A GOOD VINTAGE Jo Stewart @jostewartwriter
A
s an avid collector of all things vintage, Melbourne stylist and boutique accommodation owner Lynda Gardener feels right at home amid the markets, op-shops, and antique stores in Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges.
From styling homes to running a vintage store in Melbourne, Lynda has dedicated her life to creating evocative spaces that hark back to years gone, by yet never feel dated. This timeless aesthetic permeates the short stay retreats she owns and runs, three of which are in the Daylesford Macedon region.
Lynda has dedicated her life to creating evocative spaces that hark back to years gone by, yet never feel dated.
“I’m a tragic collector. If I’m travelling, I’ll go to markets and the next minute I’m buying all these old portraits and sketches. I don’t have anywhere to put them, but I must have them,” Lynda says.
Fifteen years ago, Lynda acquired her first property in Daylesford, an 1850s miner’s cottage now known as the White House. She originally intended it to be her holiday home, so it’s decorated with a personal touch.
here that she built Room + Board, a contemporary, selfcontained barn with old schoolhouse windows.
She first discovered the joys of vintage shopping as a 16-year-old who tagged along to the markets with her mother.
“It has all my heirlooms and collector’s pieces I love. To this day that house is still booked out back-to-back. It’s one of those spaces that’s never dated,” says Lynda.
“I had this fascination with fossicking and finding unusual things. I love things that show age and have character, so I’ve always gravitated towards markets,” says Lynda.
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Her gift for seeing the potential in everything led Lynda to acquire a small parcel of land (“it was literally a driveway,” she says) next to the White House. It was
She also transformed a weatherboard federation home into The Estate Trentham, a luxe retreat complete with Scandi-cool interiors, a rambling garden and a rustic barn perfect for weddings and workshops. The gentle simplicity of her cosy properties in Daylesford and Trentham shines through in the pages of Curate: Inspiration for an Individual Home, a new book co-created with writer Ali Heath.
