A House Made for Living: Inside Sea Acre
There are some homes that instantly make sense the moment you walk through the door, where the space feels like a natural extension of the person who lives there.
Socials: @tess__robinson
Land Lab
Sea Acre House is one of those places. Set on a coastal pocket of Lennox Head, Tess Robinson’s home blends considered design with an ease that mirrors the way she moves through the world: intentional, grounded, and always chasing beauty in the everyday.
As the creative mind behind Smack Bang and, more recently, co-founder of Land Lab, Tess spends her days shaping brands with soul, and her home is no different. Sea Acre is layered with natural textures, thoughtful details and the quiet confidence of someone who knows exactly how she wants to live. Light-filled rooms, calming palettes and unfussy styling create a feeling that is both elevated and deeply lived-in.
It’s also a house shaped by family life; sandy feet, slow breakfasts, linen-draped beds, and long afternoons spent outside. Which is why our linen feels so at home here. Throughout the bedrooms and shared spaces, Carlotta + Gee pieces sit naturally within the rhythm of the house, adding softness and warmth without ever trying too hard.
While shooting our latest collection across Sea Acre, we spent time with Tess talking about creativity, home, and how this coastal sanctuary has influenced her lifestyle, and vice versa.
Welcome to Sea Acre.
Linen Tablecloth in Yellow Stripes, Linen Napkin in Black Grid
How would you describe the feeling you wanted Sea Acre to evoke, before day one, and now that you live here?
From the beginning, I wanted Sea Acre to feel calm, spacious, and inspiring. Now that we’re living in it, the house feels even more fluid and grounded than I imagined. It holds space for family life while still giving me the kind of visual and emotional clarity I crave.
What inspired you to choose this particular property (an acre near the sea)? What drew you to the land as much as the house?
It was actually a very spontaneous decision. We chanced on the property by accident and were instantly pulled in by the combination of open land, incredible sunset views and distance to the ocean. It felt like a rare find; generous, and full of possibility. The acre gives the kids room to roam, but it also gives us breathing room as adults. It felt like the right foundation for the kind of house we wanted to build.
Over time, how has living here influenced the way you think about home design vs. lifestyle design?
Sea Acre taught me that lifestyle should always lead design, not the other way around. The house became a reminder that beauty is only meaningful if it supports the way we actually live. It softened my approach and made me more intentional with thinking about how we want to live and ensuring our home supports that.
Linen Sheet Set in Tobacco Stripes, Linen Pillowcase Set in Tobacco
What’s a typical morning (or evening) at Sea Acre? Walk us through how the space feels in those moments.
Waking up in my Carlotta+Gee beautiful bed linen, of course! …From there, it depends if we’re talking a weekend morning or a school morning?! ;) Weekend mornings are slow and spent in the sun, the kids potter around while the light pours in. Plenty of coffee and great food. It feels effortless and easy. School mornings on the other hand, are a whole different ball game…
How did you balance creating a space that felt “designed” vs. one that felt “lived-in and authentic”?
We focused on choosing materials that naturally settle into a lived-in look: brick, timber, stone, and plenty of incredible landscaping by my husband. We also put a big focus on counter-balancing the harshness of the bricks, clean lines and polished concrete with a lot of softer elements - I’m big on lived-in linens, which is why I love having Carlotta+Gee pieces throughout to add warmth, colour and a gentleness to the home.
When your home is welcoming, warm and tactile, you don’t have to work hard to make it feel authentic. Family life fills in the rest.
What challenges did you face in melding aesthetic aspirations with real-life family needs (kids, mess, practicality)?
The biggest challenge was (and still is) accepting that perfection isn’t the goal; flow is. Choosing durable options and a functional floorplan helped bridge that gap. To be honest though, I feel like our home can handle the mess better than I can!
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Are there design or styling “rules” that you set early on for Sea Acre — and did any evolve or break over time?
I’m all about simplicity, but not at the sake of sterility. I love pairing things back, but adding layers of texture or warmth. The simplicity of a canvas, particularly when it comes to my home, just allows me to feel a better sense of calm and groundedness. I think because my day-to-day life is so full-on, it’s nice to not also feel visually overwhelmed.
How does being by the sea and surrounded by natural light, air and landscape influence your creative work and your personal life?
The environment keeps me spacious: creatively and emotionally. There’s a clarity that comes with ocean air and open land; it grounds my thinking and softens the edges of busy work life. It’s been the biggest gift of living here.
Finally, now that the house is finished, what creative projects are cooking on your horizon?
I’m diving deeper into my new business, Land Lab and just loving that process. It’s such an exciting brand and with so many new products on the horizon, it’s keeping me busy. There are a few home-related ideas brewing too; with Sea Acre on the market, and us looking towards our next build, things feel exciting. I’m definitely in a season of expansion and change, but for now, in a direction that feels good.
