Interview with Stones of the Yarra Valley Creative Director, Vonnie Frazer
For those of you who may not know, Vonnie Frazer is the powerhouse behind Stones of the Yarra Valley.
For Stones of the Yarra Valley’s Creative Director (and matriarch), Vonnie Frazer, life has always been about people. Growing up in North Balwyn, Vonnie’s first job was helping her mother style their own wedding venue, Erskine Court. “All these years later I can still recall the excitement I felt when I’d help my Mum decorate the venue – I loved it!”. Fast track 50 years down the track and Vonnie is one of Australia’s most revered stylists and interior designers, renowned for being the creative genius behind the design of Stones of the Yarra Valley, The Stables at Stones, Meletos, The Farmhouse at Meletos and No.7 Healesville.
When Erskine Court was sold, Vonnie moved into the world of music and events, beginning work on the front desk for the Paul Dainty Group. It was here she met a confident, swashbuckling young man called Steve Frazer with whom she fell madly in love with and with whom just recently celebrated their 40th anniversary.
When children came, Vonnie and Steve decided to make the move out to the country, settling on a beautiful property in Kangaroo Ground. “The three boys, David Ryan and Ben were always up to mischief so having some extra land was a god send for us! We could just send them down the hill into the bush and tell them to be home for tea!”. With Steve often working overseas as part of his sports management career, Vonnie turned her attention to local tourism, opening a beautiful bed and breakfast called Grovedale Cottage and working part time for the local Tourism Association. “It was an idyllic life for me, with the boys always around and my little business ticking along – they were great years”.
Vonnie had felt for a long time that the Yarra Valley was missing a wedding chapel, and when Steve decided it was time for a career change the idea of Stones of the Yarra Valley was born. ‘We initially only planned on building a chapel, but one day Steve returned home raving about this beautiful century old barn he’d found in Coldstream and I thought, why not!”.
These days Vonnie can be found racing about the properties with foliage under her arm, filling The Providore van with olive branches from the family olive grove, tending to the Meletos vegetable garden, styling the restaurants for the days service and generally ensuring the venues look their best!
We recently caught up with Vonnie for a cup of coffee and a quick Q & A, read on…
How do you find life working in a family business?
It’s absolutely terrific, it really is! Don’t get me wrong there are times when I think we all want to kill each other but working alongside family is a blessing I do not take for granted! There is something so special about sharing the highs and lows with family, the honesty in which we can discuss issues and the knowledge that when times get tough, we are all here to knuckle down and work hard, protect each other and come out the other side. It’s fantastic.
What is your favourite aspect of your role?
The creatives, for sure. Finding beautiful pieces and design inspiration to create the venues character. The early days were so hectic for me, building the venues, designing the gardens, selling the weddings, even sometimes running food to wedding guests! In recent years I’ve found much joy in taking time to appreciate the property, to focus on styling and design. Creating the identity for No.7 Healesville was an enormous challenge that I had a lot of fun with; how do you transform an old cabinet makers warehouse into an interesting and inspiring events space? Steve and I spent a European Summer driving around Tuscany sourcing incredible interiors that you could not find in Australia and packing them all in a shipping container for home!
Where do you find your inspiration?
I have been lucky enough to spend a lot of time traveling the world, especially throughout Europe. I adore France and Italy, and always return home with new ideas and inspiration! My greatest inspiration comes from life’s little moments, overhearing guests remark on pieces of furniture or design always brings a smile.
Do you have a favourite space on the property?
The Stables is my secret garden, and I feel very proud of creating that space because it was an incredibly old, run-down building. Merging the loggia with the century old structure, and how combined they frame our stunning African tree is something I’m very proud of.
What was it like creating The Providore with your son Ryan? Working together to create a space that has become so important to our couple’s big day?
I loved doing the build and working closely with Ryan sourcing unique pieces of furniture to ensure it held its own within the precinct. We had a great trip through Bali prior to the build and filled a shipping container full of beautiful pieces of furniture, windows and design elements that all help in bringing beautiful age to the new building. To work closely with my son is a great joy.
What advice would you give to couples when thinking about the styling element of their wedding?
Absolutely go with your gut feeling! Don’t allow yourself to get confused by always looking at Pinterest, social media and other brides’ weddings. Even I get confused with my style when I spend too much time looking online, for there are simply so many different ways to style your big day. In the end your wedding day is about love, it’s about the bringing together of friends and family and that’s the most important thing to focus on.
