As eclectic as it is chic, Paddo to Palmy’s Heidi Carter has created the ultimate Moroccan hideaway. The minute you arrive at her Palm Beach home, you want to unpack your bags and never leave. Starting with the panoramic view of the bright blue ocean, her spectacular weekender is saturated in vibrant hues and textures. Carter’s passion for interior design began as a child and over the years has naturally blossomed into a career. “As a child, I would re-decorate my room on a seasonal basis,” she recalls. “I have always had a love of antique furniture, so would regularly shop for unique pieces with my mum, which we could rub back and paint.” Years later, when renovating her beach house, she did the same and the home is now filled with colourful furniture she’s sourced from various auction houses and repainted. Over the past few years, Carter has become a bit of a renovation expert. At the same time as she was making over Palm Beach, she also revamped her terrace house in Sydney’s Paddington and started blogging about her experience on her website Paddo to Palmy. When she couldn’t find affordable rugs to match her Moroccan themed interior, she travelled to Morocco to buy them and started selling the pieces she sourced through her website. Carter has also recently launched a fashion collection, Gisele, which focuses on effortless resort wear for women and children. We spent the day by the beach with Carter and her girls and left utterly inspired by her beautiful home and approach to motherhood…
Motherhood has taught me…
How to love someone unconditionally. The feeling that you would truly give your own life for them. Also that you can only try your best to have order in the house and the need to embrace chaos… at times!
I became a mother quite early on…
For the first few weeks after I found out I was pregnant, I was in shock. I was very nervous that I wouldn’t be able to travel and establish my career. To achieve all of those goals you have before becoming a mum. But as soon as I held Ella (my first born) in my arms, all of those so-called life-breaking goals didn’t seem important. We lived in Asia at the time, so if anything we travelled more and spent more time together as a family. I wasn’t tied down to a job, so we integrated Ella into our very active lifestyle. Life has only got better as a mother.
My beauty routine is very simple…
Each night in the shower I cleanse using my Clarisonic exfoliator. Then I spray my Aveeno hydrating toner then moisturise with Jurlique herbal recovery gel. If my skin is really dry, I use a Moroccan Argan oil blend that my mum made up with rose and patchouli essential oils. It absorbs quickly and isn’t the slightest bit greasy. My morning makeup session involves By Terry oil free foundation (if I have time), Yves Saint Laurent Touché Eclait concealer under the eyes and Maybelline mascara.
My fitness routine is terrible…
I really don’t like exercising inside so I play tennis with my girlfriends once a week, then I do a booty barre class over the weekend. I am a classic pear shape so anything that is booty focused I am up for! I may do the Bondi to Bronte walk/run once a week.
My style is a bit of a mixed bag…
There is a heavy Moroccan influence – pom poms blankets for bedspreads and colourful Azilal rugs mixed with more traditional upholstered bed heads and stripes. This is all layered over white walls and floorboards (otherwise it would all look a bit chaotic!) and lots of bookshelves which I attempt to colour code – crazy I know but I find the exercise therapeutic!
When the girls were young and we were living in Asia…
We had to travel quite a lot to visit family and we just found any routine that we had in place at home would go out the door in a new environment. So instead of getting stressed over this, we just had to go with the flow. We have moved a lot in the last 10 years, but as a result our girls are quite resilient to change and just fit in where ever we are – they haven’t really had a choice. If anything they have come to expect change, so can get restless if in the same space for too long!
My advice to new mothers is to…
Just to go with the flow and don’t get too caught up in a routine, every child is different so what works for one may not work for another. Going to mothers’ groups, you would hear of some babies sleeping through from the start and I would literally try any routine I could get my hands on to try and make Ella sleep for more than two hours. Literally nothing worked and as a result I would get frustrated and blame myself. Once I had Gisele, who thankfully was a sleeper, I came to the realisation that some babies like to sleep, while others just don’t!
I have been obsessed with interiors and fashion from a young age…
When it was time to pick a degree I somehow thought that I would never be good enough to compete in such competitive fields, so I went with the safe option of studying commerce as I always knew that I wanted to have my own business (one day) so figured this would be helpful. When it came time to get a job it was just after the NY Twin Towers attack and the economy was in melt down mode – no one was hiring. I ended up settling on an entry level job in a media agency and worked my way up, got a transfer to Singapore and became a regional media planner. I figured all of this experience would help me once I started that business of my own. Along came Ella and then Gisele and I really had a bit of a breakdown and started questioning whether I would ever be anything other than a mum. Don’t get me wrong I loved being a mum, but I guess it wasn’t in my plan so early on. It wasn’t until we moved back to Australia after being in Asia for seven years that my passion for interiors was reignited. The terrace house we had bought was in Paddington and we had also bought a beach house in Palm Beach, so instead of renting in town we figured we would save a bit of money and enjoy a sea change (the girls were not at school yet). We moved into the house in Palm Beach and started renovating both houses. All of a sudden I was inundated with interior images and was having to do all of the sourcing for the build, so I thought starting a blog about the renovation journey would be a good idea. Initially I was posting a lot and gathering some loyal followers, which I am so grateful for. It wasn’t until it came time to furnish the renovated Paddington terrace (14 months later!) that I couldn’t find any reasonably priced Moroccan rugs to go with the Moroccan themed interiors – I dragged my hubby to Morocco and came back with 40 rugs and some custom designed textiles. The blog turned into an online shop and after a series of pop ups, I was getting very low on stock so decided why not indulge my other passion? Fashion! Gisele the label had its first summer season last September, which was a huge success. Again I just couldn’t find the product that I was looking for at a reasonable price – I love wearing flattering dresses in gorgeous prints (it’s a pear body shaped thing) so the website now sells Moroccan homewares and fashion for women and children which is resort wear focused.
