Mi Casa | Amelia Fullarton

Amelia was one of the first people we met when we moved to Byron Bay three years ago. Actually, she was our first Byron Bay client, which made us feel very proud as her sense of style is truly beautiful. This woman not only takes some of the most stunning portraits representing love that I have seen, but is also the co-founder of Millk, the everyday essentials children’s wear that all the mums we know are coveting right now. She recently moved into her new, minimalistic house and we spent a morning with her and her 3 girls chatting about lifestyle, motherhood, work and how to find the balance in it all. There is some magic in these photos, which we are so excited to show you.

You recently finished building your home, how does it feel to finally be moved in?

It feels so good! It was a long project, we purchased the land almost three years ago so finally moving in was huge.

What can you tell us about the design, what was the brief you communicated to the architect?

Our architect Davor Popadich, who works for Pattersons in New Zealand, is also my best friends brother-in-law. l knew l wanted to ask him to help us to work on the house. I had seen his work but mostly because l had seen the house he built for his own family in NZ and l felt we were on the same page. It was small, functional, not overly designed or thought out and built on a tight budget, much like we needed ours to be. To our place he added simple features, like high ceilings and the external sliding doors to make the house feel bigger and open it up to the outdoors, which suits our warm climate.

Seeing your home, it has a beautiful minimal feel. How do you manage to keep it that way? When choosing items for your home, what is your priority?

When we moved into this space we knew that we would be renting it out when we were away on AirBNB so we made a fairly conscious decision to only bring with us what we felt would suit the space and we sold a fair bit on Gumtree! My girls aren’t crazy about toys, they love arts and crafts so all of our draws are always stuffed with pencils and paints and paper. The house still feels very “new”, but l plan on slowly filling it with things that l find over travels and time.

You have three young children and multiple jobs! How are you juggling it at the moment?

I’m OK with chaos, l can juggle pretty well these days! I’ve worked through three pregnancies now, gone back to work really early on with all my babies, to be honest l dont know any different. My Mumma raised me to work hard, all my best girlfriends work hard. I love working, l love being a Mum, l love that l can do both. When i’m at work and away from my kids and partner l miss them and l appreciate them more and l think my girls can see what their Mum is doing for them. It’s always up and down, but for the most part working for myself means l get to be with my kids at home more and l feel really lucky for that.

What is it that continues to inspire you about being a photographer?

I’ve always been inspired by real moments, moments that evoke emotion. I’m always asking myself to slow down and ask, what does this photo really mean to me? Is it a moment of who l really am as a Photographer / Mother / friend / lover? Do l feel anything or is it just how l want the world to see me? Those are the people and images that inspire me.

What are the ways in which love is appearing to you at this moment in your life?

Love is appearing to me in the way of three little women. They completely consume my heart, I’m crazy about them (Oh! and there is my partner, Al! He’s alright too).

Photos & Words: Victoria Aguirre