Building "The Pause" during the Pause
Meet Simone Mathews; Interior designer by trade, online educator, mother of four boys, married to a builder; it’s no secret that Simone juggles many hats in her day-to-day life.
Yet, despite her busy schedule, she manages to pull it off with ease. Her recent build; The Pause, is no exception.
A moment to pause; “creating that holiday feeling.”
Intending to create a space that evokes a holiday feeling within all of her projects, Simone knows a thing or two about designing a stay that is calm, unique and relaxing. Inspired by her many travels, The Pause stems from not one, but three destinations.
"The Pause has a mixture of inspiration; the Bahamas meets classic Singaporean and a touch of Balinese villa. It's a fusion of styles, and it's how I was able to create my unique take on a coastal Australian home" Simone says.
With the belief that less is more, Simone refers to her 70-20-10 design rule for all of her projects.
"[This design rule of mine] is where you combine three different styles to create an individual style and look that has soul. [With The Pause], I've gone for 70% organic, 20% minimalist and 10% classic", she says.
Uniqwa and The Pause; an organic connection
With this in mind, Simone hand selected Uniqwa pieces to achieve the organic, minimalist, coastal look that The Pause is fast becoming recognised for.
“Organic, minimalism is a strong style that I wanted to infuse into The Pause. [Because of this], I instantly turned to Uniqwa for my furniture and lighting pieces,” she says.
“Uniqwa pieces are a statement on their own. I love the natural texture of the organic materials [therefore], I wanted each piece to be the hero of the space. They grab attention and emanate that holiday feeling,” she adds.
The making of a holiday property; what it takes
Speaking of that holiday feeling, if there’s anyone who knows how to create a destination; it’s Simone. But a holiday property like The Pause doesn’t happen by accident; it’s the result of sheer dedication and hard work.
“[The Pause] took us seven months in total; we started with a vacant block of land, worked around the clock and built it from the ground up. Although there is a lot of hard work involved when you get to the end, and you see guests enjoying it, it’s worth it!” she says.
Simone’s biggest challenge when building and designing The Pause? The event which is shaping 2020…
“[Our biggest challenge was] definitely building the Pause...in the pause. All of our building projects were put on hold, the build went overtime and our other accommodation, [Soul of Gerringong] shut down,” she says.
Becoming a holiday property owner; a how-to guide
These days with restrictions easing in most states, owning a holiday accommodation continues to be an aspiration for many.
To help aspiring HPO's achieve their dream, Simone has an online how-to course that she wishes was around when she first started.
"[The holiday property world] is an amazing industry to be a part of and one that can be very financially rewarding. But with that, comes a lot of hard work, sweat and tears to begin with," she says.
"I literally weaved my way through, making plenty of mistakes and learning a lot of lessons. That's why I created my how-to-guide for holiday property owners; it's like a roadmap to everything you need to know about being a HPO," she adds.
When it comes to a successful holiday property business, Simone believes setting it up for guests is an essential element.
"Often, you see holiday properties that are to the owner's tastes and needs. Instead, it needs to be [designed] to the liking of your guests," she says.
"Holiday properties need to be set up like a business so you can turnover guests. For example, you need three sets of linen for every bed. [Things like this] can consume a lot of the budget. It also requires plenty of storage," she adds.
When asked what success looks like for The Pause, Simone has her guests and their relaxation in mind.
"I love that we can share our properties with everyone. [Success for me] is knowing when our guests arrive, that they can pause from their every day. We know we can make an impact when they stay with us and that truly fills my cup," she says.
Interior Designer
Simon Mathew at Soul Home
location
photography
