Pearsons Residence · Southern Highlands
A legend, reimagined.
COUNTRY ESTATE
The estate
Its next chapter is its finest.
These gates have opened for Olympic equestrians, for the thoroughbred yearlings of Gai Waterhouse, and for the legendary parties of fashion designer Lisa Ho, parties the Southern Highlands still talks about. Now they open onto something new: a home reborn to a standard worthy of its remarkable past.
This is Velvet Stud.
The brief
Ralph Lauren-inspired, yet entirely her own.
No budget. Only a clear understanding of what needed to be achieved.
She arrived at this project with an exacting eye, a magnificent art collection and a life lived without compromise. Her previous residence, a celebrated waterfront home on one of Perth’s most exclusive riverside streets, had already been shaped by LLP Design, layering new pieces with the outstanding furnishings the home already held until it felt entirely, unmistakably hers.
Here, the brief went further. She wanted warmth and generosity. Several entertaining zones, each with its own mood. Meticulous order. Custom joinery and storage so considered that the business of living never interrupts the home. And above all, a residence that reflected her greatest passion: horses. Her life has been defined by the American quarter horse world, and the home she envisioned was a refined American equestrian ranch. Bold, warm, individual and completely hers.
The property
A piece of living Australian history.
Lush acres in the Southern Highlands. Natural rainforest. A private lake of mirror-still water. Spring-fed dams and generous rainfall that keep the pastures vivid green year-round, on basalt soils among the most fertile in Australia.
From the air, the property reads as a masterwork of rural order: white post-and-rail fencing dividing the paddocks into a graphic, almost cinematic composition to the horizon. The tree-canopied driveway, one of the most photographed approaches in the Southern Highlands, draws you in from the moment the gates open.
Long known as Velvet Stud, the estate was the official training base for the Australian show jumping team at the Sydney Olympics. When the current owner acquired it, she understood immediately what she held. Not just land. Not just a house. A legacy waiting for a vision equal to it.
“I was involved in every element. Every room. Every paddock fence. Every stone wall. Every piece of joinery. It is the most ambitious project of my career, and the one I am most proud of.”
Luis La Pegna · Principal
High Point Market, North Carolina
The backbone of the home.
We travelled to High Point Market, the world’s largest furnishings trade event. Ralph Lauren Home formed the backbone: furniture, homewares and lighting for the entry, living room and rumpus, with Ralph Lauren wallcoverings across the same rooms.
Fine Art Lamps by Alison Paladino provided the entry pendant and sconces. Eichholtz features throughout, Kelly Wearstler lighting and accessories appear in several rooms, Exquisite Rugs were selected for every room, and one-off vintage pieces, including the lounge coffee table and the mirrored dressing table, came through 1stDibs.
Texas
The soul of the home.
The client’s deep connection to the quarter horse world meant Texas was not optional. It was essential. We travelled specifically to source the pieces that would give the ranch its soul: mounted heads, cowhide and sheepskin furniture, and one-off pieces available nowhere else.
The bison mount that presides over the rumpus fireplace was found here, as were the hides that give the home its genuine ranch materiality. These are not decorative references to an aesthetic. They are the real thing.
Ralph Lauren gave us a compass. Texas gave us the soul.
The entry hall
A declaration on arrival.
The original travertine floors anchor a hand-blown glass ring chandelier by Fine Art Lamps by Alison Paladino, its organic form and warm light signalling that what lies ahead is unlike anything expected. Matching sconces flank the walls, with Ralph Lauren wallcoverings adding depth and texture.
A tufted leather ottoman, a sheepskin-draped vintage settee, a campaign cabinet and carefully placed Eichholtz objects complete a composition resolved before a single further room is seen. Beyond, an inner hall in deep navy draws the eye through arched doorways toward gallery-lit portraiture.
The formal living room
The centrepiece of the home.
A coffered ceiling with gold-leaf reveals. Twin monumental chandelier rings in polished nickel by Kelly Wearstler. Ralph Lauren wallcoverings in rich, textured depth. The original stone fireplace, now soaring to full ceiling height. Ralph Lauren Home upholstery in bouclé and linen, tufted leather wingbacks, and a bold portrait from the client’s collection commanding the end wall.
Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the rainforest as a living painting. The room seats a crowd with ease, or wraps two people in complete warmth beside the fire.
The rumpus room
A point of view, fully committed.
The most unapologetically bold room in the house. Deep navy Ralph Lauren wallcoverings. A sandstone fireplace rebuilt to full ceiling height, presided over by the bison mount from Texas. Tufted cognac leather Chesterfields, tartan cushions and throws, cowhide and sheepskin, Kelly Wearstler lighting, and custom joinery for the bar and media wall, because meticulous order was non-negotiable, even here.
Equal parts hunting lodge, American West and gentleman’s club.
The kitchen and casual dining
From family breakfast to a dinner for many.
The generous kitchen footprint and antique timber island were worth keeping. Everything else was rebuilt in the language of the home: crisp white cabinetry, marble slab splashbacks, and a custom navy leather banquette around a carved antique dining table under oversized drum pendants in white, navy and gold.
Custom joinery throughout. Every appliance housed, every surface clear.
The master suite
A deliberate exhale.
The original master bedroom was modest. A modest bedroom was not an option. An adjacent porch was enclosed and absorbed into the suite, creating a three-part master: the bedroom, a dedicated makeup suite and a walk-in robe of pure theatre.
The bedroom is a calm exhale after the drama of the public rooms: hotel linen in white and gold, a custom upholstered headboard, paired arched timber mirrors, crystal lamps and sheepskin over deep carpet. The walk-in robe is a private boutique, with floor-to-ceiling mirrored joinery displaying a collection of shoes and bags from the world’s most coveted designers. The vintage mirrored dressing table anchors the makeup suite with a character no new piece can replicate.
Meticulous order. Uncompromised luxury. A life, perfectly organised.
“Some projects arrive with a spreadsheet and a mood board. Pearsons Residence arrived with a feeling, and a trust I have rarely experienced in my career. The result is not what I would call decorated. It is designed, completely, from the ground up, as a single act of vision.”
Luis La Pegna · The designer’s perspective
Project details
Ways to begin
Not ready for a full renovation? Start here.
How we work
One studio. One vision. One point of contact.
Total responsibility
Design, trades and delivery, managed by LLP Design from first sketch to handover.
A fixed design fee
Agreed before work begins. You will never be surprised by a cost.
Your written approval
Nothing proceeds without it. Every selection and every change is signed off first.
Progress payments
Tied to the build and staged through the contract, so trades are paid as the work is completed.
A sister brand by Luis La Pegna