homes {country charmer}
country charmer Former city dwellers Brielle and Andrew created an idyllic home for their family to settle into rural life STORY CATHERINE MCCORMACK STYLING ADAM ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY NATALIE HUNFALVAY
In this bright and breezy family home, the outdoors are brought in, thanks to the four-panel glass sliding doors that disappear on warm summer days. homebeautiful.com.au {JUNE 2015} 77
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KITCHEN The couple love to entertain, so the kitchen, custom-built by Andrew, centres around a big island topped in Caesarstone ‘Frosty Carrina’, surrounded by VR Bar Stools from Villa Maison. Above hangs a trio of ‘Oregon’ pendant lights in chrome. “When friends come over we all stand around the island bench and chat and have cheese,” says Brielle. “I also wanted the kids to be able to sit around and chat while they do their homework.” The mirror-backed overhead cabinets and porcelain farmhouse sink add to the country look.
here are many benefits of swapping city life for the country, but for interior designer and homeowner Brielle, one of the most charming is the daily school run. “The worst traffic we get is ducks crossing the road!” she says. Brielle and her builder husband Andrew moved from Sydney to Bowral in the Southern Highlands almost five years ago. “I never thought I’d leave Sydney, but Bowral has great vineyards and restaurants and it’s a great place to raise kids,” says Brielle. “I’ve ended up falling in love with it.” Another plus: the move allowed Brielle and Andrew, who both work for Andrew’s building company AECB, to pursue their shared passion of renovating. “Because we were new to the area we weren’t sure if Andrew would get work straight away, so we thought this house would give us a project,” explains Brielle. “He ended up getting lots of work, so we had to do it all in our spare time and on weekends.” Situated on the side of a nearby mountain overlooking the township, the original 1950s-era house was run down and riddled with asbestos. “We saw it during winter and it looked a bit sad and sorry for itself, like nobody had maintained or loved it since the first owner,” recalls Brielle. “But it had a really nice aspect and huge front windows, and it was close to town and the local pool and bike tracks, so it seemed perfect for us.” The couple moved in mid-2010, and started work on the landscaping while waiting for council approval to come through. Structural work began in May 2011 and, despite plans to significantly alter and extend the building, Brielle and Andrew chose to live on site with the kids: Andrew’s sons Zac, 14, Jake, 12, and Max, eight, and the couple’s six-year-old, Josh. “We converted the downstairs drive-in garage to a rumpus room, gym and laundry, and moved into it while we ripped the whole of the upstairs to bits,” explains Brielle. No space was spared under the new plans. The size, shape and layout of the entrance, lounge and bedrooms were all re-jigged, providing a better sense of flow and greater privacy in the front of the house. At the back, two new wings were added, one containing a new kitchen and dining area, the other the master bedroom and ensuite. “We chose big cathedral ceilings and used lining board on all the extensions, just to add that little bit of wow factor,” says Brielle. To maintain some of the home’s original character, the couple saved the large timber windows, and then Andrew, who has his own timber yard and joinery, created large panoramic doors for the back of the house [SUBS: DOES THIS MEAN HE USED THE WINDOWS TO MAKE THE DOORS?]. He also custom built the kitchen, bathroom vanities, garage door, dining table and the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in the living room. “He buys old bridge timbers in bulk then makes things out of them,” explains Brielle. “The dining table is beautiful; it features all the knots and burrs of the timber.” Aesthetically, the home blends coastal, country farmhouse and contemporary styles, an approach reflected in the eclectic mix of furnishings and finishes Brielle has pulled together with seamless panache. Some pieces were bought new, while others, such as the black-painted Windsor dining chairs, were sourced second-hand. “Renovating this house has taught me not to stick to one style,” she says. “I think it works putting unexpected things next to each other. It reflects your own personality and past experiences and makes your home so individual.” After two-and-a-half years of busy weekends, Brielle and Andrew were thrilled to finally finish the house. Friends and family visit often from Sydney, and the new layout works easily for the way the couple entertain – for now, at least. “We’re getting itchy feet,” says Brielle. “We’re looking for our next project now. Andrew and I love to be working on something, so we’d love to try something else.” ?
