Home Stories: Janette Wojtaszak

Posted on 9 December, 2017

Janette has almost as many professional aliases as I do.

I’m sure it’s not because she’s trying to avoid tax, but rather a sign of someone that has fingers in many pies. You may know her as a stylist at Canberra Centre, the designer behind ‘Statement by Janette’ jewellery and accessories, the creative mind behind fashion label T-Heinrich, or the blogger behind ‘The Statement Life’.

You might also know her by her maiden name, Janette Lenk—a change she made out of respect for her Polish husband—but personally, I have a theory it’s to make people suffer while attempting to pronounce ‘Wojtaszak’. Give up? It’s pronounced voy-ta-shak. How do I know? Let’s just say I was a child movie star in that country (that’s a story for another time).

When we visited Janette in her Turner apartment, our photographer Victor had just returned from Vietnam and had that blessing of a fresh perspective where you see things you glance past every day in a whole new light. So, when Janette’s dog, Cookie, came flying out greet us, Victor excitedly exclaimed, ‘it’s a sheep!’ See what I mean? All of us just think it’s a Cavoodle. A few weeks in Asia and to Victor, it’s a sheep.

We moved past the dog and into the very stylish apartment. An on-trend gold lamp here, a cute butterfly cloche there; designer books stacked on a table, perfume bottles on store-like display, comfy cushions and rugs scattered throughout, and—as the pièce de résistance—a perfectly arranged stack of fresh donuts. These elements were not just for show though; they are all functional items with books being read (by Janette), cushions being used (mostly by Cookie) and donuts being eaten (by us).

So why Turner? Most people freak out at the idea of having a baby in a two-bedroom apartment with a dog and surrounded by all the usual city pressure, but not Janette, who is expecting her first child in early 2018. She loves the proximity, the pace and the feeling you’re right in it and says she wouldn’t give that up for more rooms and a backyard. The energy of life around her stimulates her to do more with all her business ventures.

When we were hanging out on the balcony Victor had another insightful moment, pondering that “from up here, you see the contrast of the old homes with the new apartments interspersed with huge oaks …and it’s quite stunning.” He’s right, we often overlook how nice our city is—and sometimes, all it takes to appreciate it, is to go up a few floors to see it from a different perspective.