Asked how many homes she has ‘Dinniganed’ in the past two decades, she pauses before answering: “Twelve – maybe fifteen?” The uniting thread might be an abiding passion for white walls, yet her décor rarely resembles the Romanticism of her fashion designs. In place of intricate French lace and watercolour prints is a restraint anchored in how she likes to live and raise her family. Everything has a home, a purpose and a story. In her latest residence, a reborn beach house on the South Coast of New South Wales, the approach is both intimate and pragmatic. The beautiful antique maps that adorn the bedrooms were used by her father to navigate their epic journey from South Africa to New Zealand, the marbles of the bathroom and kitchen are more than 300 years old (garnered from years of Italian quarry foraging) and the hand-painted plates were made to her design in Basilicata, Italy. As luxe beach pads go, this one is more than soulful than staged.

Written by Anna Johnson Photography by Earl Carter