The Australian Spots That Feel Like Home To Flamingo Estate’s Richard Christiansen

It makes sense then that Richard intuitively understands how ideas are pollinated and spread – and the essential role of nature in beauty and pleasure. After all, nature is at the root of everything worth creating. These understandings inform not only Richard’s worldview but also his ability to simultaneously steer culture and make products, products that are redolent of a sense of both ritual and place.

His gorgeous, garden-infused brand Flamingo Estate – which is named after his now-famous home in Los Angeles – is the world’s most beautiful co-creative art project. As he explains, he aims to put the culture in horticulture, which is how he’s arranged to put beehives in the backyards of artists like Ed Ruscha and Ai Weiwei, and luminaries like Lebron James and Julianne Moore – cultivating the output for special edition honeys to benefit various charities.

Because Richard is the consummate traveler and a die-hard Australian, we asked him for the first stops he makes when he touches ground at home — spots that provide inspiration, sustenance, and a connection to the land.

One of the hardest things to find anywhere in the world is a wonderful Florist. And if I visit my friends in Melbourne, I always take a big bunch of flowers. Vasette is the best in the world and I love oversized arrangements of eucalyptus flowers and Australian natives. Why take someone a bottle of wine when you can take them an armful of Protea?

When I arrive in Australia, this is normally the first place I go. I don’t know whether people in Melbourne truly appreciate what a remarkable example of horticulture this place is. I always go for a walk and run my fingers down some of the trees, looking at all the flora and fauna.

This is the best ice cream on the globe. Their signature flavors are nothing to scoff at but I always try one of the limited-editions. On my last trip I had Lemon Pavlova and Raffaelo.

There’s nowhere like this place anywhere else in the world. It’s a bookstore only devoted to cookbooks, old and new. I’ve been knowing to spend half a day here, sitting on the floor researching cookbooks. It’s a remarkable collection. Many ideas I’ve had for new products have come from the old books I have found here.

If I dash up to the Gold Coast to see my mother, I always go and see Kate Madison at Bumbles. I’ve known her since I was a little boy and she is the queen of all things hospitality. Kate told me how to make a meal and set a table and make people feel warm and cared for. She sets the bar so high.

If I go to Sydney, I always try to have a meal at Seans. Right on the beach in Bondi, I normally have the fish and a really good glass of wine. It’s a classic. Never out of style.

There’s contagious enthusiasm in the work of Ken Done. He’s the Australian David Hockney, living in full color and full enthusiasm. For many years, I’ve saved up my money to collect his work, and I have his paintings on every wall. In fact, I need to get more walls because I’ve run out of room for them. I always swing by the gallery and say hello, and normally leave with another piece.

This is my favorite book shop in the world. And the only bookstore in Australia that carried my first cookbook. Anna and the team here are wonderful and they really care about literature and art. It’s a beautiful place.