Inside the home of Emma Macdonald from Her Canberra

When you know, you know. And when Emma Macdonald, Associate Editor at Her Canberra, and her husband Paul laid eyes on their dream home on a quiet corner of one of Ainslie’s tiny curved streets almost 15 years ago, they knew.

Designed by well-known Canberra designer Gina Carmody, the house was under construction at the time, while Emma and Paul lived nearby in a tiny weatherboard.

“We were just gobsmacked because it was huge and it was in such a beautiful location,” says Emma.

“Then we had our first child and we were thinking of getting a bit more space. And my husband came in one morning very early and said, 'I've just found our new house'. And the house was coming on the market. So we absolutely had to have it. We went to auction and got it. So we've been really happy here.”

The award-winning journalist and co-founder of charity Send Hope Not Flowers has now lived in the house for 13 years with Paul and their two children. Flooded with natural light, the beautifully designed two storey, four bedroom house was given a major colour scheme change when they first moved in, but has only had cosmetic tweaks ever since.

“My husband and I both love books, so one of the first things, the day that we moved in, we had a wall of bookshelves made, which was interesting with builders coming in as we're trying to move our furniture,” says Emma.

“Then the blinds, the shutters. And the main thing is the landscaping, we've done a lot of work on the garden.”

While inside exudes a sense of calm, the house has a lived-in feel and is decorated in an eclectic mish mash of much-loved finds. The walls are adorned with rock posters of the bands Emma and Paul have seen, or prints they’ve waited years and searched the world to get their hands on, while others are lined with books or records.

“This house is full of a collection of stuff that we've been collecting through 30 years of being together and having a marriage and having children. I see something I like and I buy it, I don't have any rusted on brands,” says Emma.

“One of my favourite things is an old butcher's block which actually I managed to find in an old Canberra butchery. I didn't want a new faux butcher's block, I wanted something that, even though I'm a vegetarian, had meat chopped all over it. So I love that. I managed to haggle down the price, but I think I waited about five years to find that thing. I knew that I wanted it there.”

While she spends most time in the laundry or in the kitchen, “feeding hungry people”, her favourite room in the house is the sitting room. Just off the main entrance, and all dark and moody, the room houses cosy couches, the record player and the couple’s extensive record collection.

“I light candles at night and have some lamps in there and also in winter all of the floors in this house are heated and it's got thick carpet and then a rug on top of that. So I just lie down on the floor and the heat soaks up and it's pretty nice,” says Emma.

Living in the leafy suburb of Ainslie, Emma makes the most of easy access to nearby Lonsdale Street in Braddon - you’ll find her there most mornings - or at her beloved nearby Ainslie IGA.

“Anyone who knows me knows that my diet is three parts cheese to two parts any other nutritional input,” she says.

“I said to Manuel Xyrakis [owner of Ainslie IGA] that when I die I'd like my ashes scattered in the Ainslie IGA cheese aisle. I don't know if that's going to meet the health and safety regulations, but there wouldn't be a week that goes by where I'm not buying cheese down there.”

And it’s this part of town where she’s called home her whole life.

“I love Mt Ainslie, I've literally lived my entire life under the shadow of that mountain. I see it every day, I watch the sun set. In winter the mountain turns pink which is just this strange thing that all Ainslie people recognise. I love the fact that there are kangaroos in my front yard and cockatoos that swoop over from Corroboree Park every afternoon. It's just a beautiful suburb,” she says.

While she’s a huge advocate for her home city of Canberra, even after all these years she still struggles with one of Canberra’s less pleasant aspects.

“Canberra is a very, very nice city to live in, very convenient, it's just the weather I have issue with. Those winters really do me over every single year. I find myself falling out of love with Canberra in about June and it takes until about November for the emotion to resurface,” she says.

And their latest addition to the house has been designed with those harsh winters in mind. The house was originally designed with space for a lap pool in the yard, but it was never installed. Instead in 2019 they installed a swim spa, where the heating can be pumped up in the cooler months and it can be enjoyed almost year-round.

“We figured in Canberra you wouldn't get a lot of use out of a traditional pool but a heated swim spa this size is pretty nice. In winter the steam rises off it, it's like being in a bath,” she says.

In short, with Emma Macdonald:

If friends are visiting Canberra, where's the first place you'll take them?

I would definitely take them to Lonsdale Street, just because it's so fun and so vibrant and there's always something to see or do or eat. I also think the Lake's a really beautiful part of Canberra so maybe a walk around the Lake.

What are the three things you can't live without?

I can't live without a good gin and tonic at the end of the day. I can't live without a really big sofa - I think when you've got a family, it's lovely to have a massive spot that you can all just crash into. Another thing I can't live without is good kitchenware. I really spend a lot of time [in the kitchen] and I love my beautiful Le Crueset pots that my Mum bought me, and a beautiful dinner set, cutlery, that sort of stuff just makes me feel very happy.

When you’ve had a big day, what's your favourite way to unwind?

In the pool with a gin and tonic.

When do you love to dine out in Canberra?

I eat out so much. For old, beautiful places I love Rubicon. I just think it is such a classic - well-done, never had a bad meal there. And for something new I love Rizla on Lonsdale Street. I had a fantastic meal there the other day so I'll be going back.

What are your three home must-haves?

In terms of design I would say a galley kitchen where you can see what's going on in the living room, you've got access to a dining room and you can see who's coming and going. I think when you're a busy mum of two kids, it's really handy, plus I spend most of my time here. I'd also say a mud room, because you can leave bags and shoes and that sort of thing behind. My third must-haves, I love lamps and candles, so I would say lovely soft lighting at night, not that harsh overhead lighting. That really makes a difference to how a home feels.