In the realm of creating your dream home, placing trust in the process is paramount. Just ask Chloe Tozer, the founder of luxury boutique and interior design studio atelier Clo Studios at Noosa, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Like many great modern-day moves, Tozer and husband Jack Clissold used the pandemic to change up their living situation. Clissold, a builder and surfer, had his heart set on a location by the beach, while Tozer had a lush garden in mind. The two merged their non-negotiables and soon came across a double-brick, two-storey, four-bedroom home opposite the ocean in the quaint coastal village of Peregian Beach, just a 10-minute drive south of Noosa.
“Straight away I loved the large block – it’s just shy of 1000 square metres,” Tozer tells marie claire. “It has a beautiful garden [of olive trees and native plants], a long, winding driveway set back from the road, and a lovely Mediterranean feel we could easily work with.”
The home’s solid foundation dates back to the 1970s and provided Tozer and Clissold with the perfect canvas in which to flex their creativity. “We really wanted to create a villa-like feeling to our house that made you [feel as though you had] escaped [overseas],” explains Tozer.
“We love travelling to France and Morocco and we’re very lucky to get there quite a lot with work.”
In just a year their vision had come to life. The floorplan was updated, new windows were added and the home was christened with a new name: Villa des Fleurs (house of flowers). Throughout the design process, Tozer filled the rooms with her own pieces from Clo Studios, as well as items collected in her travels, including a brown and yellow sofa with handmade fabric from Marrakshi Life in Morocco.
“In each room you’re experiencing different colours. Being surrounded by colour makes us feel so happy,” explains Tozer. “The living room was inspired by the colours of the sun setting over the ocean, and was anchored by a really deep blue rug with an orange sofa, low comfortable furniture and other pieces we’ve collected in France’s flea markets on buying trips.”
So how does one go about creating a haven rather than simply a living space? According to Tozer, it’s all about prioritising your values. “We designed the home around how we want to live and made sure it really captures everything that’s important to us,” she says.
So what was important to Tozer and her husband? Quite simply: peace and the ability to switch off each day. “We wanted our home to be somewhere where we can disconnect from society and our busy lives,” she explains. “So there’s not much technology. I have an office where
the laptop stays and we only have one television in the entire house – hidden in the bedroom. It’s old-school but it feels like a retreat. It has inspired new rituals and new ways of living and coming back to our true selves.”
How do you feel when you walk into your home?
Instant calmness – like an exhale washes over me.
What is your at-home uniform?
A Matteau summer dress that’s flowing and really comfortable. The kind I could wear out for lunch but then also in the garden.
What is your go-to drink of choice at home?
I love an iced matcha with some honey from the bees we have in the backyard. If I’m entertaining, it would be a natural orange wine – chilled.
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