Miranda Kerr—street style star, devoted mother, in-demand model, and Instagram phenom— prepares for a shoot at her lush and cosy retreat in Malibu in a most unusual way. Minutes before the hair and makeup team arrive to prep the gorgeous Aussie, 33, whose shiny brunette bob and radiant skin need almost no tending, she shuffles out on the veranda in a white terry robe and slippers, grabs an electric leaf blower, and gets to work, blasting every fallen petal and twig out of her perfect universe.

“Just a little last-minute cleanup,” she says, over the noise of the machine in her hand, turning this mundane task into something endearing, and, yes, even a bit glamorous.

Kerr and her five-year-old son, Flynn, live in this charming ’60s ranch home on the northern end of Malibu beach. She bought the property in 2014, when she and her former husband and Flynn’s father, Orlando Bloom, were deciding how best to raise their son.

“Orlando and I were living in New York, and we loved it there,” she says. “But we were considering what the best options were for our son. Orlando owned a place in Malibu, and he was saying that he wanted to move here. We thought it would be a better lifestyle for Flynn. He could be outside playing year-round, playing in the sand. We could have a garden. I started looking for houses because we wanted to be close as a family.”