A Stylish Abode

A Former Fashion Designer Swapped Clothes For Interiors And Hasn’t Looked Back

- Adriana Donnola

Former fashion designer Nina Maya has taken her stylish credentials—dressing the likes of Jennifer Hawkins and Cate Blanchett—and moved effortlessly into creating the most interesting homes for clients, including her growing family.

Pregnant with her first child—a boy due mid May Maya, 36, reasons there are strong parallels between the two creative endeavours. “It’s all the same skill set in a sense: colours, textures and form. And I think it’s such an honour to go into someone’s home and design the space that they are going to live in.”

While the interior designer’s signature style has developed over the years, at its heart she stays true to her original approach to fashion designing. “I loved naturals and minimal silhouettes and then adding a beautiful piece of jewellery, and I approach interiors in the same way,” she explains. “I love creating a natural, tonal palette and then adding in the interest through a stone piece or lighting or art, but for me minimalism is beauty. Definitely there is a skill in getting those fine lines [right]. I’m not a fan of excess and over furnishing. It’s really about purity of materials—a sleek and very luxurious look.”

In creating the aptly named The Glasshouse, a three-level, three-bedroom abode, all with luxurious ensuites in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Paddington, Maya has created a home that’s so opulent even her friends are in awe once they step through an unassuming facade.“I wanted to create a very high-end, luxurious home and prove that it’s possible within a small footprint of a house, too,” Maya says.