First published 19 Oct 2026, 3:49pm
Live-in studios and artists' homes are redefining prestige real estate, with buyers increasingly valuing homes that express individuality .
If you walked into my three-level Bondi Beach home on any given day, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d accidentally stumbled into an avant-garde gallery — or the chaotic aftermath of a high-end museum heist.
Classical torsos sit cheek-by-jowl with hand-built, dual-faced, ceramic heads. Massive abstract canvases lean against walls. Art supplies share square footage with a fully stocked under-house wine cellar. And navigating all of it, with surprising precision are my two rescue dogs, who have learned the hard way to dodge wet paint and fragile clay sculptures.
For two decades, my life revolved around newsrooms and TV studios as a senior journalist and producer across the UK, Middle East, and Australia. But transitioning to full-time art wasn't so much a dramatic pivot as a homecoming—I’m really just telling the same human stories, except now using steel, clay, and canvas instead of a laptop or camera crew.
When I finally traded deadline meltdowns for a studio practice, my domestic setup had to undergo its own evolution. I didn't just need a place to crash, I needed a residence big enough to double as a working studio and live-in gallery.
Journalist-turned-artist Paul Ewart has transformed his home into a workspace. Picture: Supplied
While most Australians aren't turning their spare rooms into ceramics kilns or painting studios, my domestic setup mirrors a broader cultural shift taking place at the upper end of the residential market.
Across prestige real estate, both serious collectors and high-net-worth buyers are rejecting cookie-cutter, sterile luxury in pursuit of spaces with genuine character and architectural soul.
Where buyers once settled for standard plasterboard and neutral feature walls, there is now a surging demand for built-in gallery infrastructure—from double-height void walls and museum-grade track lighting to reinforced floor loads designed to support heavy sculpture.
Whether built for an active creator or a passionate collector, properties engineered to seamlessly display and foster art are standing out as rare, high-value trophy assets.
Operating a functional studio within a three-level residence means the space gets thoroughly battle-tested on a daily basis. Between wrestling large-scale canvases up three flights of stairs and test-hanging works across multiple rooms, the layout serves as both a heavy-duty production environment and a trial showroom.
Currently, my home studio doubles as the creative HQ and staging ground for an upcoming artist-in-residence month-long feature at QT Bondi, where my latest collection will take over the hotel’s public spaces, lobby corridors, and curated suites.
Transforming a luxury hotel’s communal footprint into an immersive gallery experience requires months of spatial planning, test-hanging, and maquette studies, all carried out directly within my residential footprint.
Ceramic heads, huge canvases and art supplies compete for space in the Bondi Beach home. Picture: Supplied
That same spatial planning served as the conceptual springboard for another major local milestone just down the road at Marks Park, where I was selected as the only local Bondi resident exhibiting in Sculpture by the Sea 2026 with my piece Both Sides Now—a 3m-high mirror-finished stainless steel sculpture.
While the physical fabrication of a heavy-gauge steel piece of that complexity requires specialist industrial metalworks, the entire concept was born, refined, and scaled inside my home studio.
Paul Ewart's work Both Sides Now features in Sculptures by the Sea 2026. Picture: Supplied
Standing on the coastal walk where around half a million people react to art in real-time, its mirrored facets echo the exact interplay of light and reflection nurtured inside my home.
This appetite for homes that accommodate large-scale art reflects a broader shift in high-end buying habits.
Rather than buying a conventional luxury home and trying to adapt it, prestige buyers are increasingly hunting for properties with built-in gallery features designed to let major collections shine.
Artist Lara Scloari has transformed her Balmain home into a workspace. Picture: Supplied
It's a lifestyle and creative reality echoed by contemporary Australian abstract artist Lara Scolari.
Based in a three-storey historic terrace in Balmain, Ms Scolari operates a purpose-built art studio on the lower garden level, where her physical, large-scale action paintings—built up over 40 translucent layers—take shape.
"Space, light, good walls and freedom to make a mess are the non-negotiables," Ms Scolari explains.
"Having direct access to the garden is probably my greatest luxury. Being able to extend the studio outdoors gives me additional working space, but it also connects me directly to light, weather, movement and nature—all things that feed back into my work."