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LOUNGE: Winters can be bitter in Bowral so Andrew and Brielle included a gas fireplace and cosy Freedom Furniture leather couch, with throws from the Design Hunter and cushions from Coco Republic and Etsy store Whitlock and Co. Brielle found the coffee table and black-and-white photo called ‘Central Park’ at Oz Design. [SUBS PLEASE KEEP IN! KOB] “It gives a really nice atmosphere to the house,” she says.
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DINING AREA {above} The new kitchen and dining
space features soaring cathedral ceilings, finished in lining board painted in Dulux Aqua Enamel in ‘Vivid White’ semi-gloss, and a series of skylights that flood the area with light all year round. The floors are Cypress Pine stained a rich chocolate brown. “I love that colour - it just really pops against the white,” says Brielle who had an Ink and Weave tram roll tea towel framed for the wall, on the left. Andrew made the frame for the Campbells Soup Can poster [SUBS PLEASE CONFIRM THIS IS A WARHOL AND IF SO ADD IN – I’VE LOOKED BUT CAN’T CONFIRM. THANKS
BUILT-IN BOOKSHELVES {left} After re-jigging the lounge room layout, Brielle thought the side wall seemed a little stark. The solution: custom-made, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made by her very handy husband. “Andrew built them out of Oregon timber with lining boards on the back, then we painted them white,” says Brielle. “Each season I change the decorations in them; it changes the
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we love
Moody hues
The family’s home is a study in light and bright; the exception is the master bedroom, which Brielle has painted a gorgeous shade of warm grey, Berger ‘Stone Chapel’. “The colour changes throughout the day,” she explains. “In the morning it’s really crisp and contrasts with the white ceiling and trims, then as the day gets a bit darker and night falls, it goes a bit
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FAMILY BATHROOM: Grey-toned Carrara marble mosaics and a hanging vanity, custom-made by Andrew from reclaimed bridge timber, add warmth and character to the family bathroom. MAX & JOSH’S ROOM:
“I wanted Max and Josh’s room to be quite fun and capture a bit of their personality,” says Brielle of the youngest boys’ nautical-themed zone. The bedframes were sourced from local store Dirty Jane’s Emporium & Antiques Market, the bedspreads are from Sheridan Kids and the car cushions are from Penny Scanlan. ZAC & JAKE’S ROOM: Splashes of yellow and turquoise give Zac and Jake’s room a mature but light-hearted feel. The graphic-look bedlinen, throw rug and yellow table are both from Adairs. For similar bunks, try
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MASTER BEDROOM: To create a restful retreat,
Brielle kept the furnishings in the master bedroom to a minimum and instead created impact with a warm grey feature paint, Berger ‘Stone Chapel’, that draws attention to the Coco Republic artworks called ‘Indigo Coral Print’ and ‘Exotic Blue Fish’. Coco Republic cushions and throws from Laura Ashley (on the bed) and Pottery Barn (on the Chesterfield) add pattern and texture. A Martha Stewart Collection ‘Le Papillon’ polished nickel bed
INSIDE STORY
Who lives here?
Brielle, an interior designer and office manager; Andrew, a builder; and sons Zac, 14, Jake, 12, Max, eight, and Josh, six.
What prompted the move?
Brielle: “We came down from Sydney for a weekend one winter and decided this was where we’d like to move. The area has a lot of charm.”
Any positives about living in a house you renovate?
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“It gave me a lot of time to think about how we live in the house, and plan the renovations around that.”
What was important for you?
“We love to eat and cook and entertain, so I wanted a really big island bench in the kitchen. I wanted something that meant I could mingle with guests, they could flow in and out of the house, and it could all feel effortless.”
What inspires your style?
“I love interior design books. I don’t seem to be able to walk past a bookstore without buying one! I love to display them in the bookshelf like pieces of art.”
Favourite spot in the house? PLANS CONTACTS
deck
EXTERIOR Thanks to its ideal north-east aspect, the back of the house acts as a sun trap,
making the kitchen, dining and outdoor areas a favourite spot year-round. Rather than extending the house with one big box, the couple arranged it as a horseshoe. “There’s a light well in the middle and you never sacrifice any light,” explains Brielle. Once clad in asbestos,
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ILLUSTRATION KENZIEDESIGN.COM
Builder
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Buidler’s namen, +64 21 494 278
Architect
living deck
dining
bed kitchen bath
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