Retro Revival

For as long as she can remember Lisa Toyer has been in love with the silver screen. As a toddler she loved nothing better than to visit her grandmother and together they watched the entire Rodgers & Hammerstein repertoire … South Pacific, The Sound of Music, Carousel, The King & I, Oklahoma … and as many repeats as her granny could bear. Lunchtimes were not so much an occasion for sandwiches and sweet treats as an excuse to cosy up in front of the TV for the midday movie.

Retro Revival Retro Revival

“My grandmother was this incredibly elegant woman and she encouraged my passion for film,” Lisa recalls. “She also introduced me to [musical director and choreographer] Busby Berkeley’s shows and I would dance in front of the TV.” That in turn led to dance classes from the age of four, which developed into her career as a burlesque performer, dance teacher and choreographer. Along the way Lisa began her working life in retail, where her natural aptitude for “arranging things” found a niche in merchandising and window display. “Early on I did a design course at TAFE,” she explains. “I guess that’s where I formally began to put my love of all things retro into context. I’ve always been drawn to the streamlined style of Art Deco, though in truth, I’m very eclectic in my tastes and I collect anything from about the 1920s to the ‘60s.”

Retro Revival Retro Revival

By happy coincidence Lisa met Nathan Mills, her soul mate in life and vintage paraphernalia, while they were still at high school. They bought their heritage-listed two bedroom cottage in Sydney’s north-west before they married and devoted the best part of two decades to restoring it and filling it with a fabulous array of retro furnishings and accessories.

Read more about Lisa and Nathan’s homage to Hollywood in the August 2015 issue of Australian Country magazine, available for order on sale online now!

Click here for more home and interiors.

Words Kirsty McKenzie
Photography Ken Brass
Styling Sandra Hinton

More Like This

Douglas Blain

The Extraordinary Journey of Douglas Blain: Preserving the Past with Passion

Douglas Blain’s remarkable life has been devoted to rescuing old buildings and turning them into boutique hotels.

Outback Aussie Tours

Exploring Queensland’s Heartland with Outback Aussie Tours

Alan and Sue Smith, owners of Outback Aussie Tours have been showing Australian Country around the paddocks of Rosebank station.

Montville Mist Springwater

The Collins’ Montville Mist Springwater Success

Alli and Peter Collins juggle raising a family and running, Montville Mist Springwater from their home in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Paper Pocket Australiana

Our Top 10 Favourite Calendars and Diaries to Kick Start Your 2024

Discover Australia’s favourite range of 2024 Calendars and Diaries from Paper Pocket. Keep track of your year, organise your appointments, plan your […]

Date & Ginger Bundt Cake

Date & Ginger Bundt Cake Recipe

This date and ginger bundt cake is an adaptation of my mum’s much-loved sticky date pudding recipe.

Visitors Paradise Home

Turning a 1929 Home into a Visitors Paradise

Aussie wildlife and mushroom foragers are among the many visitors to Sue and Tony Johnson’s paradise home in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills.

Heritage Home Renovation

A Heritage Home Renovation Back to the Origins

After almost three decades of renovations, Darren and Sue Turner have returned their 111-year-old home to what it once was.

Kiama

Seduced by Simplicity: A Kiama Transformation

Michael and Michele Bell turned a Kiama beach house from the sixties into a stunning seaside home that’s too good to leave.

Follow Us on Instagram