About Us
The Retreat Stylist is an interior design studio based in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula specialising in creating luxury interior spaces to inspire retreat-style living every day.
Interior Design and Styling : Sarah Elshaug for The Retreat Stylist, Photographer : Stephanie Rooney
ABOUT OUR CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SARAH ELSHAUG
Sarah has been creating retreat style interiors since 2016 via a bespoke 5 step collaborative interior design process to envision stunning family homes, lifestyle accommodation, restaurants and business spaces that effortlessly balance and capture her clients’ needs and aspirations. Sarah’s projects have been published in top interior magazines and blogs including Home Beautiful, Green Magazine, The Design Files, Dot + Pop, The Stylephiles, The Design Chaser and Mornington Peninsula Magazine. Sarah is a regular contributor to The Domain, sharing her tips and insights with readers on interior related topics, and is also a freelance stylist for Home Beautiful.
With a unique background following a 10 year corporate career, marketing some of Australia’s favourite consumer brands including Dairy Farmers Thick n Creamy yoghurt and Stella Artois, alongside her interior design credentials, Sarah has the ambition to create beautifully resolved interiors that bring an inspired sense of retreat style living to her client’s homes and workplaces. Sarah believes that interiors need to support and enhance her clients busy lives, and collaborates to create luxury retreat style interiors that reflect their aspirations: “It’s a privilege to support our client’s to create a retreat-style sanctuary so they feel inspired to disconnect and recharge with family and friends.”
With degrees in Business Commerce and Marketing from Monash University and Interior Decoration from RMIT, Sarah’s unique expertise combines project management, building enduring relationships, delivering exceptional client experiences built on trust and authenticity, along with her creativity which is embedded in every interior project.
The Retreat Stylist proudly supports Australian makers and artisans and continues to build collaborative relationships with talented creatives to design bespoke furnishings, art and lighting to become enduring, timeless and much loved pieces in our clients spaces.
This ethos is at the heart of our vision to create interior spaces that inspire retreat style living everyday.
Outside her day-to-day world of Interiors, Sarah’s spends time immersed in nature on her parents farm in Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula, relaxing, unwinding and entertaining with friends, family and her two daughters, or out in the elements feeding the cows on the red Massey Ferguson tractor.
Sarah’s other passion sees her exploring her creativity through photography and painting. She launched her first limited edition photographic print range following an afternoon spent in the paddock, camera in hand photographing the cows as they grazed. Her photos are so natural and in the moment with an eye for capturing stunning details up close. Her latest print release features landscapes captured during her travels to Italy.
Sarah’s limited edition photography prints are available to purchase at The Print Store.
The Retreat Stylist Studio, Design and Styling : Sarah Elshaug for The Retreat Stylist, Photographer : Stephanie Rooney
What our client’s say…
“We would recommend The Retreat Stylist without hesitation. Sarah developed some wonderful concepts, which produced a final result that we are thrilled with. This was all delivered on time, on budget and always with an attitude that nothing is too much trouble.” - Christine
“Sarah was always very responsive to our needs, creative throughout the process and put all of her time and energy into the project, producing a wonderful result for us.” - Richard
“Every step of the project was well documented and executed to a high level. Our project was well costed, well designed, was completed on time and on budget.” - Chris
“Sarah is amazing! Sarah’s eye for detail combined with her ability to create a stunning ‘look and feel’ for our home was exceptional. We were so happy with the outcome and we highly recommend Sarah to anyone wanting an expert to pull together a comprehensive strategy to implement for any home.” - Tina