Since then, she's filled it with her art and style to make it uniquely hers.

"I fell in love with the outlook and the greenery," she says of the property.

"When I bought the house I wasn't a painter at that time. I have been many things in my lifetime.

"At that time I was running pubs and hotels."

All her family are involved in hotels and pubs, and she did the same.

Later, she went through a divorce, sold the business, got out of hospitality, changed careers and headed to Newcastle.

Clare found the house after keeping a close eye on the real estate market. She knocked on the door of the house she liked and asked if it had sold.

"I bought the house unseen, I just door knocked and said 'I want your house'. They basically said the timing is perfect," she says.

"It was built at the same time as the house next door, I believe in the 40s.

"I like older-worldly style homes as opposed to modern soulless.

"I liked the character of the home and the position, that it backed onto the golf course and that it had a backyard.

"I could see the vision to put the pool in," she says.

The previous owner lived there for many years and extended the house. It originally had two bedrooms and one bathroom.

It now has and extra bedroom and bathroom.

This is the longest Clare's ever lived in a home since her childhood in Sydney. Along with working in hotels and pubs, she also used to buy, flip and sell homes.

When she moved to Newcastle she put her foot down and said "I'm tired of renovating".

She didn't change a great deal about the house, but she did add the deck, the garage, the carport, the garden, the barbecue zone and, of course, the pool.

She laid all the grass and added plants outside. She also has plants inside.

"I love plants full-stop. They warm a house," she says.

She describes her style as bright, colourful and eclectic.

"I like the mix of old world and new. I like more rustic pieces that have character," Clare says.

The kitchen table is her grandmother's, and, along with art in the kitchen, she has decorative necklace ornaments from when she lived in Kenya as part of a volunteer program.

The bohemian lights are from Bali.

Clare's been interested in art her whole life. This is the house where she finally decided to be more proactive with her passion.

Her favourite movie is The Notebook, and she's always wanted a painting room like the one Ryan Gosling's character makes for Rachel McAdams' character.

Now she's created one for herself; she recently turned the garage into her studio

Throughout the house there are colourful abstract pieces featuring plenty of big animals.

She also has work by Newcastle-based artists Joey Davis and Prudence Demarchi.

She shows off her kids' artwork too.

She currently works in interior design for a few clients, so she paints only when she has time, and when inspiration hits.

"When you are creative you do so many different things," she says.

"I can't sit at a desk, I have to be painting or speaking with people. (In Sydney she also worked in fashion.)

"Sometimes I won't paint for a couple of months, and then I'll paint every night until 3am."

It can't be easy to move houses, cities and careers, but Clare's lifestyle change looks lovely.

To explore more of her work, find her on Instagram: instagram.com/clareoharaart/

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