HE HOME of Alison Kubler and Michael Zavros
is technically just 25 minutes from the increasingly
lively Brisbane CBD, but as you exit the inner
suburbs and begin to wind your way through
scribbly gums, horse-filled pastures and agricul-
tural acreage, city cares melt away and country air
in a way that belies its locale. “We are in a koala
corridor, which means we are zoned semi-rural,” Kubler says.
“We’re in what is described as a bayside suburb
but our place is nowhere near the water, so we
always tell people to head toward the bay then
make a detour into the bush.”
It’s a detour worth taking. Nestled on eight
acres and undetectable from the road is casa
Kubler-Zavros, a Spanish-style pink-stucco
hacienda with plenty of the requisite arches
and cacti. “It’s a Mexi-Cali vibe in the bush,”
Kubler adds, though such a short description
can hardly encapsulate the nuances of its style.
The house was a quick buy, timed for the
arrival of the couple’s second daughter, Olympia, in 2007. It was
recommended to them by the art writer Louise Martin-Chew,
who knew they were looking for a property large enough to
accommodate a studio for Zavros — an artist — and an office for
Kubler — editor of arts and culture magazineVaultand a member
of the National Gallery of Australia council — as well as their
small-but-growing family. “It was a big piece of land with a lot of
potential, and there was already a large shed-like dwelling on it,
which meant I could have a studio straight away,” Zavros says.
Today, the property accommodates the couple and their three
children, Phoebe, 13, Olympia, 11, and seven-year-old Leonidas,
as well as Skitchy the cat; Olympia’s Australian stock horse, Lara;
and a Plymouth Rock rooster and his harem. “Needless to say we
have fresh eggs every day,” Zavros quips.
The original plan was to renovate the 1960s
home, but like anything the creative duo turn
their minds to, this relatively simple idea turned
into something entirely more ambitious. “Our
plans just grew and grew, so now we’ll probably
build a whole new home,” Zavros says. “We’re
designing it at the moment with our friends
Adrian and Ingrid.” That would be Adrian
Spence and Ingrid Richards, the architecture
duo behind the Slim Aarons-meets-Palm
Springs-style Calile Hotel, undoubtedly the
Sunshine State’s hottest hotel opening in recent memory, cementing
Brisbane’s place as the new city weekender of choice.
“Our plans for the new house are still very much a work in progress
with them, so, for now, we’re staying as we are,” Zavros explains.
He describes their current state simply as “an accumulationIn the family car at the entrance
to the studio. Zavros wears James
Perse shirt, $240, from mrporter.
com; Gucci pants, $935; Prada
shoes, $970. Kubler wears
Lee Mathews dress, $799; Max
Mara shoes, $940. Phoebe and
Olympia wear Gail Sorronda.
Leonidas wears his own clothes.“Our [renovation]
plans just grew and
grew, so now we’ll
probably build a
whole new home.”
- Michael Zavros
176 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU April 2019
A fashionableLIFE