{"id":23663,"date":"2024-12-17T17:57:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T06:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purefinance.com.au\/?post_type=stories&p=23663"},"modified":"2025-09-09T09:23:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T23:23:14","slug":"brendan","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/www.purefinance.com.au\/stories\/brendan\/","title":{"rendered":"Brendan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After 15 years of working and living across the globe as a freelance creative, landing a more permanent gig back home opened the door to Brendan securing his own little slice of Sydney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As a self-proclaimed \u201cinternational nomad\u201d, settling down wasn\u2019t always on the cards for Brendan de la Hay<\/a>. The award-winning creative director, designer and performance artist wears a lot of hats (figuratively and literally) as an entertainer, TV personality, and visual artist - just to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve performed and designed work all around the world, mostly for theatre or film,\u201d Brendan shares. \u201cMore recently, I\u2019ve been doing a lot of brand activations with massive labels, which has been really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to miss Brendan\u2019s work. It\u2019s expressive, big, bold and undeniably colourful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The goal with my work is to always just make people smile and bring color, happiness, and joy to the world,\" Brendan shares. Though he's not afraid to challenge audiences either. \"There are a lot of misgivings around being colourful, especially as a man, or someone with masculine energy. It's good to shake it up a bit.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a creative reach that extends beyond performance and design, Brendan is also the force behind Haus de la Hay<\/a>, his own genderless art fashion label, that has caught the attention of the likes of Azealia Banks, Frankie Grande, and Annie Murphy from Schitt's Creek. But after a stint living in New York, where his designs graced the racks of Bloomingdale's, COVID brought Brendan back to Sydney shores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Upon his return home, Brendan found himself in need of a place to land. His \u201csaving grace\u201d was living with his brother in a one-bedroom apartment in the city.  \u201cWhen I came back from living overseas, I needed a place to live during COVID,\u201d Brendan shares. \u201cAnd this place was really cheap for some reason; probably because no one wanted to live in the CBD.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward a couple of years, and Brendan is back living in the very same building \u2014 only this time as a homeowner. \u201cI've actually lived in the building three times over the last decade,\u201d he reveals. \u201cOne of my favourite facts about this place is that Robert Helpmann [of the \u2018Helpmann Theatrical Awards\u2019] used to live here.\u201d Which, given Brendan\u2019s career, seems a very fitting coincidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built in the 1960s, it was the tallest building in the Sydney CBD at the time, while its brilliant central location now puts Brendan at the heart of everything he loves most about Sydney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"I'm walking distance to all of my favorite things - the art galleries, the park, the harbor, and Oxford Street, where I can go out and be queer and fabulous.\u201d he shares. This includes a view of Sydney\u2019s iconic Coca-Cola sign, which can be seen from the apartment\u2019s living room windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"I really love that,\u201d Brendan shares. \u201cBecause, to me, Sydney is<\/em> that Coke sign!\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For many creative professionals, particularly those who've built careers as freelancers, the path to home ownership can often feel out of reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t actually think I would ever be able to do this \u2014 especially in Sydney,\u201d Brendan explains. \u201cI was expecting to use that money to move overseas or do something more frivolous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, it\u2019s an all too common experience for many self-employed creatives. As Brendan explains: \u201cNo matter how much money I had, the bank didn\u2019t seem to take me seriously\u201d. But after landing a more permanent full-time role, Brendan was nudged by a few industry friends to contact the team at Pure Finance and see what might be possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the home-buying process itself brought its own challenges. \"It was daunting and confusing - especially around the timing of everything,\" Brendan recalls. \"I remember asking the team, \u2018Do I inspect the place first and then make an offer? When do I get a gauge on the price of a place? Do I need to have a loan first? What is the order of events?\u2019\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Brendan, working with Pure Finance meant having a source of trusted knowledge and support, helping to demystify the process. \"Having that confidence that I wasn't doing it wrong, and knowing there was going to be a way to fix anything if we hit a hurdle - that was really great,\" he shares. \"It also allowed me to focus on the emotional side of buying a house, which is huge, and how much I really wanted it.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For Brendan, his \"tiny pocket in the clouds\" already feels like home. Just a few months after moving in, there are many subtle (and some not so subtle) nods to his 'avant-garde' aesthetic throughout the entire space. An all-white electric piano occupies one corner, while a striking electric cello - stripped back to just its sleek black frame - stands in another, both of which are played by Brendan. The lounge area features custom banquette seating, wrapped in a fabric reminiscent of bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds - a creative repurposing of a set piece from one of Brendan's recent production designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apartment has also become a gallery of sorts, with the walls adorned by portraits of Brendan himself, created by renowned artists like David Bromley, Kathrin Longhurst, and Michael Simms. \"Many of them are Archibald artists who painted me for the prize but didn't get in that year. Then the next year, they got in with someone else's portrait,\u201d Brendan laughs. \"I'm like the Archibald graveyard!\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For someone whose creative journey has taken them across the globe, settling in one place might have, on the surface, seemed like a compromise for Brendan. Instead, the little piece of Sydney sky he now calls home has provided a secure base from which his work can continue to evolve and flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do feel very appreciative and lucky to have been able to maximise this moment,\u201d Brendan shares. \u201cHaving my own home gives me more security, no matter what I choose to do with the next phases of my work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brendan's favourite local spots in the neighbourhood:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n