I love prints and I love to be comfortable...
My high waisted cotton floral pants (that my mother-in-law made for me) with a tank is my favourite go-to outfit for days I want to feel comfortable. My style hasn’t changed much since having children; maybe I wear fewer heels now. I like Proenza Schouler, J Brand, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Givenchy and ACNE.
I love the beauty of Sydney's Northern Beaches...
The trees, the beaches (so many to choose from and they are never overcrowded), the community. Also, the beach cottages, you can find some cool mid-century houses here. I feel like I am on holidays everyday. Our home is eclectic; a mixture of old and new. We love restored wood and picking up things along our travels. Our home is a work in progress.
My husband travels a lot for work so when he is at home we try and have a lot of family time together...
Life is so busy and before you know it a month or two has gone by since we’ve been out on a date. I do know how important it is and will definitely be bringing the Friday night date nights back!
With our first child Henry, we tried controlled crying, but it didn’t really work...
He just grew out of it and eventually slept through the night. Our second, Hunter, was a whole different ball game. We started doing all the right things such as self-settling, but at four months he turned and being so exhausted, I started putting him into my bed for the nightly feeds and eventually started co-sleeping with the little guy. Things just got worse, we saw paediatricians and tried cranial-sacral therapy, until finally when he was about 18 months old, we got the baby whisperer in. We heard such great success stories and put all of our eggs into one basket thinking that this was it, all will be ok. After four nights and thousands of dollars later (we got one extra night free of charge, as it clearly wasn’t working) she left with the only explanation being that he was the hardest case she’d ever had. So, with much reservation I had no choice but to book us into Tresillian, we went in for five days and after that he slept through the night and still does to this day.
I believe babies and children like to know what to expect...
The boys and I have a chat about what we are doing the next day whether it is going to school, a play date, sport activity or just a lazy day where they can do whatever they like. I personally have never had a routine, but each baby and family is different. We have a set bedtime that we try and stick to on school nights and on the weekends we are a little more relaxed.
My career changed completely after I had children...
I was modelling and living overseas up until I became pregnant. During my first pregnancy, we decided to live in Sydney and I decided to study full time and finished my Diploma in Media and Communications about a month before Henry was born. Anthony’s work was taking him overseas a lot, so we decided that it would be best for our family if I stayed at home caring for Henry for the first 18 months. Once Henry was a little older, I began doing the odd producing project for my husband. I realised how time consuming and stressful the role of a producer was and decided that it wasn’t the career for me, as Henry was my first priority. I was fortunate enough not to have to go to work just for the sake of bringing in some extra money, but I did continue doing some modelling part-time as it didn’t interfere with my home life too much. Having an amazing, supportive husband allowed me to study and explore lots of different avenues. During this time we lived in New York and had our second child, Hunter. We are now back in Sydney and with Henry at school and Hunter in preschool three days a week, I have the time to finally put my efforts into something else. Being there for my kids before and after school is really important to me, that’s I why I needed to find something I could do from home. Creating my own business was the perfect solution.
One of the hardest parts of being a Mum is letting go...
Motherhood has taught me unconditional love, patience and not to sweat the small stuff that life throws at you – well trying not to anyway. Such as seeing the boys hurt, physically or emotionally. I want to protect them from everything, but I know I need to give them the freedom they need and to let them fight their own battles so they can grow and learn. The best part of being a Mum is coming home to their beautiful smiles. Getting cuddles and kisses from them, especially when given out of the blue. Making them happy and seeing their little faces light up when we spend time together. The love motherhood brings is truly a gift that I am so thankful for.
I often wonder how women juggle a successful fulltime career with motherhood and think something has to give...
I do talk about it with my friends; I particularly enjoyed having a chat recently with Sass & Bide’s Heidi and Sarah Jane about the juggle as they are both such inspiring, successful women who manage it in a different way. It was really interesting to hear how they both do it. Each family is different, what is really important is to have a great support network.
A good cleanser to clean my face and a daily moisturiser is about the only thing I use on a daily basis...
I will put a clay mask on now and then. I love Aesop, but am now in search of something luxurious that is pure and organic. At the moment, I am using GAIA skincare, free from parabens, petrochemicals, sulphates and other nasty chemicals. I think daily cold-pressed juices and an organic wholefoods diet does wonders for your skin.
My girlfriend Sami Simper and I decided to combine both our passion and experiences and launch LOWLA...
LOWLA is a lifestyle and homewares brand focusing on creating thoughtfully designed products that evoke emotions and memories of endless summers, reckless adventures and beautiful moments shared with family and friends. It is a brand that celebrates living only with loving abandon. We will be launching in November with beautiful vivid throws and oversized cushions that can be used in the home or taken with you on a picnic. We design our own prints and hope to take you on an adventure and add life to your home. We believe that the home plays a big influence on how you feel living in it and so it should be celebrated and enjoyed.
