{"id":886674,"date":"2026-09-10T08:08:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T08:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/886674\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T08:08:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T08:08:21","slug":"creative-minds-salife-indaily-inside-south-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/886674\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative minds – SALIFE | InDaily, Inside South Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a sunny winter\u2019s day when SALIFE joins Abbey Hall as she hosts the committee of the Arts Club for lunch.<\/p>\n

Abbey has lived around the world enjoying a career in brand and marketing for luxury hotels \u2013 in fact, she has moved home 34 times \u2013 but she and husband Christo have embraced Adelaide since their return in 2020. Abbey is now chair of the Arts Club, which formed recently to support the Adelaide Festival and welcome new faces into the arts community.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving had that opportunity to live abroad, I realise how lucky we are to have such an incredible festival here bringing international performers to Adelaide,\u201d Abbey says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about creating a culture around art \u2013 you can\u2019t live without art. It\u2019s an important fabric that binds people together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abbey\u2019s passion is evident in her extensive collection of artwork and sculptures, plus her own handcrafted ottomans; the fabrics are often inspired by a painting. \u201cA big part of making a home is collecting pieces that mean something to you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"\"The studio lounge, which features the artwork Flagulation by Christopher Coventry, is a perfect space to host friends.<\/p>\n

And each space has a distinct personality \u2013 Abbey laughingly describes them as \u201ca series of cubby houses\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in the Southern Flinders Ranges, north of Quorn. Two of my sisters were always building cubby houses, another sister [contemporary artist Sally Smart] was always creating art for the cubby houses, and I would decorate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interior design is a relatively recent career change. After home schooling via School of the Air, Abbey attended boarding school and university in Adelaide, before her first hotel marketing role launched an international career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI often say I went from the Todd River to the Thames! My first hotel job was in the Northern Territory, I left about 1990 and was overseas for about four years, then Melbourne and Sydney, over to London and then New York.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"Mini hamburgers and tomato tarte tartins were among the canapes served at Abbey Hall\u2019s lunch party.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing surrounded by luxury you get a bit spoilt; that really helped me develop my passion for interior design.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few life changes preceded her career shift. \u201cWhen I moved back to Adelaide, I had been away 18 years. Christo and I knew each other from uni days, then met later in life. We now have a son at school, and three older stepchildren. We travelled abroad as a family to Hong Kong, then Sydney, then back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abbey studied interior design while in Hong Kong and also started handcrafted furniture company, Meet the Ottomans. \u201cIn the beginning I did styling with hotels, now I tend to do residential; I\u2019m inspired by the places I\u2019ve lived, and the incredible hotels I\u2019ve worked in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Guests discuss Arts Club matters over lunch in Abbey\u2019s intimate dining room \u2013 one of many thoughtfully designed spaces in her home, which features a collection of artworks.<\/p>\n

Personalising their historic North Adelaide home has been particularly enjoyable. She and Christo have added an extension onto the master bedroom that includes an office and studio lounge, plus a pool and gazebo in the spacious backyard.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne condition of owning such a lovely old home, you have to do it right. And after living in lots of apartments, the space is lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, this space and its impressive art collection are savoured by Adelaide Festival Foundation Board chair Chris Harford and board member Brigid Emmett, and Arts Club committee members Christine Gosse, Sam Joyce, Anna Baillie Karas, Sarah Abbott and Eli Zaikos.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On the menu are canapes of tomato tarte tatin, mini lamb pies with harissa yoghurt, mini hamburgers and prawn brioche, plus a laden grazing board. Later, ribbon sandwiches are served during a working lunch in the dining room, followed by orange and almond cake.<\/p>\n

They are all passionate about helping more people discover the thrill of theatre. Eli, whose creative career has included textile design and printmaking as well as running luxe giftware store Paloma & Co, says life without arts is very bland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re exposed to theatre and can share that joy \u2026 theatre takes people into another world, you can totally immerse yourself. People are very busy, there\u2019s so much stress in the world, with career, raising children, everyday stress \u2013 theatre is escapism.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says our local audience is very open-minded. \u201cWe have a lot of talent in Australia, and the Festival also brings international theatre to Australia \u2013 the international theatre groups feel that Australia is worthy for them to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Abbey, Christine Gosse has been living the expat lifestyle for many years, including for the past four years in Adelaide. \u201cMy husband is from SA, and I\u2019m the Kiwi girl who didn\u2019t know anyone\u201d Christine says. \u201cAbbey was very welcoming to us when we got here. She\u2019d always say, \u2018Come along to this, I\u2019ve got a spare ticket\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This friendship echoes the Arts Club concept; bringing new people into the theatre experience, an idea that appealed to barrister Sam Joyce. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was sick of friends whingeing that they were bored in Adelaide, so I said \u2018Ok, let\u2019s do something,\u201d Sam says.<\/p>\n

He enjoys meeting new people and seeing them bond over theatre. \u201cWhen you come to an Arts Club event, you might not know half the people in the room. People can have a plus one, so social gatherings are refreshed as new people come along,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd if people find it hard to find someone to come to a show with, this way they know more people there.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the club usually hosts bi-monthly lunches and events, Sam and Abbey recently hosted a trip to Sydney for almost 30 Arts Club members; welcome drinks were hosted by former Adelaide Festival chair Tracey Whiting, who came up with the Arts Club concept.<\/p>\n

Adelaide Festival artistic director Matthew Lutton had returned briefly to Malthouse Theatre to direct The Birds, and he spoke to the group before they enjoyed a preview performance. They also met director Damien Ryan ahead of his production of The Iliad with David Wenham, enjoyed a backstage tour of Sydney Theatre Company, and a tour of the Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman Prizes at the Art Gallery NSW.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the highlights for me was the Sydney Dance Company rehearsal performance where they were in their sweats, in their studio,\u201d Abbey says.<\/p>\n

Brigid Emmett is also an Arts Club member who went on the Sydney trip, and was invited to deliver feedback to the committee. She says it was a unanimous verdict among attendees \u2013 the trip exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"Details come together for Abbey\u2019s lunch party, including chic tablewear and art pieces.<\/p>\n

Which seems to be a theme of the Arts Club.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal was 50 people, we have 100 members, in 15 months,\u201d Abbey says. \u201cMatt (Lutton) being a younger artistic director has been key to broadening the base.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abbey has held many volunteer roles, but says the Arts Club is different as she is sharing not just the theatre, but the stories behind it. \u201cMy sister is a contemporary artist so I see what happens, it\u2019s a tough game,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis group is a way to not just support the arts but also share that inside story with people who might want to delve a little deeper into what the festival can offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

And enjoy some socialising along the way.<\/p>\n

\"\"Abbey\u2019s formal dining room.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This article first appeared in the\u00a0 July 2026 issue of SALIFE magazine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a sunny winter\u2019s day when SALIFE joins Abbey Hall as she hosts the committee of the Arts…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":886675,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-886674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=886674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/886675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=886674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=886674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=886674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}