I stopped working as soon as I had Ella…
I always knew and was thankfully lucky enough that I could be a stay at home mum. I started my blog Paddo to Palmy knowing that once both the girls were at school I would have something to do – I am just one of those people that can’t sit still. I literally get anxious if I am not being creative in some way or form – I bake a lot on the weekends! Not good for my pear shape!
The beauty of having your own business is that the working hours are flexible…
Some days are crazy, so we have a live in au pair (more as a backup) or I fly my mum down to help (especially when I am travelling for work). My husband works quite long hours and travels quite a bit, so it’s also just nice having another adult around the house.
My tips for running a successful business are to…
Make sure you are passionate about it, in this economy and especially in Australia there is quite a limited market (fashion especially is saturated) so make sure you are doing or offering something different to the competition. Quality of product and customer service is key – we live in such a small world so a few bad experiences can ruin a business very quickly. Social media in this day and age is key – being an early adaptor also gives you a huge advantage.
We bought this beach house in November and of course wanted it ready for Christmas…
We did a very quick renovation which involved painting everything in white with a contrasting light blue trim, which was a bit risky but I think worked as it really highlights the amazing views that the house has. I stuck to a colour palette of white, tan, yellow and blue and basically scoured second hand furniture shops and eBay as was on a very tight budget. My husband commissioned a painting from a very talented abstract artist George Raftopoulos – he painted it at the house taking in my obsession for blue and painted his interpretation of the Palm Beach headland – it wasn’t until this was installed that the main living area eventually all came together.
I love shopping at auction houses…
Lawsons is a favourite of mine. For lighting, curtains and bedding, I always buy from Restoration Hardwarein the US then get it shipped here via MYUS.com.
Shopping for textiles and clothes is often what drives my holiday destinations…
Morocco is a must – you’ll find the most amazing collection of textiles, tiles and architecture in one place. If Paris was by a beach, it would be my everything – the shopping is second to none and I just love the French brands like Paul & Joe, Cacharel and Chloe for their use of pretty prints. I always stop by my favourite French interior designer’s shop Sarah Lavoine for her eclectic take on French homewares.
A home should be filled with things that you love so that it is a reflection of your personality…
If something gives you happiness when you look at it, but it doesn’t fit in with what you think your style is then I am a big advocate of just buying it and making it work. I have also found that my decorating style has changed a little over the years and the projects, but there are key pieces that I will never get rid of.
For kids clothes, I love…
Gisele for kids, printebebe for their drop waisted floral dresses, Zimmermann for their kids swimwear and I am obsessed with the Spanish Children’s shoe label Manuela De Juan.
I dress for comfort…
During the day when I am working, I live in active wear with the hope that I will make it for ‘that run’ so Lululemon leggings, Gisele T-shirts and my favourite Sandro navy shearling leather jacket. In the warmer months I live in my maxi dresses – Apricot dot Montenegro is my favourite. I am a classic pear shape and my waistline has thankfully managed quite well with all of the carb loading, so in summer dresses suit me best and I always throw on a waisted belt if the style doesn’t cut in at the waistline. I love short skirts and shorts, but my legs just aren’t great so maxi’s are my go-to.
The sleep deprivation is the hardest part of motherhood…
You would think that girls aged almost six and eight would be able to sleep through the night in their own bed, but this just doesn’t happen in our family. The best part – they really are my best friends and when I drop them off at school I actually really miss them. I just find them hilarious with their one-liners. They are just so cute and to know that that lifelong friendship only deepens everyday, it’s just the best feeling in the world.
Heidi’s little list of loves:
Chicken Karage Bao followed by a coconut, lychee and mint slushie from Mr Bao at the Bondi Farmers Market on a Saturday morning. All Press Latte from Rocco’s at Vaucluse Village (can not start the day without one). Carrot bread from The Grumpy Baker in Vaucluse. Visiting Hawaii in Sydney’s Winter – we drove around the big island, my gosh the beaches on the North Shore were stunning. Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel to apply to that dry and tanned skin. Snuggling up on the couch in front of an open fire watching the girls toast their marshmallows. Getting fresh baguettes from the French bakery in Avalon and loading them with butter and cheese (sorry I am a carb freak). Having a girls lunch at Bambini Trust with Bellini’s and lots of pasta. Going for road trips with the family. I am from the country so we to pile into the car and getaway for a weekend. Photography: Grace Alyssa Kyo Words: Georgie Abay