Meet Tom Barrass.
Hawthorn defender, music podcaster and father of two, soon to be three.
For Father’s Day, we joined Tom and his family at home in Malvern for a special edition of In Bed With Zenn, talking fatherhood, life in Melbourne and his approach to style.
In three words, describe being a dad?
Fulfilling, fun and exhausting.
The transition to fatherhood is unique for everyone. What's been your hardest and easiest change to make?
The hardest change undoubtedly is having to manage your emotions under the stress of never ending work plus the exhaustion of compromised sleep. Employment, family and relationship management, dirty nappies and screaming babies take a toll on your temperament after a while, and it can be easy to live with a bad attitude. I have had to learn to let go of my desires and just have gratitude for the good things in my life, seeing beauty in the way that things are. The easiest is spending time with my kids. They are just so divine, that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
Proudest dad moment to date?
Whenever my boys are cooperating, are kind to one another, or use their manners without being coerced by their father, I am filled with pride.
What do you love most about being a boy dad?
I love that my kids are beginning to take an interest in activities that I love as well, like sport, cars and adventure. I also love their chubby cheeks, fat little bellies and skinny little legs.
When did you start playing football and was it always going to be a career?
I started playing football when I was 5, with big dreams but no career aspirations. I very much fell into football after being noticed in my late teens and consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to play for so long.
Tell us about being a Perth boy in Melbourne and how the move to the East Coast has felt?
Melbourne is an amazing, cosmopolitan, multicultural city with so much vibe and so many great things to do. Good music, good food and lots of history. Perth is a giant suburban oasis where the weather is perfect and the people are nice, but you can’t get a meal after 8 o’clock. We have love for both cities for different reasons and have so many great relationships in both.
Describe your personal and/or interior style for us?
Regarding style, I value things that are eclectic and interesting, whilst maintaining subtlety and cohesiveness overall.
Do you have any pre-game rituals that help you find a state of Zenn?
I try not to think too much and enjoy the honour of competing. Often our troubles are in our thoughts, not our direct experience.
Tell us about life outside of football?
Spend time with the kids, light the fire, play a game, play some music, have a beer, try and cook some half decent food, then share it with my mates and family. Repeat.
And lastly, what is your bedtime wind-down routine?
A warm shower and a dry lecture to fall asleep to.
Shop the Zenn Look
Jade Bed in Warwick Caulfield col. Oatmeal
Totem Bedside in Oak Timber
Hex Geo Ottoman in Oak Timber / Walnut Upholstery
Custom block-out curtains in Warwick Linia Linesta col. Oyster
Image Credits
Photography: Elisa Watson
Styling: Zenn Design