Artist Jai Vasicek and filmmaker Matt Sharp were working in Brazil when COVID hit. They managed to catch the last flight out in early 2020, returning to the Byron Bay area to start the next chapter of their lives.

With the pandemic pressing pause on their fast-paced lifestyle, the couple needed to channel their energy somewhere else, so they began looking at properties.

A house in Newrybar surrounded by a macadamia plantation caught Jai’s eye. While most buyers couldn’t see past the ‘strange rabbit warren of rooms’ and ‘lack of any aesthetic’ (a cream weatherboard complete with green and maroon coloured trims), Jai recognised its potential.

‘It was reminiscent of a school building, and not in a cute way. It really took a lot of imagination and a leap of faith to make this home something special,’ he says.

‘We love a challenge and this house represented something that we could really make our mark on as creatives. We wanted to create our own world, and something about the property allowed us to dream that out.’

What began as a few aesthetic tweaks quickly snowballed into a major renovation set within the home’s existing framework.

Jai and Matt designed the project themselves, taking inspiration from time spent in Ibiza, which informed how they wanted to live in a home setting.

‘It’s expansive, inspiring, but barefoot. Simplistic on a large scale — not fussy or overstyled, and not reliant on mod cons or tech,’ says Jai.

‘We see the home as an earthing and grounding place, and the aesthetic reflects this. Nothing feels synthetic, and indeed there are very few synthetic materials used.’

The floor plan was radically reconfigured in the process, going from five bedrooms down to just one in favour of expansive open spaces to support day to day life as well as art exhibitions, events, and gatherings. ‘The home and the art within is designed to be shared and experienced,’ says Jai.

Most of the internal walls were removed, large external walls with arches were added to the ground floor perimeter, and the north-face was replaced with glass for optimum natural light.

The build wasn’t without its issues, blowing out to a huge four-year project spanning multiple builders and defects.

‘Pretty much everything bad you could think of that could go wrong, went wrong,’ says Jai.

‘Everything came to a grinding halt after two years of building, which led to us then navigating a year of building directly with trades people ourselves and fixing multiple errors.

‘We were then fortunate enough to find a new builder, who came in and cleaned everything up, and got us through the final 1.5 years of the project.’

Looking back, Jai admits they’d approach almost everything differently, but the obstacles became their greatest teachers.

‘The result we ended up with surpassed any idea we initially had for the home. The memories we are making in the home with friends, creativity and more, are slowly but surely replacing the challenges of the journey.’

Looking at photos, it’s hard to believe it’s the same house.

The couple will continue adding to the property over time as they slowly style the interiors.

‘We only add a piece when it carries value or meaning to us. The home allows so much space to grow and evolve in our style as we continue to travel and create,’ says Jai.

‘What we love most is retreating to the sanctuary we have created. It’s a home we feel we can express ourselves, and a place that inspires and holds us.’