Whether it’s a sculptural piece of furniture or an original painting, favourite objects in the home can come in many forms. Here, eight Australians share their most treasured possessions – from a nostalgic nod to family tradition to mid-century furniture. In every case, it’s the meaning behind the piece that gives it resonance.
Pia Miranda, actor
“My favourite piece is a new statue of the Virgin Mary my mother, Susan, gave me for my 50th birthday. It’s my pride and joy. It was gifted to replace the original statue my nonna Angelina gave me for my communion when I was a kid. A photo of Nonna was hanging on the wall and it fell off one day and smashed the original statue into a thousand pieces. I’ve been superstitious about it ever since.
“The new statue is about 45cm tall and sits near my record collection in the lounge. She’s got a bright blue coat, a white veil and is standing on a green snake. She keeps Satan away from my family. As an object that holds nostalgia for my Italian Catholic heritage, I centre everything around her. I’ve also kept all the tiny smashed pieces of the original Madonna and when I feel nervous about travelling, I put one in my pocket to keep me safe.”
Lynda Gardener, stylist and decorator
“My favourite piece is a very large late 1800s mirror I’ve had for 20 years – possibly the largest freestanding mirror I’ve ever seen. It once belonged to a Danish photographer friend who kept it in his studio, and every time I visited I’d tell him and his partner how much I’d love to own a mirror like it. For years, I jokingly asked them to sell it to me and the answer was always: ‘Absolutely not! We love it!’
“Then they decided to live in New York and the mirror was simply too delicate to take. I bought it without hesitation. It has a beautiful aged-gold wooden frame and the mirror itself carries all the wonderful flaws and imperfections that have come with more than a century of life. That’s probably what I love about it most. I’ve never been drawn to things that are pristine – I love patina, age and evidence of a life already lived. The mirror has moved with me through several homes and today it sits in my bedroom. Its scale is extraordinary.”
Anna Plunkett, fashion designer
“I love having a home filled with artwork from people I know and my current obsession is a painting by Australian artist Karen Black that hangs above my bed. It’s titled Cradle and features a woman tenderly cradling a child. There might be other people in it too, but everyone sees different things in Karen’s work, which I really love. It’s a large painting, and it makes me feel at ease.
“Luke Sales, my business partner, first introduced me to Karen’s art and Romance Was Born [the fashion label Plunkett and Sales founded] has been working with her for a collection. I love Karen’s use of colour and the way you can’t tell straight away what her images are – they draw you in. I also find Karen’s character and career inspiring. She is a nurturing person and a fierce woman at the same time.”
Atong Atem, artist
“There’s a beautiful white cotton bedsheet that was a gift from my mother, Anna, on my 30th birthday. It’s embroidered with a beautiful pattern of peacocks and flowers. The peacocks are green and gold and the flowers are yellow, pink and purple. It’s quite elaborate. The embroidery is a South Sudanese tradition, and my aunties helped make it. They also made matching pillowcases.
“It was supposed to be a wedding present – the idea is that it’s given to you on your first marital night – but by the age of 30 I still wasn’t married so they gifted it to me. I got married a few years later, so maybe it was a sign. The sheet signifies something beautiful, a changing of identity for a young woman, and I’ve used it as a backdrop in some of my photographic work, so it’s become part of my art practice now. It celebrates women’s handicrafts; for me, it’s about celebrating spaces where women come together. ”
Collette Dinnigan, designer
“I own an artwork by Tasmanian artist Michaye Boulter I absolutely love. It hangs in our dining room alongside some candleholders I made in Italy. I first saw Michaye’s work at Arthouse Gallery in Sydney and purchased it right before my family moved to Italy 10 years ago. My husband, Bradley Cocks, asked why I was buying more art. I told him I couldn’t resist the beautiful moody abstract landscape, and it still makes me so happy.
“Maybe I am drawn to her work because it’s my dream to go to Tasmania; I have never been, and when I see this painting, it makes me feel like I am there. But it also makes me feel like it could be the Amazon, Papua New Guinea or New Zealand. It’s so emotive and layered – there’s more to it than the sea and sky she has painted. I really connect with the way Michaye paints the trees with so much depth. It brings me joy and a sense of peace.”
Jamie Durie, television presenter
“My favourite piece is a painting by an Indigenous artist friend, Dean Rotumah, which hangs in our lounge room. Dean is a prolific artist with a magnetic way of telling stories, and the work is quintessentially Australian. His wife, Emma Charlotte, painted my family in the form of five cockatoos in a work titled Close to You – we treasure both paintings in our home.
“What makes these works special is that they’ve been specifically made for us. They feel like a part of our lives and our home and our personalities, and they’ll be family heirlooms forever. The works honour First Nations people and share their rich storytelling and culture. It’s important these things are kept alive in our home and in our community.”
Scotty So, artist
“I have a few favourite objects in my home. The first is an antique Ming dynasty wooden floor lantern I bought for $100 at a Leonard Joel auction. I custom-made the acrylic box that goes over the light to capture a sunset hue when it’s turned on. I also like the cultural significance of this sitting in the corner of my living room.
“I also own a sculpture made by my friend, ceramicist James Lemon, titled Brick Vessel #20. It’s an object he made and gifted to me before he relocated to London. It’s yellow-and-blue glazed – just gorgeous, very grounding. I also have a 1960s coffee table by New Zealand artist Matcham Skipper – a mid-century piece he made with metalwork that looks like a flower and captures a brutalist feel.”
Stephen Ormandy, artist and designer
“I made a bronze sculpture titled Koala – it reminds me of a koala up a tree in a very abstract way – with Urban Art Projects during COVID-19. It’s one of my favourite pieces and sits in our lounge room. I am very influenced by Jorge Oteiza. He’s a famous Basque artist and I saw an amazing retrospective exhibition of his abstract geometric sculptures at the Guggenheim in New York.
“I start building sculptures using an alphabet of shapes and the beauty of working with bronze is that it’s seamless – all the shapes meld together in one sculpture. A lot of my work is made of multicoloured shapes, but Koala looks like one linear piece. It sits proudly near works by Robert Klippel and my wife, Louise Olsen. Our home is filled with our art collection.”
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