Sneak peek: Take a tour of PR guru Annalise Brown’s minimalist and oh-so-modern apartment
She leads a hustle, bustle kind of life, but the second Annalise Brown turns the key in her apartment door, tension evaporates and calm kicks in.
Local
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Annalise Brown is something of a PR legend. She has worked with the biggest global brands including Visa, Virgin, Panasonic, BWS and H andR Block.
But while her working world is non-stop pace and passion, Annalise’s home life is the complete opposite.
It provides her sanctuary and is a welcome change from her day-to-day ‘on’ world.
Indeed, her Rushcutter’s Bay apartment is so relaxed, as soon as you sit on that comfy lounge you don’t want to get up.
And with working from home being our new normal, she is finding her home comfy and practical and the perfect backdrop for the endless video meetings she’s having. Oh, and Zoom drinks parties with friends, after hours.
Annalise was recently appointed as the first Australian CEO of Frank, an international communications agency, which is part of global powerhouse the Enero group.
After almost 25 years in the business, Annalise has always had a philosophy to put her client’s fame first. Here’s a peek inside one of the most formidable and trusted names in the PR business.
‘I’m passionate about ‘storytelling’ and don’t believe one size fits all,” Annalise tells me.
Which you can see from the way Annalise lives: a potpourri of beautiful finds, a tonne of light, ease and comfort, that makes work and play a perfect combination.
Who lives in your home?
Mostly me. However I also provide an ‘exit lounge’ for great friends when they are moving interstate or overseas. I’ve only just said goodbye to one of my dearest friends Johnny rock star who moved to New York (although he has since returned due to the massive COVID-19 outbreak in NYC).
I love my own space, but also like sharing it with people who share the same sensibilities as me.
Tell us about your home style …
The high ceilings and the big windows gives my apartment a NYC loft feel. I was drawn to that the first day I walked into it.
I have an eclectic taste, which is a mix of old and more modern pieces, but each piece has a special reason for being there. There’s a story behind every single thing.
Who did your interiors? How did you know they were a good fit for your project?
I have done it myself with input from friends and family along the way. I have been lucky enough to have very stylish good friends who have interior design backgrounds who have helped find some key pieces and shape my design aesthetic, particularly over the last 20 years.
What was the design brief?
It had to be functional and comfortable. I like to be able to entertain but my apartment also needs to be an office at times. I wanted it to be a place where I can switch off and relax. As the CEO of a very busy communications agency, Frank, the need to have somewhere I can also call my oasis is really important to me. It’s also somewhere I need to sometimes mix business with pleasure, working, entertaining and relaxing all in the same place.
What inspires you when it comes to homes and interior spaces?
Personal touches and things that remind me of different moments and travels over my life. I love the influence of different animals. I have paintings, sculptures and mementos which represent different animals that I love being surrounded by. They make me smile.
Your favourite room in your home?
The living room. I love my big coffee table. It’s used as a dining table, an office, a make-up table and more, it’s very multifunctional. It’s also the key focal point of the open plan room. It was created for me by a very dear friend Simon Plowman when he just started his furniture business, the Woodroom.
I also have a relaxed bookshelf from Woodroom. I think Simon’s now too successful to take my calls, but I love the juxtaposition of the wood furniture in my home with the very iconic windows. And when I need more I will annoy him until he does take my call!
What did you find most challenging when designing your home?
Finding a place for everything! It’s still an apartment and I sometimes forget I have finite space. I often change things around to ‘reprioritise’ special pieces.
What is the most unique feature of your home?
The high ceilings and the wall long windows. I think I bought the apartment nine days later as a result!
Which feature makes you most proud?
My artworks, they have all been mostly a family experience. The two done by my father are very special because they are from him. He was an architect who painted on the side. He was very humble about his artistic ability. There is one piece that my sisters and I have all had our eye on since we were little girls which I now have hanging on my wall.
I’m expecting that we will each have it on our wall over the years, it was such a focus of our attention growing up.
At Dad’s funeral, my uncle gave me some other pieces that had just been in his garage. One was a painting of the neighbourhood I lived in for my first five years, Newtown.
It’s a raw black and white piece of the back lane behind our terrace and done on the back of a piece of wood. I had it framed and it reminds me of him and his craft.
My sisters, Cybele and Xanthe, have both bought me pieces over the years for significant birthdays. They are both way more creative than I am and I love their input. And finally my mother is very sentimental and bought me a print from my favourite book I loved as a five year old, about fairies. How she remembered for all those year to my 30th birthday I don’t know, and I love it!
Where is the best place to stand or sit to best enjoy your home?
The coffee table is my favourite spot. I swap from one couch to the other and switch up how I sit on each couch. I’m pretty sure I will have some long-term back problems from crouching over my coffee table, but I don’t care, it’s my happy place.
Where are some of your favourite interiors and key pieces of furniture from?
I have such talented friends and I’m lucky enough to have input from Tim Christmas at Whitecliffe Imports, who when it comes to rugs, carpets and general aesthetics is the best in the biz. Timbo has such a great eye. His sister, Nikki Dunlop, has also helped me get some key ‘made for me pieces’ and Skye Campbell, with whom I visit the Launceston Markets every Sunday I stay with her. That is a pure treasure trove and she always finds the hidden gems.
Where do you like to shop for interior pieces?
If I’m honest I get so much inspiration online. Pinterest and Instagram are obvious favourites. I also love Zoosh, Peters of Kensington and Pottery Barn.