Mi Casa | Lucienne Van Sebille

For this Mi Casa, we visited Lucienne in her beautifully preserved Alistair Knox-designed home. After a decade in Melbourne’s inner north, Lucienne and her family embraced a slower pace of life, moving to this 1970s architectural gem in 2020. Her home is an intimate reflection of her journey – an elegant mix of vintage pieces, handcrafted objects, and meaningful treasures that embody her values of sustainability and personal connection. Each corner reveals the thoughtfulness behind her design choices, from the warmth provided by carefully chosen rugs to her commitment to supporting artisans and timeless design. During our visit, Lucienne shared her approach to creating a home that is both functional and full of heart, offering a glimpse into her latest creative project, where her passion for curation continues to evolve.

SHOP THE LOOK

1/ Made-to-Order Haus #3 Rug 2/ Southwest Mini Rug #2 3/ Pom Pom Cushion #1 Medium|Sand 4/ Textural Floor Cushion|Natural 5/ Textural Throw|Natural 6/ Made-to-Order Vera Rug

Your style is often described as a beautiful blend of vintage and contemporary elements. How do you approach styling your home, and what influences your design choices?

When it comes to my own home, my styling approach is pretty organic and is the coming together of pieces I enjoy visually and have a connection to. I love unique spaces and it is important to me that our home reflects us, our history and current phase of life, as well as being a beautiful and comfortable space to live.

It is also constantly evolving. I am always shifting things around to feel fresh or flow better for our ever changing needs and now with my sourcing business, I end up with pieces I can’t part with. I am also a real collector and enjoy mixing pieces I love, rather than trying to be any one particular style.

Your current home in Eltham is a stunning Alistair Knox-designed house. What drew you to this particular home?

After living in the inner north of Melbourne for 10 years, we were looking for a tree change and had been considering a move to regional Victoria. However, Covid and a forced move from our previous rental sped things up somewhat, and we weren’t quite ready for such a big move. Eltham seemed like a good compromise for the change we were seeking and still within a reasonable distance to our existing lives.

The first house we viewed in the area was an incredible home designed by Sibbel Builders and previous home to family of Alistair Knox, which really sold us on Eltham. I remember walking around the property with Sebastian and us both taking a big breath and saying, yes, let’s live here. I thought that was as close to Knox as we were ever going to get, so when our house popped up after my hundredth page refresh of Eltham homes, I literally jumped up and down on the spot and was determined to get it. Luckily we did.

This house in itself is really special, Knox’s design speaks to the natural environment and his use of materials create such a warm space. The light is constantly moving throughout the space during the day and I feel a really strong connection to the seasons and surrounds living here.

As we open the curtains each the morning, our 2 year old son Valentin, says “wowww big trees” and “birds singing good morning” and he’s not wrong! Both Sebastian and I spent parts of our childhood living in the Adelaide hills, so I love that he is growing up in a similar environment.

Home is such a personal concept. How do you define “home,” and what elements make a space truly feel like home to you and your family?

Home is very important to me. I didn’t have the most stable upbringing, however our home was our one constant. As a child I was always rearranging my room and decorating and collecting treasures to make a safe, beautiful space for myself and this has definitely carried through into adulthood. I have often wished I was more carefree and could just leave it all behind and move overseas or live in a van or something exciting, however having that anchor point is something I really need. I am really affected by my environment and my home is a space I can always retreat and feel safe no matter what is going on in. So many people don’t have this privilege so I feel very lucky.

Home is somewhere to create freely, share fun, and enjoy special times with people we love. This place has held us through lockdowns, good times and parties, pregnancy, a new baby, joy, and loss. No matter how long we get to stay here, it will always be so important to us as it’s where we brought our son home and where he has spent the first years of his life.

My father in law wrote him a beautiful birth poem and so much of it connects to this area in the Green Wedge where Valentin grew in my belly and was born. I’ll always think of that time as the leaves turn and fall in autumn and the wattle starts to bloom in winter.

We recently lost our beloved cocker spaniel Bertie and so this home has taken on more meaning for us, as we said goodbye to him and hold the memories of his last years here where he was so happy.

