Ambient Creative

Design and visual narratives that elevate purposeful brands and businesses.

The Bootmaker’s House

“I finally got my hands on a copy of Fabric Quarterly to read Leigh-Ann Gemson’s article in the Slow Edit about The Bootmaker’s House. I love reading about how the space is experienced by guests, Leigh-Ann adds something extra though. She has made me see the space in a new way, articulating it in a way I never could. Thank you Ambient Creative.”

- Zoe Martyn, The Bootmaker’s House

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Nannup is an old mill town. It’s streetscapes are dotted with original worker’s cottages built from hand-sawn timber from the surrounding area. The Bootmaker’s House is one such cottage, and is also the reason we made the 3 hour drive from Perth. The front room housed the shop of J. Pickering who was the local bootmaker. Traces of its lived history can be felt through the collected objects and artworks, antique furniture, the textures and colours thoughtfully brought together by Zoe Martyn - the owner of the house who spends much of her time under the vast skies of the Western Dessert working in the Martumili artists’ community.

Stepping through the front door, one feels that there is a definite intention for guests to experience something out of the ordinary. The original patina left in tact but brought to life in a new age and with a new purpose. The cottage offers temporary accommodation to travellers and explorers. It has been curated as an art exhibition would to evoke emotion. Through vignettes of quietude and beauty the house tells a story of how life can be different to the way we experience it currently. The house is perfectly in sync with its surrounds and its history. It draws on these to create a unique experience for modern day folk to come to and to be still.

Words and photography by Leigh-Ann Gemson.

Excerpt from a feature originally published in Fabric Quarterly Magazine #10.