Homes

A Florist’s Sentimental Hobart Home

When Eliza Rogers discovered her South Hobart home for sale in 2017, it felt as though the stars were aligning. The florist and owner of This Natural World had been considering purchasing a decommissioned ferry or a former general store (!) when this three-bedroom unit (coincidentally located in the same small building several of her acquaintances had previously lived in) came along at the perfect time.  

Eliza has since made the home her ideal work-live space among the trees, filled with plants, colour, and family heirlooms.

Make yourself at home!

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
Supported by Dulux

Eliza began collecting plants as soon as she moved to Tasmania, as she wasn’t allowed to move her collection from Queensland due to the island’s biosecurity laws. ‘The large brown dresser is a writing desk that my mum’s father gave to my dad when they got married, and the dining chairs belonged to that same grandpa,’ she says. ‘The fern print to the right was my mum’s from the 70s.’ Photo – Marnie Hawson.

Eliza, her pup Frida and some tulips! Photo – Marnie Hawson.

Cactus and succulents getting some sun on the top deck. Photo – Marnie Hawson.

‘The flower shrine’ on the top of Eliza’s dresser is constantly revolving. ‘I reset it every week, and burn incense here every morning.’ she says. ‘Two of my favourite rituals.’ Photo – Marnie Hawson.

Eliza replaced all the light fittings in her home with paper shades. Photo – Marnie Hawson.

Eliza collected this painting while she was still living in her van. It was one of her first purchases when she arrived in Tassie. Photo – Marnie Hawson.

The black and white photo is a hand-print from photographer Kelly Geddes, of a still life composition that Eliza made. Candlestick holders are wonky experiments of Eliza’s. Vessel on the right by Isabel Hood. Photo – Marnie Hawson.

Nearly all bits of furniture that aren’t family pieces are from the tip shop or local auctions. The brass-edged table is covered in pinecones and begonias. Photo – Marnie Hawson.

Wall is Dulux Banksia Leaf. Large painting is Far From Here by Morgan Allender. ‘The funny face planter is an old piece by Group Partner, and the book far right is one of many nods to Frida Kahlo that I’ve been gifted thanks to naming my dog after her…’ says Eliza. Photo – Marnie Hawson.

The colourful texture on the back wall is upholstery linen from Shilo Engelbrecht. Another Group Partner boob pot. Photo – Marnie Hawson.

A green opening to the colourful bedroom! The texture on the back wall is upholstery linen from Shilo Engelbrecht. Photo – Eliza Rogers.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
27th of October 2021

Florist Eliza Rogers, owner of This Natural World, and her dog Frida moved to Hobart from Brisbane in 2016, and soon began searching for a permanent home. A standalone house in attractive South Hobart was out of the budget, but this 1970s three-bedroom unit with two outdoor areas was not!

‘It’s quiet and private, surrounded by greenery, and the huge windows help to make it feel bigger than most apartments, so I feel really lucky to have found it,’ says Eliza.

The area was a massive drawcard for Eliza, being close to kunanyi/Mount Wellington and nearby bushy, open space. She explains, ‘There are pockets of wilderness in South Hobart which make it feel way less urban than it is; perfect for me as I do a lot of foraging for my floristry work.’

Aside from adding a deck (built by Loci Landscapes) to the downstairs courtyard, Eliza has made only cosmetic and DIY updates to the home since moving in. Most of the concrete block walls have been rendered, new wool carpet has been installed in the bedrooms, and everything has been painted!

‘I painted the floor with black garage paint as soon as I ripped up the carpet and lino, which has lent a somewhat “industrial” vibe, and actually traps a lot of heat which keeps the house warm in winter,’ says Eliza. (This floor colour also helps to hide the inevitable mess that comes from a florist working from home!)

Salmon pinks and greens also feature throughout, subconsciously inspired by the beautiful country home Eliza’s grandparents built. ‘I like to think of it as our “hereditary colour palette,” she says. The living room wall is the complementary Dulux Banksia Leaf – a lovely earthy olive green that shows off a peachy painting by Eliza’s friend Morgan Allender beautifully. 

Keeping within the family theme, much of Eliza’s furniture has been inherited from relatives, surrounded by an ever-evolving arrangement of ceramics, art, plants, tools for hobbies, and tableware. ‘A lot of the heavy, antique brown furniture came from the farmhouse that I grew up in,’ she says. ‘It feels like a bit of an odd fit in the context of the building, but the family history makes it special to me.’

Eliza loves to host guests, so the furniture is always being pushed around to suit the mood, alongside extra folding chairs and trestle tables if required. ‘Sharing my home makes me so happy,’ she says. ‘I like things to feel relaxed and fun, and that anyone is welcome.’

It’s been only a few years since Eliza left Brisbane, but this South Hobart property and its close community is now very much her home. ‘This is kind of woo woo and funny, but I do strongly feel I am living exactly where I’m supposed to be at the moment,’ she says.  ‘I feel the most grounded and content that I ever have been living here.’ 

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