Monique Kawecki and Alexander Lotersztain have created a mountaintop sanctuary in the Northern Rivers hinterland of New South Wales, near the village of Nimbin and just a quick dash from Byron Bay. Monique is a global design editor and founder of consultancy Champ Creative, while Alex is an Argentinian-Australian designer, founder of award-winning furniture brand Derlot and a Brisbane-based creative studio. Alex and Monique are both twins (Alex’s twin lives in Buenos Aires, and Monique’s in Tokyo), which may be why they are passionate about collaboration, and especially working with rather against nature.
The couple has created a haven of sustainable design and circular living at Mountain Top Nimbin, an off-grid farmhouse getaway and tranquil AirBnB. Monique and Alex reveal their deep connection to nature and the sustainable ideas they implement at the farmhouse:
What role do natural environments play in shaping human identity and sense of self?
We are connected to nature, because we are nature! Living in an urban environment can sometimes create a disconnect with the self, with all of the artificiality that unbalances our natural rhythms and senses.
The farmhouse is a wonderful immersion back into our physical and spiritual selves, with all the natural sounds and sights that nourish the soul. We encourage guests to discover modern living solutions we personally recommend: like a Subpod composting unit and caddy for guests to use during their stay (situated in the garden bed with a wicking system). We like encouraging people to pick produce and hope to inspire them to grow their own food. We have Flow beehives in our native garden with species especially planted for pollinators. With everything working together in this way, it’s obvious how we as humans and other living beings are all connected, and how we should respect one another through empathy and understanding, from the smallest insects to the microbes in the soil beneath our feet.
How do you bring nature into your home?
We work hard to ensure our farmhouse is as natural as can be. It has all the creature comforts that you would find in a design-led house, but because it’s off-grid, we also have simple solutions to ensure we operate in a circular way in harmony with nature. We filter the rainwater, capture sunlight through solar panels, plant year-round organic herbs and veggies for guests and scented flowers for them to gather for their bath soak.
We’ve used Koala Eco’s entire range throughout the farmhouse for over four years, to ensure no harmful chemicals are ever around, and we make sure the inside of the house feels just as natural as being outside. From the patio the sweet smell of the Flow beehives in the garden is always a highlight, as is the sound of the low frequency humming of the bees. We call it vibrational healing!
We both have a strong connection to Japan, so we always create an ikebana display with leaves or flowers to showcase the changing micro-seasons outside. We love the Kangaroo Paw 'Anigozanthos' currently in bloom!
What are your favorite places to be in nature?
At the Mountain Top Nimbin of course! The farmhouse is a tranquil haven we love sharing in all seasons with our guests. People can instantly feel at ease because it’s only them and the sounds of the natural environment outside: the trees, birds, the wallabies that come to visit daily! It’s easy to become immersed in the beauty of Australia’s subtropical outback with looming eucalypts and the fruit trees we have planted across the five-acre property. A morning walk uncovers the worlds within worlds, with insects, birds and fauna all going about their day. It’s all in the surrounding region too and we are lucky our nearby waterhole is an ideal spot to cool off, whilst Byron’s pristine beaches and surf are only an hour away.
