of stuff. We’ve never sought to overtly design or decorate — we just
accumulate things on our travels, so our interior style is quite
autobiographical,” he says. It’s also highly eclectic, mixing taxidermy,
zebra-skin rugs and plenty of work by contemporary artist friends, as well
as Chesterfields, kilim rugs, a disco ball and vintage Marcel Breuer
Wassily chairs. “We love to mix styles, genres and eras,” Kubler says. “We
are definitely not the people who only do ’50s Danish furniture.”
Adding to the eclecticism are the Ted-isms. “A Canadian man named
Ted built the house for himself in the late ’60s, so there are lots of idio-
syncratic Ted-isms,” Zavros explains. “There’s a lot of Oregon wood
going on, and we also have an underground dungeon — although the
only one who goes in there is the cat.”
A peacock, a leopard, a kudu and a reticulated python skin are among
more than 30 taxidermy pieces that also populate the property. Zavros
began collecting them in 2003 for an exhibition at the Institute of
Modern Art in Brisbane. “I started painting them in work that played
with ideas about trophies,” he says. “Really good taxidermy is a true art
form because of the craft and process behind it.” The desk in Kubler’s
office sits smack-bang beneath an enormous taxidermy musk ox. “I
always laugh that one day you’ll read about the ‘curator killed by a musk
ox’ because I literally live underneath it,” she says with a laugh.
As an arts writer, curator and academic with a degree in art history,
Kubler juggles studio visits and board meetings with extravagant dinners
and overseas travel. Refreshingly, she eschews the art world’s basic black in
favour of bright colours, and she owns an enviable collection of vintage
garments running from Saint Laurent to Halston. “I do a lot of black-tie
Opposite page:Kubler in her office, wearing Three Graces
London dress, $655, from matchesfashion.com.This page:
Quentin, 2004, by Cherry Hood joins a taxidermy kudu and
piano in the entryway. Below: more of Zavros’s taxidermy
collection, as well as treasures from the ocean in his studio.179 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU April 2019
A fashionableLIFE