The Design Files: The tree change that led to an eclectic artist's retreat

Melbourne artist Miranda Skoczek likes to live spontaneously. She recently made an unexpected tree change, moving both her family and her studio from inner-city Melbourne to Upwey in the leafy surrounds of the Dandenong Ranges.

They haven’t been here long, but for Miranda and her young son Harper, this already feels very much like home.

“The day I drove up here to view this house for the first time, I instantly knew I would be content here, and I was right,” she says.

Previously in a two-bedroom apartment in St Kilda, Miranda made the move seeking a different pace of life, and more time outdoors for her son. It was an impulsive decision. “I had the idea on a Sunday afternoon, drove up the next day, and two days later I had the approval to move in,” she says. “It was meant to be – and yes, I’m spontaneous!”

Artwork by Miranda’s close friend Emily Ferretti from Sophie Gannon gallery. French table, Eames LCW chair from Living Edge, Kashmiri silk rug, Gubi lamp from Cult, bookshelf from Bunnings, and Mexican mask. Photo: Caitlin Mills

Miranda collects art, furniture and beautiful objects. Her rented home is a celebration of her favourite things – this is a place where Australian contemporary art sits alongside vintage textiles, contemporary design pieces are celebrated equally alongside tribal relics, and Asian antiques perch perfectly with vintage ceramics from Portugal to Japan, Ethiopia to the US.

Miranda and her son Harper. Photo: Caitlin Mills

“Truly, everything in my home is cherished,” she says. “The rugs I walk over everyday, the art of my friends and peers … as cliched as it sounds, nearly everything I own holds a memory, and as shallow as it sounds, beauty is my religion.”

An obsession for collecting, however, is not without its challenges. “Sometimes my love of ‘things’ stresses me out, especially when I move, carry things back from my travels, look at my bank account, or glance around me and feel claustrophobic,” she says. “Ideally I would have a bigger home (not too big) so my things could breathe a little more.”

Artwork by Leo Coyte from Nicholas Thompson Gallery, above art by Miranda, urns and chest from Water Tiger. Photo: Caitlin Mills

Though all-consuming, Miranda’s bowerbird tendencies are, in fact, paramount to her creative output. Being among creative surroundings, and continuously feathering her nest with shiny new discoveries is all part of her process. Miranda’s richly layered compositions synthetise the intense visual stimuli around her, weaving together gleaming fragments of lost civilisations, cultural motifs and ancient iconography. All of this starts at home.

“I delight in creating little stories all around my home, which speak of different histories and societies; they tell all that enter my domain who I am, but also serve as daily reminders of where I have been, what I have seen and loved.”

The Design Files guide to buying art

Let’s face it, art can be intimidating. It’s expensive, it seems somehow “complicated”, and you rarely feel informed enough to have an opinion. It’s easy to see why the idea of buying art induces anxiety in many.

First and foremost, buy what you like. Don’t get caught up in trends, or perceived future value. If you’re investing in artwork, it should appeal to you aesthetically. Imagine waking up to it every morning. You want to really love it.

Melbourne gallerist Sophie Gannon warns against treating art as decoration, though.

When buying art, buy something you like and want to wake up to. Photo: Sean Fennessy

“Don’t choose art to match your furniture – good art will outlive your couch,” she says. “Art will be with you forever.”

Seek out graduate exhibitions and fundraiser shows for collectible names at affordable prices. The Westpace gallery annual fundraiser show is well worth a look (westspace.org.au). High quality art prints are also worth considering – Contemporary Editions produces limited edition artwork reproductions by Australia’s best contemporary artists.

Buying art is highly personal, and though you will probably want to do some research to justify the investment, selecting an artwork to start your own collection is a little like falling in love. When you find it, you just know.