Simone Haag has become one of the most well-known and respected interior stylists in Australia. Her ability to curate exquisite, richly layered spaces that exude warmth, personality and heritage, infused with the ultra-contemporary, has earned her numerous awards — including winning the highly competitive IDEA Residential Interior Curation category two years in a row.
The Residential Interior Curation category recognises the important contribution stylists make to a completed project. From the selection of soft furnishings and artworks to the customisation of furniture, surfaces, fixtures and fittings, winning stylists are those who consider the totality of an interior, responding not simply to style but to the substance of the interior designer or architect’s vision.
Haag took out the category in 2024 for Red Crest House, a project that the jury unanimously agreed was seamless and cohesive. Nestled into the landscape of Monbulk in the Dandenong Ranges, Haag’s curation celebrates the land through carefully chosen colours, textures and forms, while leaning into the nostalgia of the mid-century modern architecture of the house itself.
Australian Design Review spoke with Haag about her approach to this very special home, the importance of family, heritage and crafting an immersive narrative, and her foray into working internationally.
Simone Haag: A lot — it’s such an honour to be recognised by your peers. The competition is fierce and every studio is taking their curation to the next level year after year. However, this project isn’t just showcasing a collection of eye-catching design pieces. In fact, that was never the intent behind the project. Red Crest House is about the values of family and togetherness, and a truly honest appreciation for the historic land it sits on.
Having recently experienced a loss in the family has made me really appreciative of our collective ability to create beautiful spaces and places that we can call home. Being awarded for such an emotionally charged and grounding project, in a world where it seems more and more important what designer pieces you own, is truly special and something I will hold close to my heart.
SH: The most valuable and important piece of this project was the site’s immediate landscape and from that everything else evolved. The clients wanted to honour the beauty of the Dandenong Ranges, finding colours and forms that complemented and celebrated it. We really honed into layering different textures with a similar tonality drawn from the surrounding nature for a cohesive and harmonious feel.
The language of the furniture was largely inspired by a couple of cornerstone pieces found early on, like the coffee table from the Netherlands we selected for its serendipitous mirroring of the red rock outside. It’s hard to see where the house stops and the furniture starts.
SH: Not at all. This project has been a love letter to the unique Australian landscape we are lucky enough to surround us with, and the values the clients share as a vibrant family of five. As a studio, we view ourselves as journalists capturing the personal story of the people living in the home and designing an immersive narrative – that’s what we focused on.
SH: Embracing the ecological context of the home’s location. We tend to look far and wide for inspiration, but narrowing it down to what you can see around you has been surprisingly fruitful.
SH: A rollercoaster. I’ve experienced some incredible highs at work – like installing the Manor House at Capella Singapore, curating an art show with Craft Victoria and winning this award – but I am also grieving the recent loss of my beautiful dad, John Kelly.
SH: It’s nice to have two of my team members back from maternity leave. 2025 will be a very exciting year for us where we branch out internationally. We’re going to curate some art for a wonderful Los Angeles client. We are also looking forward to a sourcing trip in Mexico and we have been invited to curate the uniqueness of Italian craftsmanship in collaboration with Artemest for their prestigious third edition of L’Appartamento at the upcoming Milan Design Week.
IDEA 2024 was proudly brought to you by our sponsors Miele, Cult, Crafted Hardwoods, Neolith, Halliday + Baillie, Krost, MillerKnoll, Laufen, ForestOne, Zenith, Designer Rugs, and supported by our event partners Axolotl, Four Pillars Gin, Moo Brew Beer and Artfull.
A special thank you to our jury chair Clare Cousins, and our jury members Brooke Lloyd, Davina Bester, Graham Charbonneau, Melissa Bright, Michael Alvisse and Manuela Millan.
Images supplied.