28 NORTHSIDE COURIER, Tuesday, June 14, 2011

PROPERTY | MY HOME

COLOUR WARMS WINTERPRUE ROYLE IS SURROUNDED BY THETHINGS SHE LOVES WRITES POLLY SIMONS

PICTURES: YIE SANDISON

Clockwise from top:Hammock with cushions: ‘‘The

hammock is from Bali and thecushions are by Kim Parker,

she’s a designer and friend ofmine in New York. The blanket

is from a recent trip with a groupto Morocco, but the funny thingis it’s (British brand) Zara Home.It’s a great example of what we

teach because I can grabanother cushion and takeanother rug and style it to

create different look.’’

Coloured marbles: ‘‘They’recat’s eyes, from a beautiful

marble factory in Vietnamcalled Marble Mountain.’’

Birds: ‘‘The birds are all aboutfreedom; the fact they’re on theoutside and could fly away. The

cat cushion is from one of mystudents. Isn’t it cute?’’

It’s freezing cold outside but Prue Royle’s Waverton homeis a haven of colour and warmth.

‘‘Come in, come in,’’ she says, meeting us at the gate andushering us into her bamboo-lined courtyard, past thedelicate table and chairs she has nicknamed her ‘‘Balipocket’’, and which are festooned with brightly-stripedcushions in shades of pink, lime green and turquoise.

‘‘People in winter usually go for more sombre colours,and particularly for more texture, but I always go colourwhen it’s cold,’’ she says. ‘‘It brings such a lovely energyto the place.’’

As founder of North Sydney’s International School of

Colour and Design and director of The HeartfulTravellers, a boutique travel company specialising in artand design tours of places such as Morocco, New York andBali, colour and its effect on people is something she hasbeen passionate about for almost 30 years.

‘‘I think the psychology of colour is the most fascinatingpart of it all,’’ she says, offering us tea from a Moroccansilver teapot while Felix the Ragdoll cat sits at her feet.

‘‘Houses are places you where need to feel at home;where you can come and get a buzz and feel good or findserenity if that’s what you want,’’ she says.

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Source: Get in with the Locals, Clarity Research,December 2010. Filter: Sydney.

NORTHSIDE COURIER, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 29

From top centre:Moroccan tassels: ‘‘When I went to Morocco, there was a manmaking beautiful tassels in the middle of the medina. I boughtabout 20 for my staff at ISCD, and three years later when I wentback with a group, he recognised me. I couldn’t believe it.’’

Musical bottle: ‘‘I found this in a funny old shop in Orange while myson was studying medicine there. It once had vodka in it, and ifsomeone picks it up, she stops dancing. And of course, she’s a bitnaughty; she’s only got a skirt on.’’

Decorative bottles: ‘‘These are Moroccan perfume bottles. WhenI took a group to see the man who made them, he was so excitedhe gave them to me.’’

Colourful frog: ‘‘This cute little guy comes from a tiny boutique nearthe Musee d’Orsay in Paris. I like things that are quirky.’’

Cup and saucer: ‘‘This little cup and saucer was done by my kids,so it’s precious to me.’’

Rocking horse: ‘‘I found him in an old antique shop. He was paintedorange, black and white, so I stripped him back and gave him acoat of French polish. What’s beautiful is that I’ve got pictures ofmy own children and now my grandchildren on it.’’

Her own home, with its white-painted walls, artworkcreated by former ISCD students and objects picked upon trips overseas, definitely falls into the former category.

‘‘In our leisure courses we teach a concept of core,demand and reject colours, where your core colour is thecolour you’re most comfortable with,’’ she says.

‘‘This pinky-red is my demand colour, the colour I alwayspull in when I need it. As a communicator, I give out a lotof energy and I find it really replenishes my energy levels.’’

The house almost hums with energy now, but eight yearsago it was a very different story.

‘‘When I moved in it was horrible,’’ she says. ‘‘It had dirtygrey carpet and the people living here declared they werehippies and happy with it how it was. There were dreamcatchers and wind chimes everywhere.’’

Yet the design of the house was perfect and its locationmeant it was flooded with light.

‘‘I thought I’d do a feature wall, but when I tried it, Iended up whiting it out,’’ she says. ‘‘Because of the anglesof the walls, nothing is regular. In the end, the designfeatures were so interesting, it didn’t need solid colours.’’

Details: iscd.edu.au or theheartfultravellers.com.

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