Now that the kids are a little older, I feel I can shift my priorities a little and start putting myself first...
By this I mean instead of getting out of bed as soon as they are awake, I let them have a play or watch some TV while I have a lie-in. For exercise, I walk the dog along the beach, take the kids swimming and surfing and clean the house constantly. I would love to try Qi Gong this year. Having an amazing mother-in-law helps with the time Anthony is away on business. She comes to stay with me and having her here allows me to go for my walks or catch up for dinner with my friends in town.
My kids love to be comfortable and so on most days they just live in light cotton pants/shorts and a T-shirt...
In the winter, you can’t get them out of their trackies. My husband travels a lot for work, so I give him a list of things the kids need and he usually comes back with a lot of cool things. H&M is great for basics, Opening Ceremony is great for the stand out pieces, and they have really great shirts for boys. Locally, Kido Store has some really cool things. We found some really cool Y-3 ones on our last family holiday in New York.
I’ll teach my children to have a strong sense of self, to be compassionate and to practice gratitude...
The importance of clean living and eating an organic sugar free wholefood diet! I’m still working on cutting out the sugar completely.
Anthony and I got married after seven months of being together...
Our plan was to enjoy the first three years together and to travel the world, but the divine spirit had other plans for us. Soon after our honeymoon, we found out I was pregnant.
I am very aware of what I can and cannot handle...
I made sure there was a big enough gap between the two children. I wanted to enjoy my first and to be able give him all my time. The love I felt for him was so great and I often wondered how I could love another. The beautiful thing I realised with the second is that our heart is so huge and that we have so much love to give. Maybe I can go a third!
I am currently working on launching my lifestyle brand, Lowla, and doing some part-time modelling...
Henry is in school and Hunter is in pre-school three days a week, so I work from home most days, but when I have meetings in town my amazing mother-in-law will come and look after the kids and help out. I am so fortunate to have a wonderful mother-in-law who is always here to help whenever we need her. Without her, life would definitely be a lot harder. She truly is a remarkable woman and I am so grateful to her.
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The minute you wander into Iwona Laus beachside home located on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, it feels like youre on holidays. For one, theres the spectacular ocean view, but theres also the model mother, barefoot and dressed in J brand denim shorts (with legs that go on forever) and a Proenza Schouler T-shirt, looking utterly relaxed. She looks far too rested for someone who has been up all night with a sick toddler. Its amazing what our bodies can handle, I think all mothers have a secret auto pilot button hidden somewhere and on those days we need it we just push through and get things done, she says. Theres a happy, holiday vibe running through the house, which comes from having two excited boys with bountiful energy. “I love the sound of their laughter, especially when it comes right from the belly,” she says.
She and her husband film director Anthony Lau gave birth to their first son, Henry, seven years ago. Their second child, Hunter, was born three years later. My career changed completely, she says. I was modelling and living overseas up until I became pregnant. Anthonys work was taking him overseas a lot, so we decided that it would be best for our family if I stayed at home caring for Henry for the first 18 months. Once Henry was a little older, I began doing the odd producing project for my husband. I realised how time consuming and stressful the role of a producer was and decided that it wasnt the career for me as Henry was my first priority. I was fortunate enough not to have to go to work just for the sake of bringing in some extra money, but did continue doing some modelling part time as it didnt interfere with my home life too much. While she still models part-time, this new life stage has taken her career in a new direction. Lau is launching a lifestyle and homewares brand, LOWLA, with friend Sami Simper in November. Being there for my kids before and after school is really important to me, thats I why I needed to find something I could do from home, creating my own business was the perfect solution.
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Lau is also quick to express how important it is to value motherhood. I struggled with the just a mum tag throughout the years and the only thing I regret is allowing it to make me feel inadequate during that time. Being a stay-at-home mother is such an undervalued role.
Iwonas little list of loves:
Early morning or late afternoon walks and swims.
The sound of my children’s laughter especially when it comes right from the belly.
Seeing the look on their faces when they are proud of something theyve just done.
Having friends over, lazy lunches or dinner parties with a bit of lounge room dancing at the end.
Spying on the kids in their room, watching how they interact and listening to what they talk about. Its hysterical and heart warming!
Watching Anthony play with the boys.
Organic health food stores and cafés – this is where I spend most of my money.
Early morning strolls through our local farmers market.
Tuesday nights. Kids tucked in, house is clean and me watching Housewives of Beverly Hills with a glass of red and some Loving Earth Crunchy Mint Raw Dark Chocolate it is my guilty pleasure. Anthony will sit next to me and watch with a bemused expression on his face.
Anything to do with interiors; books, magazines, shops, products.
Photography: Julie Adams Hair and Make-up: Sarina Zoe Styling: Kristin Trude Words: Georgie Abay
January 2014
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