Up Close & Personal: At Home with the Kira's

We take you for an up close and personal look into the life and lifestyle of the Kira’s. 

Grason and Simone Kira, owners of Kira & Kira store and The Kira House, chat to us about how their journey of creativity started and their latest project Nine Palms.

What’s your story? How did you get to where you are today?

We actually came from banking. I told Grason I wanted to have a baby and he came home from work and said “Ok, I quit my job!” He said he knew he didn’t want to live a life of responsibility and not do what he was truely passionate about.  We travelled the world together, I worked in fashion and then we started a kids fashion boutique called Dragonfly in James Street, Burleigh.  We loved interior design and architecture so Grason started making furniture and from that came the Kira & Kira store.

How would you describe your aesthetic? How do you keep relevant?

Eclectic, organised and functional is what I love.  Staying relevant doesn’t come from reading magazines and I’m not really a big Instagram follower.  We are inspired by travel and the cities we love like London, New York and Melbourne, we take cues from fashion and design.

I know my customer and I buy with my customer in mind, I also have a gut instinct for what I love and that goes for our personal home and the store we curate.  I love being able to add little bits to existing pieces you already own, so you have rustic with fine things to create a truly unique space.

Where will we find you on the weekends?

At my house or at the beach.

What is something that not many people know about the Kira’s?

That we are really sensitive to repetitive noise yet we are a really, really, noisy family.   We also do lots of bed swapping, all four of us sleep in different beds of the house constantly.

What’s the best advice you have ever been given?

To always give more than you take.  Always be generous.  

The Kira House is stunning and styled to perfection.  Grason is form and function, clean lines…the curvature and zones you have created throughout the home are simply stunning, Simone you are so interesting, eclectic and vibrant, it felt like I was entering an art gallery.

The marrying of those two styles is what makes Kira & Kira so unique. However I am sure that is not without its challenges.  What advice do you have for couples working together on design projects?

Just let the woman choose everything! No, I find what works best is to create meaning behind your decisions and get your partner to also create meaning behind theirs.  It’s such an important thing in life in general, if someone can say “hey, the reason I want you to do this is because of x” it’s easier to understand the other person’s why.

You have already achieved so much, what’s next for the Kira’s?

Being married to Grason (he’s a Sagittarius) is really difficult as he has so many projects happening all at one time, where as I like completed projects and tick off and complete jobs before moving to the next thing.

Nine Palms is our current project.  We have been going on holidays to Straddie for many years, we love it because its an island and it’s old school.  We went over in January and Grason took me to look at these shops, I said “I love it, lets buy it” and typical Grason says “no let’s buy two!”…see its never easy.  So we bought this block of 3 shops and we are renovating and refurbishing them into accommodation and a little retreat for us and our staff.  

How would you describe the style of Nine Palms? 

We want it to feel relaxed, raw, calming and tranquil.

And lastly, you are both huge entertainers, what are your tips for a great soiree? 

Actually, funnily enough we aren’t.  We get anxiety about having things booked in, but hate to have nothing on, we just love spontaneity - but if we do entertain it's all about great cocktails, endless bottles of champagne and nibbles.  Grason is a really a good cook, we love Asian food and our smoker, so I’d say food and drink is what makes a great soiree, surely.