Home Stories: Jade Hansen

Posted on 31 August, 2018

Ashley Feraude takes you on a tour of Jade Hansen’s part-vintage, part-provincial and part-Scandi Swinger Hill beauty.

“If you’re not wearing denim, stripes or white, you need to keep moving on.” Jade smiled at me and Cass as we stood in front of the custom front gate of her home in Swinger Hill. And there I was, wearing a charcoal blazer with a black vest, black jeans with black boots. Oh wait, black jeans? That’s denim …phew I’m in.

“Come in guys and let’s head straight to the kitchen for some cheese and wine”. I was still staring at my jeans when I heard an enthusiastic “Now you’re talkin” from Cass.

After taking a peek at Jade’s account @coventry_grey_ on Instagram, I was curious to know what she actually does. As she brought out the glasses and plates, I learned that her background covers cosmetics, hospitality and now business management. So where did her part-vintage, part-provincial and part-Scandi knack for interior design come from?

Well, it started when she moved to the UK to be a nanny for a British family with money and taste. Jade was picked up at the airport by a guy who looked like Russell Brand and had a matching rock ‘n’ roll attitude to interior design. Jade felt so at home being surrounded by people who loved industrial design and styling that she came back to Australia a changed woman.

Since her career was not interior design-related, she began making her home her major project. “It’s just as well,too,” she said. “It’s one thing renovating and styling your own home but it’s a completely different thing doing it for someone else.

“I feel really free being my own biggest fan and critic—I am the most resourceful when I have myself to answer to.”

Resourceful is the key word here. Jade doesn’t just pick nice Kinfolk-inspired pieces and move them around the house, she does all the renovation work herself—from sanding the ceiling beams, removing wall carpets and yanking out old mirror cupboards, to replacing wall panels, installing chandeliers and, of course, plenty of painting. If you want proof, just take a look at the top of the ceilings where there is still the original grey paint showing (she couldn’t reach high enough with the brush).

At that point, I suggested she tie a brush to a broom and bribe her children to finish the job with tickets to my next Magnifik concert as a prize. This was met with complete silence, as neither Jade or Cass knew what Magnifik is, much to my disappointment. When I explained ‘Magnifik’ is my stage name, there was even more awkward silence until Jade said, “yes, well, my boy really likes gangster rap…but thanks.”

Once back in the dining space, we talked about the difference between apartments feeling small or intimate. And there is a difference. Small is when you’re running out of room and feel claustrophobic, whereas intimate is cosy. Jade’s preference for white, which opens up spaces, mixed with chalky and matte textures, creates a perfect casual home environment. There’s no glass or chrome in sight, just lots of natural fabrics and pale colour, which provide softness and lightness.

When I asked why she bought this home over any other options, she led me to the front doorway, pointed at the staircase and said, “when I walked in and saw this, I knew this would be our new home. I overheard people saying that it was a massive dump but I just saw potential in the old elements like the classic floorboards and the uneven rendered wall.”

The home became a canvas for her vision and, bit-by-bit, Jade has built her home on that original vision.

And this brings me to an interesting point. You know how when you come back from longer holidays, for a short period—before it inevitably deteriorates—you get a fresh perspective on your life? On the way from the airport, you might realise that you missed the people at work more than you thought you would, or that you should quit your job to open a paddleboard rental place in Hawaii. But—more to the point—when you return home, you see your home like others see it and you can use that insight to make observations that otherwise blend into the everyday.

Next time you come back from time away, use that moment to its fullest potential. Don’t be critical though—just look for the simple potential the way Jade did. You are likely to discover what to do next in a way that never seemed so obvious. Then write it down on your to-do list before you get sidetracked with how big your shed will need to be for 20 paddleboards.