As a renter, you often have to move around more than you’d like and it can be difficult to find true stability, so it’s important to be able to create that sense of home wherever you are. I think having connection to and meaning in the pieces you surround yourself with play a really important role in this.

Your home incorporates handmade and ethically sourced pieces. Can you discuss the importance of supporting artisans and sustainable practices in your design choices?

I am passionate about sustainability and supporting and protecting authentic design. It is important to me to support makers and consider the impact on the earth when choosing pieces for my home and business.

Early on in my furniture career, I attended a talk by the Authentic Design Alliance and my mind was really blown by how little we protect designers in Australia and the huge impact this is having on our environment as fast furniture and replicas become increasingly popular.

Vintage and second hand pieces can be a really good alternative to these short-lifespan options that often copy from authentic makers and designers, then end up in landfill as they are not made for longevity. There are so many amazing items waiting for a new lease on life that will stand the test of time and can be passed down to future generations.

When buying new, seek brands that use sustainable materials and practices and are part of carbon neutral initiatives such as a Plant a Tree program.

Just like our food and clothing, we can educate ourselves on where the items we buy for our homes come from, how and where they are made and their impact on the environment long-term.

Rugs play a significant role in home decor. How have you used rugs in your home to create a cosy and inviting atmosphere?

Rugs always play an important role, especially in this home! We have tiles throughout the whole space, that I do love, but they do get particularly cold underfoot, so adding warmth through rugs is very necessary. They also help in defining zones and creating different focal points in our larger living space.

I went a bit rug mad when Valentin first started crawling, using larger area rugs and layering them on the tiles which was super cosy and a good buffer between hard tiles and his precious head.

As well as providing this functionality, textiles and rugs are an opportunity to add texture, warmth and layers to spaces. I love utilising rugs as artworks, on the floor or hung. I really enjoy the rug from your Haus Collection, a Pampa and Bobby Clark collaboration, photographed in our living space or this reason.

Can you share a favourite story or memory associated with an item or artwork in your home that holds special meaning to you?

This is a tricky one for me because I have a connection with almost everything in our home in one way another…

I have collected many pieces through my work in furniture over the years and am lucky to have pieces in our home that have been made for me by colleagues, now friends, that are very special to me. Likewise, artworks by Sebastian’s father and sisters.

Probably the most significant however, is the antique dresser in Valentin’s room which was mine when I was a little girl and my mother’s before. It’s amazing on reflection that I’ve lugged it around for close to two decades, from Adelaide to Melbourne, through share houses and multiple moves, but I am so glad I did and I will never part with it. The perfect example of something being well made, transcending what’s “in” and holding real meaning.

As a mother, how do you balance creating a stylish and functional home environment that works for both you and your family?

Our home has definitely had many iterations since welcoming our son and I actually quite enjoy the challenge of balancing function and aesthetic.

Having Valentin has given me many creative opportunities to incorporate functional items, that aren’t known for their beauty into our space or reimagining what they need to look like all together. I also love the playfulness of creating and continually evolving his room as I can go wild with colour and collect some crazy pieces that wouldn’t find a home in the rest of our space otherwise. I love creating little zones for him to play and explore and already have so many ideas and daydreams about what we will continue to create as he grows.

I will say, as someone who is hugely affected by their environment, I have definitely had to learn to live with more mess and chaos in our home, however I don’t ever want my need for clean and calm to stifle his creativity or exploration.

In a more practical sense, I also find it really helpful to have vessels that can house some of the less visually pleasing items that inevitably become part of your day to day life with children and learning packing up and putting away together as a family.

Can you tell us more about your new project, Mon house? What inspired you to start this venture, and what can we expect to see from it in the future?

Mon house is a curation of sourced furniture, lighting and objects, styling and sourcing offerings, a way to sustain my deep obsession with collecting and a space to explore creative ideas and soon share my own designs.

Having worked for many years in interiors and the furniture industry, the idea came into existence quite organically while seeking to return to creative and fulfilling work after becoming a mother, while striking a balance of caring for my son. Sourcing special pieces and curating spaces has long been something I love and I feel grateful to be able to share this with others through mon house.I have a constant flow of ideas, possibilities and what if’s. I am most excited about releasing my own designs (working on prototypes currently) and creating a pop up space in the future.

Photos by Victoria Aguirre