MY DOMAINE 
by Elizabeth Jenkins 

The supermodel, skincare maven, and furniture designer opens up about life and living amongst nature in her Malibu "treehouse."

While her roommates stared in disbelief, 21-year-old Miranda Kerr furiously scrubbed mold. “This is gross, girls. We need to keep it tidy,” she remembers telling them. At the time, the Australian beauty and self-described clean freak shared a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in New York City with five other models. “I couldn’t stand to have any mess and wanted my space to be as Zen as possible,” explains Kerr, who tore down her roommates’ posters, gave the walls a fresh coat of paint and placed a bonsai tree in the window.

Mav Furniture: Love Joy Bliss by Miranda Kerr | Theodora Queen Bed, Geo End Table

Seventeen years later, those same tendencies remain. Only now, instead of cramming into a tiny apartment with five other females, Kerr shares far more spacious living quarters with four males: her husband Evan Spiegel, her son Flynn, 10 (with ex-husband, actor Orlando Bloom), and the couple's sons, Hart, 3, and Myles, 1. The supermodel and founder of skincare brand KORA Organics currently owns houses in Los Angeles, Malibu, Paris, and the Australian countryside.

"Honestly, when I’m at home—wherever that home is at the time—that is the most relaxed and cozy place to me."

Mav Furniture: Love Joy Bliss by Miranda Kerr | Brentwood Sofa, Editorial Cocktail Table

Truth be told, Kerr does not mind staying put. “I am a homebody and always have been, since I was a little girl,” she says. “Given all of my travels, people have asked me, ‘What is your favorite place?’ and I’m like, ‘Honestly, when I’m at home—wherever that home is at the time—that is the most relaxed and cozy place to me.’”

On weekends, Malibu is that place. “When I first visited the house, I fell in love with it instantly,” Kerr says of the four-bedroom cottage she purchased in 2014, before she and Spiegel were married.

Mav Furniture: Love Joy Bliss by Miranda Kerr | Brentwood Sofa, Editorial Cocktail Table, Instyle Chair

“I loved the bones, the high ceilings, and the light that comes through the big windows.” Those windows provide nearly floor-to-ceiling views of the Pacific Ocean, peeking out from behind the treetops on the private, three-acre property.

“I loved climbing trees as a kid, and being amongst the trees, and that’s how I feel in this house,” she explains. “It feels like a treehouse.”

When Flynn was a toddler, she custom-built a small table and chairs for him by cutting their legs way down, not yet knowing she had a future in furniture design. “He and I would sit and have breakfast together, and then, if I was cooking or whatnot, he could be playing or drawing, and I was always there,” Kerr explains.

Kerr saw the potential for how she could improve the home, without eliminating the elements that made it so magical. With the help of Nan Meltzer Design, Kerr re-imagined the kitchen, bathrooms, and primary suite.

Mav Furniture: Love Joy Bliss by Miranda Kerr | Brentwood Chair, Brentwood Ottoman, Opaline Martini Table

She went so far as to knock down the walls surrounding the primary bath so that the tub and shower became part of the bedroom. “I have always wanted a bathtub in my bedroom, and now I have it!” she says, giddily. “Before, when it was just Evan and me, there were so many bath nights,” she says. “Now, I take baths with the babies.”

On the nights she prefers not to join her boys in the clawfoot tub, Kerr sits beside them, on a blush pink pouf she designed for her eponymous line, Miranda Kerr Home. Her elegant furniture collection, entitled Love Joy Bliss, may surprise people who only know Kerr as a Victoria’s Secret Angel or Vogue cover girl. Sure, she gained international notice at 13 after winning a Dolly magazine modeling competition, but the reality is that she has moonlighted as a designer for years, starting with the product design and packaging for KORA.

“People assume that I just put my name on something, but actually, I am involved in every little detail, and I am very passionate and very specific,” she explains. Kerr’s business acumen and fashion sense have led to other ventures such as KORA and various other brand collaborations. She has created a capsule collection for denim brand Mother, jewelry for Swarovski, and tea sets for Royal Albert. “I feel like my travels around the world and my experiences in the industry have influenced me because I have been exposed to so many different textures, fabrics and materials, as well as different cultures and creative people,” she says.

Mav Furniture: Love Joy Bliss by Miranda Kerr | Brentwood Chair, Brentwood Ottoman, Opaline Martini Table

Those influences come together in her Malibu home, which is well-appointed with beds, sofas, tables and chairs from her Love Joy Bliss collection. Kerr spent nearly two years designing the furniture, which features materials ranging from lacquer to leather, brass to glass, woodgrain to mother-of- pearl. Her desire for pieces that are both timeless and functional led her to choose a neutral palette with upholstered pieces made in performance-durable fabrics. She also incorporated numerous geometric elements inspired by her love of crystals.

Mav Furniture: Love Joy Bliss by Miranda Kerr | Round End Table

At Kerr’s first brainstorm about the collection, she walked in with vision boards in hand. “They said they had never worked with someone who came so prepared to an introductory meeting,” Kerr recalls. “And I said, ‘Well, look. That’s who I am. I put my all into everything.’” Kerr was equally straightforward about the fact that she does not bow to market research.

Mav Furniture: Love Joy Bliss by Miranda Kerr | Brentwood Sofa, Editorial Cocktail Table, Instyle Chair

“I’ve never followed any trends. I know what I like, and I work intuitively,” she says. “Everything I have ever created, from jewelry to skincare, has an intention and an uplifting concept behind it,” she says. She attaches words to all of her products for this reason: “The idea is that whoever comes into contact with these objects should feel feel uplifted because words are powerful,” she explains. “If we even glance at love, joy, and bliss on a tag, they can change our vibration and help us get into a more positive state.”

Her commitment to positivity is also evidenced by her Wellness Wednesday videos, which she began posting on Instagram during quarantine. There is a peace to Kerr that is evident on camera, as well as a gorgeous glow. She begins each episode by reading an affirmation and sharing a flower from her garden. Then, she conducts a live chat with a healthy living expert, such as life coach Raia Carey or Medical Medium Anthony William.

Mav Furniture: Love Joy Bliss by Miranda Kerr | Marion Dining Table, Love Joy Bliss Arm Chair, Love Joy Bliss Side Chair

Even after the unprecedented year we have had, Kerr can identify the positives of staying at home. “Evan has not had to travel as much, so we have spent so much more time together as a family,” she says. The majority of that time was spent in the kitchen, which is the center of their home. “That’s how it was when I was growing up as well,” she says.

Kerr fondly remembers her grandmother teaching her how to bake a cake—and letting her lick the bowl. “I have wanted to recreate those memories with my children and was able to in quarantine. We cooked together and baked cupcakes a lot,” she says. “We put music on and danced, played hide and seek and chased each other around the house. It was really nice.” Positively.

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