"Having my studio within my home means art is simply part of everyday life. Creativity is always there."
The three-storey home features a dedicated art studio on the lower level. Picture: Supplied
Properties built or adapted with dedicated creative infrastructure — think soaring wall clearance, directional track lighting, and dedicated studio footprints — are proving that bespoke gallery features aren't just aesthetic choices, they're major market drivers.
Beyond the practical requirements of working artists, displaying art inside a lived-in home radically alters how prospective buyers interact with both the artwork and the property itself.
Seeing a monumental canvas hanging on the clinical white wall of a commercial gallery can feel detached and hard to picture in a domestic setting. However, seeing that same piece mounted on an exposed brick wall above a dining setup, bathed in natural sunlight, instantly translates how art breathes inside a home.
It provides the space with immediate context and, for buyers stepping into an art-infused home, it offers an emotional connection to a lifestyle turning a property inspection into an immersive cultural experience.
Experiencing a work of art in a residential setting is completely different to viewing it in a gallery, as this artist's home in Glebe demonstrates. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Ms Scolari notes that entering a lived-in art space completely changes the buyer dynamic.
"When someone enters a working studio, they see that an artwork hasn't simply appeared perfectly finished on a white wall. They see the paint, materials, unfinished canvases, experiments and the beautiful mess involved in making it," she said.
"Living with art also allows people to see how dramatically an artwork can change the feeling of a room. It isn't just decoration—it can bring energy, emotion and personality into a home."
In prestige real estate, bold artistic architecture and bespoke creative spaces were once viewed by traditional real estate agents as a risky gamble. The historical dilemma for vendors was simple: does an overly expressive, art-focused home risk dividing or turning off mainstream buyers, or does it command a massive market premium?
An art studio within the home allows for creativity whenever inspiration strikes. Picture: Supplied
"I think people are increasingly looking for homes that feel like somebody actually lives there," Ms Scolari said. "We've had such a long period of very neutral interiors—beautiful spaces, but sometimes so carefully styled that they can lose a little personality."
"Bold choices won't appeal to everybody, but I don't think a home needs to appeal to everybody. The spaces we remember are usually the ones with personality."
As the boundaries between public galleries, creative studios, and private residences continue to blur, Australian luxury buyers are increasingly valuing homes that express individuality over mass-market appeal.
Homes engineered to foster and feature art are proving to be far more than a passing architectural trend—they represent a permanent shift toward curated, character-driven living.
Properties imbued with distinct creative heritage, gallery-grade directional lighting, high-clearance walls, and flexible live-work configurations are standing out as rare, high-value assets. In a market crowded with predictable luxury, homes that dare to double as works of art themselves are commanding fierce competition.
Whether you're an artist hunting for a dedicated working studio or a collector searching for the ultimate domestic gallery, these current listings across Australia blend high-end residential living with serious creative credentials.
This warehouse conversion is now the residence, studio and gallery of artist Rebecca Pierce. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Formerly home to Brightside Studios and now the residence, working studio, and private gallery of artist-designer Rebecca Pierce, this freestanding architectural conversion offers raw and refined interiors tailored for live-work creation.
This former bakery in Berrima now serves as a home, workspace and showroom. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
This landmark historic sandstone property located at 17 Old Hume Highway in the Southern Highlands combines a four-bedroom family residence with the operational Berrima Village Pottery shopfront, complete with original sandstone floors, a heritage baker's oven, and a generous working studio.
This 2039sqm property in Bundanoon includes a three-bedroom home and seperate studio. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Set on picturesque grounds in the Southern Highlands at 32 Church Street, this character residence features a standalone, light-filled artist studio complete with a wraparound deck.
This art gallery and shop capitalises on a main-street location. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Set on a prominent main-street block backing onto natural bushland, this versatile rural property features high-ceiling gallery spaces alongside a heavy-duty creative workshop.
This off-grid property near the QLD-NSW border would make a perfect artists' retreat. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Designed for ultimate focus and artistic escape, this sustainable lifestyle retreat offers endless natural light and flexible studio space—ideal for creating without urban distractions.
Help us improve your reading experience
Got a minute? Your feedback will help us build a better experience for you.
