns of Tathra, Bega and Merimbula. With a plethora of local beaches nearby and Wallagoot Lake practically at your doorstep, it’s an ideal location for those who enjoy boating, fishing, or simply enjoying the privacy that this secluded dwelling offers.

“It is time for our next adventure and time for someone else to enjoy the stunning natural beauty that is Many Swans,” says Acton.

Wallagoot

View property

Price guide: $1.175 million

Private sale

Agent: Elders Real Estate Tathra, Greg Coman 0412 849 058