The awe-inspiring outlook from Louise Olsen’s Sydney home gazes down onto Bronte beach. “We live up on a hill and we look down towards the ocean,” she says of what first attracted her to this picturesque spot when she and her husband – fellow artist and [Dinosaur](https://www.net-a-porter.com/shop/designer/dinosaur-designs) [Designs](https://www.net-a-porter.com/shop/designer/dinosaur-designs) co-founder Stephen Ormandy – moved here two decades ago. “Our house is surrounded by gum trees and other native Australian trees, which I love because it brings all the birds, like kookaburras – they’re very happy here.” Nature is of perennial importance to the couple, who met at art school 30 years ago and founded their brand while they were there, with its influence apparent throughout their swirled and sculptural homewares. They renovated the house, which started as a small bungalow, to create an airy and art-adorned abode, which “opens up to the landscape and out to the bush. We get such good sea breezes, so we never need air-conditioning, which we love because we wanted the house to be really sensitive to the environment.” The living area is the focal point of the house, featuring large, rolling doors that open out onto the gum trees, offering glimpses of the ocean. “It’s a lovely place to sit after a busy day at the studio,” says Olsen. “It really feels like a sanctuary… to get a nice glass of wine, sit on the couch and reflect on the day is incredibly restorative. Nature does something to us that restores our sensitivities and our sense of calm.” But, as tranquil as it is, this isn’t only a place to unwind. Keen collectors as well as makers of art and objects (creativity is in the genes – their daughter, Camille, is also an artist, as are Olsen’s parents), the couple has conceived a space that can be “a beautiful canvas for objects and paintings… It’s a great backdrop for us to explore and experience design.”