In a historical suburb of Newcastle, NSW, Alicia Doyle, a former interior designer and owner of textile decor and lighting company Ramble Interiors, has patiently upgraded a 120-year-old worker’s cottage with self-restraint and creativity. “I call it a gentle renovation,” says Alicia. “I knew better than to go through a big renovation – it’s just too difficult with little children, and we didn’t want too much debt or a huge amount of maintenance.” Alicia lives in the storied home with her husband, Des, and their children Alec, nine, and Emmy, seven, plus their Whippet, Artie.
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Homeowners Alicia, Des and their children, Emma and Alec, ease into the festive spirit with Artie the Whippet at their side. The family enjoys hosting Christmas at their century-old home in Newcastle, NSW, and Alicia, who worked as an interior designer before founding Ramble Interiors, is in her creative element at this time of year. A festive wreath by Rebecca Syphers from Porter & Hudson decks the halls with lush native greenery. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons)
The couple’s early married life was spent living in a tiny apartment in Sydney. Back then, the pair was stuck on the corporate treadmill. Then everything changed when Alicia fell pregnant with their first child in mid-2016. “We had a shoebox apartment,” she recalls, “but we wanted more space to raise our children, and a slower pace.”
Artie relaxes in the living area, where Alicia created a slipcover for the sofa using fabric by Annie Everingham for Land. The Ian Mankin ‘Ticking Stripe’ textile in Raspberry ties in nicely on the double-sided cushions. “Artie is quite naughty and his ‘needs’ have formed a lot of our design choices – especially with fabric,” jokes Alicia of the sofa topper. Above, artworks by Whitney Spicer and Jessica Olpp sit happily alongside a vintage painting and works by Alicia’s children and mother. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons / Artworks: Artists Unknown)As with her interiors, the bonbons that decorate Alicia’s table at Christmas are joyfully eclectic. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons)
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INSIDE STORY Alicia & Des’ home
Who lives here? Alicia, a homewares creator and founder of Ramble Interiors; her husband Des, a project manager; their children Alec, nine, and Emmy, seven; plus a spirited Whippet, Artie. How did your home studio come about? Alicia: “When we moved in, there was an unused deck at the back of the house, so I enclosed it and it’s now my studio. It’s really tiny, but I’ve designed my business around school hours and working from home, so I don’t want to move.” Your ideal way to spend Christmas? “I’m not sure of all the details, but I definitely want to host outside, in the evening and under the fairy lights, with cocktails, of course!”
“On the first of December, I bring out my own version of an Advent calendar – it’s a collection of vintage Christmas books I’ve thrifted. Emmy and Alec get to open one every night, and we read it together,” says Alicia of the offerings, beautifully wrapped and displayed in the hall. “It’s way better than a lot of plastic toys or chocolate.” (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons)
As fate would have it, soon after finding out they were going to be parents, Des was headhunted for a new role in Newcastle, so the duo swapped the rat-race for a comfortable family home. “Alec was 10 months old when we moved in,” recalls Alicia.
The painting above the vintage meat safe “started my love affair with pink,” says Alicia. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons / Artworks: Artists Unknown)
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A James Lane sofa is topped with a Raffles Textiles seat pad and Ramble Interiors cushions. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons)
“It’s funny – we wanted more space, and we’ve ended up with quite a small block, but what we’ve got now we would’ve killed for in Sydney.” Resisting the urge to gut the dated layout and start from scratch, Alicia and Des instead chose to renovate slowly, without changing the existing floor plan.
She revamped the kitchen with Earp Bros tiles and a Ramble Interiors ‘Cotswolds’ ruffle lampshade. “I also wrapped kangaroo leather around the cupboard handles to soften the existing black,” she says. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons / Artworks: Artists Unknown)
“Embracing the quirks, the layout and the history of the house has ended up being what has made me love it the most”
She revamped the kitchen with Earp Bros tiles and a Ramble Interiors ‘Cotswolds’ ruffle lampshade. “I also wrapped kangaroo leather around the cupboard handles to soften the existing black,” she says. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons / Artworks: Artists Unknown)
In what’s turned out to be a labour of love, choosing this gentler approach meant the family avoided a huge mortgage and a disruptive renovation. “We ended up buying something smaller that we could pretty up and make feel more like ‘us’, without the need for major renovations,” shares Alicia.
(Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons / Artworks: Artists Unknown)To hide the kids’ schoolbags in the kitchen, Alicia sewed the sideboard skirt from Molly Mahon ‘Strawberry’ fabric in Copper/Rust. Blooms in an Alba Atelier urn from Foray add height near a Pillow Talk mirror, finished with a fresh coat of Porter’s Paints Himalayan Salt. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons / Artworks: Artists Unknown)
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We love…soft layers
A ruffled pendant here, a vintage-style wall hanging there – pieces by Alicia’s business, Ramble Interiors, are woven throughout the house, and she’s also applied her skills to handmaking bedlinen and upholstering bedheads with fabrics she’s collected over the years. “I did millinery and garment production prior to studying interior design, and I learnt how to sew from the age of about four, so all that has blended together with my business and our family home,” she says.
“It’s been a very challenging floor plan to work with, and at times I’ve wanted to completely knock down the back end and rebuild.” Instead of limiting her styling abilities, the home’s constraints have fuelled Alicia’s innate creativity in unexpected ways.
Murobond Toile paint is calming in Alec’s room, where Carlotta + Gee gingham pillowcases join Adairs sheets. The vintage bedside table is a roadside find and the antique coach lantern is now a lamp. Alicia made the bedhead using Shibori fabric from Materialised, while the artwork is by her mother. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons / Artworks: Artists Unknown)The walls of the couple’s room are in Dulux Kinder, with trims in Porter’s Paints Popcorn. Alicia sewed the quilt from a tablecloth by Molly Mahon, sheets from I Love Linen and Cultiver, and binding created from Walter G scrap textiles. “I made the bedhead from fabric I picked up in Shanghai,” she says. “The bedside lamps were Vietnamese lanterns that I re-covered and hand dip-dyed with madder.” (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons / Artworks: Artists Unknown)
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The soft hue of Porter’s Paints Newport Blue fills Emmy’s bedroom. Her antique timber bed is topped with a quilt Alicia sewed during lockdown. Floral pillowcases from Adairs, a Numero 74 canopy and a toy swan from Etsy complete the look. Alicia’s friend, Jilly P Studio, created the artwork on the wall. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons)
“I was an interior designer for 17 years,” she explains. “But I have experimented a lot more in the past few years, and I’ve been really adventurous with colour in this home.”
Alec and Emmy are eager to open their Christmas presents. The gift wrap and ribbons are from Bespoke Letterpress, Spotlight and Lyn McCreanor at Dirty Janes. (Credit: Photography: Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons)
Just like Alicia’s approach to renovating, her Christmas is likely to be laid-back. “We always have lots of seafood and salads, too – it’ll be a very Australian celebration.”
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Brigid Arnott / Styling: Jodie Gibbons
