This week on our Home Life Series, we’re visiting the light-filled Chewton home of Zara McGuffie, Co-Founder + CEO of Inflection. Set against the wild, textural beauty of bushland on the outskirts of Castlemaine, the home is a masterclass in soft minimalism, where tonal layering, natural light, and connection to place take centre stage. With a career spanning across creative marketing and podcasting, Zara has found her balance between fast-paced work and slow country living.
Designed with thoughtful choices of soft minimalism and intentional design, the home unfolds in a series of warm, light-filled volumes, with soaring ceilings, wraparound decking, and expansive windows framing the landscape like art. Warm timbers, matte finishes, and a bold kitchen reflect a design rooted in ease and calm. Step inside and discover how Zara has created a space that feels both elevated and effortlessly at home.
Hi Zara, thank you so much for welcoming us to your beautiful Chewton home! For those who are not familiar with you, could you tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are, what you do, and who you share your home with?
I’m a 32-year-old who loves a good coffee, soaking up the sunshine, and sipping on the occasional margi. I share this home with my husband, James, our 9-year-old greyhound Nellie, and we're about to add a newborn to the mix!
During the week, I spend my days coaching business owners on how to grow and scale their businesses through a program called Inflection. I also run a creative marketing agency and co-host The Australian Business Podcast.
Outside of my professional world, I love being outside and travelling. I have a big passion for naturopathy, and if I weren’t already working in digital, I’d probably be working in this space. I’m also a pretty big believer in living life with an abundance mindset and have found that taking some pretty scary risks can have an incredible impact on your overall life and happiness. I love spending time with friends and getting to know the beautiful community we’ve surrounded ourselves with.
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You wear so many hats. Founder, CEO, and Podcast Host of Inflection Marketing, your work is typically fast-paced and high-energy. What drew you to live in this slower, rural pocket of Victoria? How does life out here shape the way you live and work?
A while back, I heard something on a Brené Brown podcast that really stuck with me: it was the power of living and existing with this 'slower and closer' concept.
I grew up in North-East Victoria and there was always something really beautiful about the connectedness of that community. Funnily enough, my husband grew up in the next town over, only about 25 minutes from me. Even though we didn't meet until we'd both left home, our parents and grandparents had known each other for generations. So, when we started dating almost 15 years ago, there was no awkward "meet the parents" moment – they already knew each other!
That ingrained sense of connection was something we both longed for, but it just felt difficult to replicate in Melbourne. People move around all the time; there was never a sense of permanence to your address, and everyone was always so busy. We craved those spontaneous ‘pop-ins’ for a cup of tea or a glass of wine with friends, knowing you could walk down the street or into the local cafe and run into a friend, but also feeling like we were part of a wider community beyond our immediate social circle.
Moving away from the city did come with a big fear: that it might derail my career or lessen our impact. But what we've found in Castlemaine and Chewton has been nothing short of inspiring. This community has given me a greater sense of purpose in my work and made me feel so much more aligned with why I do what I do. Castlemaine isn’t a sleepy, country town. It’s alive and busy and filled with intention.
I think that being able to see the sky and the horizon, constantly surrounded by nature, and experiencing the quiet – free from the constant hum of freeways, trains, and trams – has allowed me to become more in tune with myself. And that deeper self-awareness has flowed really organically into my work.
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The connection between indoors and out is so thoughtfully considered in your home. The expansive windows, the wraparound deck, and the bush views are just magic. How do these surroundings influence the way you use and feel in your space?
For us, it was important that every room got natural light and a great outdoor view, so we could really soak up the sun, during summer and winter. We wanted to create a space that felt really open, warm, and calm and something that blended with the natural environment as much as possible - which is where the windows, the high ceilings and the skylights came into it.
This desire for easy outdoor access from every room led to the wraparound deck and all the rooms facing the national park behind our home. Quite often we’ll both work with our doors open, and our dog wanders in and out throughout the day, depending on where the sunniest spot is!
I think that constant visual connection to the sky and the national park beyond creates such a sense of stillness for us, which flows into our entire existence and mood.
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Your kitchen really makes a statement - the blue cabinetry, open layout, and beautiful timber details feel so refined yet relaxed. What were some of the must-have design elements you wanted in the space? And where did you turn for inspiration during the renovation?
We both love food, so the kitchen and living area were one of the most important elements to get right in the house. We wanted something that felt like us and to create a vibe that was a bit different, but not something that we’d regret in 5 years.
We spent a lot of time on Pinterest trying to find something that felt really honest, but also tapped into our network of friends and family that had a good eye for design for ideas. Green is a consistent colour that seems to pop up throughout the house, both intentionally and unintentionally - our blankets, pillows, coffee mugs and plates all feature green, so it made sense to us that the kitchen carried this too.
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What were some of the biggest surprises or challenges you came up against during the renovation? How long did it all take, from start to finish?
So, we actually bought the land and started building right in the middle of COVID – which, of course, came with all those crazy resource and timber shortages. The whole build ended up taking about two years, which is a really long time for a house with just three bedrooms.
Our biggest hurdle throughout the entire process was probably the constant climb in material costs. Those timber shortages meant higher prices for things like our cabinetry and shelving. Plus, by the time we needed to order flooring, carpet, windows, and tiles, some of our initial quotes were over a year old, so those prices had shot up too. It basically meant we had to pivot and change some of our original choices because we just couldn't swing the cost anymore.
But honestly, our architect and our builders were amazing. We were able to work together to find a middle ground, and it never felt like we had to sacrifice anything about how we wanted to live in the space.
Your home music studio is such a unique space. It feels calm, creative, and completely in sync with the rest of the house. Can you talk us through how you approached designing a studio that balances both function and aesthetics?
We’re so used to seeing studios as dark, windowless boxes but, yours is bright, open, and full of soul. What was your vision for the space, and how does it help support your creativity day to day?
