It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Australian author/publisher/entrepreneur/hilarious public speaker Lisa Messenger.
I picked up the very first copy of her magazine, ‘Collective Magazine‘, back in March 2013, when the idea of running my own business was all but a thought hidden pretty deep (but certainly niggling away) inside.
Reading the magazine religiously and following Lisa’s own story, through attending her events and reading her books (told you I was a fan!) was a big inspiration behind me going out ‘on my own’.
Now, the latest addition to the Collective Hub‘s swag of products and experiences is their ‘Collective Retreat‘, tucked away in Bangalow in New South Wales, which is a ten minute drive from world famous Byron Bay.
The interiors got me excited – with its very ‘Byron’ aesthetic: white on white with bohemian vibes and green foliage. So I had to feature it!
The hinterland retreat has three different spaces, giving flexibility. The largest is ‘The House’, which was once a railway workers cottage. Two bedrooms, a country style kitchen, bathroom complete with a claw foot bath, original timber floorboards, French doors, stained glass windows and a wood fired heater make this the perfect space to C H I L L !
Then there’s also self-contained ‘The Studio’, with room for two, and ‘The Little Retreat’, designed as an overflow sleeping spot for guests!
Take a read of my chat with Lisa and the team at Collective Hub to find out how this special space came to be…
Where did the inspiration behind the retreat come from?
Lisa has owned this house in Bangalow, NSW for about 7 years and wanted to give it a much needed dose of TLC after it had become run down over the years. We also wanted to create space for our Collective Hub community to come and feel like the best version of themselves!
Tell us about some of the unique features of the retreat and how they came about?
We wanted to create a white on white palette (white walls, white floors!) to be able to start from scratch and really do whatever we wanted to! I love that we have a really nice mix of boho with an eclectic feel (note: giant Moroccan pink rug!) with that old Australian Queenslander vibe.
What are some of your favourite parts of the retreat?
I love what I like to call the “good vibes” corner… we have an epic What She Said Co neon sign that we sourced from Marr-Kett and a stunning cowboy cactus behind the couch in a Design Twins pot. It makes me smile every time I see it!
– Lisa Messenger
Where did you source your furniture and homewares from?
We went for a 48 hour trip to Byron and literally walked up and down the streets, in and out of shops gathering inspiration! We then figured out which brands suited our style the best and went from there.
How would you sum your retreat up?!
Fresh, vibrant & relaxing! The absolute best place to relax, dream and create.
Thanks for this great blog. Useful information shared.
Hi Sandra! At a guess, the rugs could be from MARR-KETT in Byron Bay: https://marr-kett.com.au/. Good luck!
Thank you for the articles and photos! Can you please help me with where I could buy the red/pink rug that was featured?
It was a treat writing this one – what a stunning place! Thanks for reading!
Emily this is great! It is such a lovely article and I find that the photos are lovely as well. It’s just amazing how you put all these together on “Inside Collective Hub’s Bangalow retreat” with such great tips! Looking forward to more of these.