When she gets home to Dunsborough, the first thing Bec does is
buzz around the house, creating a happy little nest. “I also get up
early to look after my plants, which has been very therapeutic,”
she says. The medication Bec’s on makes her super-sensitive
to light, leading to some very early starts. “I’ll sometimes be up
by myself at four in the morning – it’s actually really beautiful
to watch the sun rise.” She’s super-grateful to Clay, who keeps
stress at bay as much as possible. “Like, if the plumbing goes
weird, he speaks to the real estate agent and keeps everything
kicking along,” Bec says. “I’ve been given permission to do
anything I want.”
One of those things was adopting Dandelion the kitten – Clay’s
allergic to cats, but Bec’s heard they’re good for helping the healing
process along. She’s taken up pottery and been whipping things up
on her sewing machine, too – for fun this time, rather than meeting
customer orders. Then there’s the ‘anti-bad vibe’ door hanging she’s
crocheted that incorporates precious trinkets, bells and dismantled
necklaces. “Every time people walk under it, they leave their shit at
the door,” Bec says.
As happy as she is in her Dunsborough home, Bec would love to
own a place of her own some time soon. “I want the freedom to do
whatever I like,” she says. “If I wanted to stencil the floor, I could.”
There’s been talk of communal living with her tight-knit family, too,
who she sees most days, and “misses as soon as they walk out the
door”. “There’d be a great big shared veggie patch and straw-bale
houses,” Bec imagines. “All the babies would be running around,
and I’d have a studio for my personal creativity. That’s the dream
we’re all moving towards.”were spent shuffling my room around, so it’s always been in me.”
Most recently, she’s been giving her brightly coloured stuff a bit of
a rest, going for slightly quieter things instead. “The house is still full
of colour and pattern, just not as much as it used to be.”
Furniture is mainly a mix of op-shop finds and pieces from Bec’s
family, including two favourite chairs given to her by her aunty –
one is Mid-century with fake leather upholstery and studs, and the
other is “solid wood, and very curvy and organic. My aunty is the
original bowerbird and has been a huge influence on my life.” Other
precious pieces include her grandfather’s army-issue trunks; some
vintage chairs from her gran; and a timber coffee table made by a
friend. There are a couple of new purchases, too, like the leather
sofa from Freedom. “I used to visit the online catalogue every now
and then and think about whether I could afford it,” she says. “One
day, it wasn’t there anymore, and I thought I’d missed my chance.”
But she managed to nab the last one and couldn’t be happier. “It’s
my first proper grown-up couch. I’d been waiting for Zavian, who’s
now nine, to be past the vomiting and sticky fingers phase.”
Bec’s other big purchase was a striking king-size bed, bought as
something of a pick-me-up. In the middle of last year, Bec was
diagnosed with cancer, which, unsurprisingly, has thrown her
world into chaos. “I decided if I’m going to spend a lot of time in
bed, it’s going to be the most beautiful place ever,” she says. With
her treatment taking place 250 kilometres away in Perth, she also
spends half her time living in the city with her mum – but makes
sure to take some favourite bits and bobs with her. “I realise they’re
not that important in the scheme of things,” Bec says, “but I
still take great joy from having them with me.”
around the house