Margot Spalding makes no excuses for loving colour – and fabric!
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In fact, she is more than happy to shout it out: “I love, love, love fabric,” she cries, arms outstretched, as if to envelop any bolt of fabric that might fly by.
“It’s my thing. And having lots of beautiful fabrics and colour in your home can bring joy and easily change the look and feel of a room at any time of year.”
Visiting the home of ‘Mother Possum’, as she is known by her family and work colleagues, is like stepping into the ideal family home. It’s warm, tranquil and embracing.
And of course, it’s decorated with lots of that divine Jimmy Possum furniture that Margot started making many years ago with her husband, Alan, in a shed at their then-home in Harcourt. In less than two decades the talented couple have opened stores across Australia and now employ more than 150 people. Margot is widely known as one of Australia’s most influential businesswomen. She was awarded Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year in 2006 and is regularly asked to speak at community events, to women’s organisations and to corporate groups.
But family is first for the Spaldings. They moved into their three-storey home a year ago. They knew they wanted to ‘downsize’ and spent five years searching for the ideal place … that would make a home for a very large family.
“We have always wanted to live in the city,” Margot says. “And when this building came up we had to have it.
“It was a dream come true,” she says of their purchase. “We always wanted to live in the middle of town. Everything is easily accessible and we walk everywhere.”
I wanted that sense of calmness as you come through the door
- Margot Spalding
Within months the building had been transformed into their inner-city pad, complete with entertainer’s bar, a thumping big signature JP dining table, family kitchen, multiple bedrooms “in case the children need to stay over after dinner”, plus a bedroom close to theirs for the seven grandchildren.
“They are young and need to be close by to us. Young kids cannot be on another floor away from the adults.”
It’s clear family comes first for this couple, and they pride themselves that five of their seven children and some of their partners have joined them in the family business. Margot says she loves nothing more than cooking for her family and friends. Dinner parties, she says, “can be a cinch once you know what you are doing”.
The home has grand proportions befitting any large family. Even the couple’s Moodles, Ted and Tina, make themselves at home.
“They think the place is really theirs. Thankfully, they don’t shed fur and the fabrics we have chosen are really forgiving for pets and kids. You should be able to put your feet up on the coffee table when you come home. A home is to be lived in and shared with family and friends.”
With beautiful fabrics and furniture adorning each light-filled room, throw rugs elegantly draped over couches and across the end of beds, Margot says she deliberately opted for a more neutral colour palette in this home.
“I wanted that sense of calmness as you come through the door. A city is always bustling, but when you walk into a home you want to feel like you in an oasis. And relax. You don’t even think or feel like you are in the city.”
Margot has chosen floral fabric for many of the furnishings. The bespoke couch has slip covers in soft floral prints. Chairs surrounding the welcoming dining table are covered with a rich velvet from Designers Guild. An urn from Morocco adds a touch of the exotic.
Furniture was designed and made by Alan and his team of furniture makers at Jimmy Possum in Bendigo, Margot proudly says. “Alan is a very talented man – he has the vision, can draw it then make it.” His and Margot’s eye for design is evident in the detail – leather drawer handles complete the kitchen cabinetry and entertainment unit. New and reclaimed timbers were chosen to blend seamlessly from room to room. Family photos and original paintings by a daughter, and John Olson and Charles Blackman artworks add the finishing touches to the rooms.
A favourite keepsake of Margot’s is the dining setting buffet that features exquisite silk panels in the doors.
“It would have to be one of my favourite pieces. That and the bedroom suite that Alan made for us for an anniversary many years ago. Oh, and my walk-in wardrobe,” she says. “I am very lucky that I have access to so many beautiful pieces of furniture and fabric. I am truly blessed.”
Not to mention embedded with a strong work ethic and determination to succeed in doing what she loves each day – making beautiful furniture and bringing fabric and colour to life.