The Brazilian entrepreneur who brought Havaianas to Australia is selling the extraordinary Double Bay home she spent five years creating around her lifetime collection of art.
The woman who brought Havaianas to Australia has listed her luxury Double Bay home with a $30 million price guide, putting the five-level residence she spent five years creating on the market.
Brazilian-born entrepreneur Amelia Aspden, the woman behind the Australian distribution of the famous flip-flop brand, is selling 8 Wiston Gardens after moving her family from Double Bay to Bondi.
The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom home has been listed through Thomas Popple and Elliott Placks of Ray White Double Bay via an expressions of interest campaign.
For Amelia, the Wiston Gardens project was never simply about creating another prestige eastern suburbs home; her brief to architects PopovBass centred on providing a backdrop for the art she had collected around the world.
“I told them I wanted a totally white art gallery,” Amelia said. “I have so many paintings from all over the world, and I wanted lots of walls to put them on.”
Her collection has been gathered from street markets and galleries in Brazil, France and the United States, but Amelia said she has never bought art to impress anyone.
“I look at something, I like it, I buy it, and it’s done,” she said. “I’m like my father. I like to move things. If you come to my house today and come back in six or eight months, everything will have changed.”
The residence sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, within walking distance of Double Bay Wharf, Steyne Park and Double Bay village.
It replaced a 1920s house that Amelia initially hoped she might be able to renovate.
“The house was literally falling apart, and it had these tiny little windows looking out at this massive view,” she said.
“I’d always rather renovate than build. I adore renovation. But in the end we decided to knock it all down and start again. I thought I was going to find a treasure underneath.”
The five-year project was completed in August 2022, with the new residence extending across five levels connected by a residential lift.
While crisp white finishes provide the gallery-like backdrop Amelia wanted for her art, mirrors, brass and rich textures bring warmth to the interiors.
Each bedroom and ensuite was individually designed with its own palette, wallpaper and bespoke joinery – an idea Amelia picked up while visiting a friend’s apartment in London.
“I went to London to a friend’s apartment, and in every single room there was wallpaper. Everything was printed: the sofa, the floor, the walls. You walk inside and it’s all colour. I had never thought about wallpaper. We don’t normally use it in Brazil, not at all. But I love it all so much.” she said.
The home opens through a bespoke pivot door and includes a dual-island marble kitchen with Wolf appliances, Sub-Zero refrigeration and a butler’s pantry.
The upper-level main suite has its own alfresco area, dressing room and dual rain shower ensuite, while the residence also includes a dedicated wellness space.
Perrin & Rowe bathrooms feature a sculptural Victoria + Albert bath, while a mirrored powder room is among the home’s more dramatic spaces.
Outside, there is a sunken fire pit, traditional sauna and swimming pool with a harbour-view sun deck, which Amelia said have been the setting for countless parties.
Despite spending five years creating the house, Amelia said the decision to sell ultimately came down to her 12-year-old twins, who wanted to live closer to the beach.
The family has moved to Bondi, where Amelia has bought a building she is now renovating, with completion hoped for in July 2027.
“I absolutely adore the Double Bay house: the views, the size, everything,” she said. “I’ll always miss it. But the kids want to be near the beach, and you do it for them.”
Amelia’s Australian Havaianas story stretches back to the late 1990s, when she began bringing the Brazilian footwear brand to Australia: “In Brazil they are an institution. It’s like Vegemite!”
Ray White Double Bay lead agent Thomas Popple said homes of this calibre rarely came onto the market in the suburb.
“A new build of this calibre, in a quiet cul-de-sac a stroll from the harbour, is about as scarce as Sydney property gets. I have watched this house get built with awe. It’s a very special place.
“PopovBass has designed a home that works as a gallery, an entertainer’s home and a family sanctuary all at once. That’s very hard to pull off.
“This will suit a family who wants space, privacy and lifestyle without compromising on location. You can walk to the village, the wharf and Steyne Park in minutes.
“For a buyer who wants something finished to this standard, the alternative is a five-year build. Amelia has done all of that for them. Our buyers come from across Sydney and overseas, and more and more of them tell us Double Bay is the only suburb on their list. It has the harbour lifestyle of the eastern suburbs with an energy that nowhere else matches.
“Homes like this define a street, and occasionally a suburb. I expect it to attract strong interest.”
View the listing here.