Between the demands of work and raising a family, life can be a bottomless to-do list, but with their children grown, Sydneysiders Kate and Gary could finally consider carving out a country retreat in the NSW Southern Highlands.
Minimally landscaped and with dated finishes and a polarising terracotta facade, the charms of their dream home weren’t immediately obvious to all, but Kate was smitten. She says, “I hadn’t even walked inside – we just walked to the front door and I said to Gary, ‘This is it.’ He thought I was joking, because it needed so much work.”
Who stays here?
Kate and Gary, their adult daughters Harriet and Emma and their partners, and dogs Mr Pancakes and Miffy.
Where do you find inspiration? Kate: “My interior design books and magazines, along with our travels.”
How would you describe your style? “I would say definitely classic and traditional. It never dates.”
What is a typical Sunday morning? “After walking our dogs, having a coffee in the outside room and enjoying either the sunshine or a roaring fire.”
What do you love most about country living? “We adore the peace and quiet of the country and the sense of stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the city.”
They contacted design and construction company Cadence & Co to do a minimally invasive but transformative makeover on the space. “Originally, the brief was to bring a modern freshness to the interiors, with a more tailored approach to a country aesthetic. It was a light touch in terms of structural modification but as the project developed, more opportunities became apparent and the scope grew,” says Cadence & Co design principal Michael Kilkeary. “Creating an enclosed link between the existing garage and house enabled a secondary, informal entry, which allowed some new thinking in terms of the overall spatial layout. It also provided a more private enclosure in the rear garden.”
This change in the nature of the back garden, from open space to cocooning secret garden, with exquisitely crafted design by landscaper Myles Baldwin, completely altered the home’s relationship to the outdoors. The French-inspired garden makeover inspired a rethink of the main bedroom suite. It was reconfigured to include a large and light dressing room, an adjoining bathroom was pinched to become the new ensuite, and a whole wall of windows added to the bedroom, so Kate and Gary can wake up to a dawn-lit garden.
Dining room
Kate and Gary’s antique chairs in the dining room were reupholstered with Colefax and Fowler ‘Erith’ fabric in Silver by The Classic Outfitter, and matched with a striking pendant from Interiors by George. The fresh, white scheme – walls are in Dulux Natural White Half – keeps the focus on the sculpted garden view.
Kitchen
The angled kitchen island was fundamentally flawed for this family, fitted with an upstand that divided the kitchen from the rest of the space. “I wanted people to sit on the other side of the island and have chats with me while I’m cooking and I wanted to be able to see into the family room. I can see the whole back garden when I’m in there and it’s just lovely,” says Kate of the new island, which is topped with Bianco quartzite from Gitani Stone and illuminated by ‘Hampton’ pendants from Urban Lighting.
“The style was to be traditional and classic, but with a modern twist as well. The objective was for a modern country lodge.”
Gary, homeowner
Living room
The living room scheme was originally heavy so Cadence & Co introduced a sense of lightness. “A new palette of finishes really changed the feel of this room, bringing more sophistication and elegance, but with a casualness that was important to our clients, ” says Michael.
“It’s a more pared back and quiet palette. It has a sense of calm.”
Michael Kilkeary, Cadence & Co
Main bedroom
To give the main bedroom a point of difference, Cadence & Co opted to add Intrim mouldings to the walls. The William Yeoward ‘Huxley’ bedside table from Cromwell flanks a blue-toned bed setting, featuring a custom bedhead and valance in Colefax and Fowler ‘Laurie’ fabric, and velvet quilt from Few & Far.
Dressing room
“I’ve always wanted a large dressing room,” says Kate. “It works really well because the bedroom is now just for relaxing; all the working bits – the wardrobes and the drawers – are out of the way.”
Ensuite
In the ensuite, the emphasis here was on softness, so hard surfaces are limited to Artedomus ‘Elba’ stone tiles and a stone skirting from Gitani Stone, with painted walls used instead of tiles everywhere except the shower recess.
The exquisite landscaping influenced interiors that spoke directly to the garden – and the ensuite was no exception. The Turner Hastings ‘Cambridge’ bath and Brodware ‘Winslow’ bronze spout were centred beneath a new window, positioned to take in leafy views. Alhambra ‘Candela’ linen blinds from The Classic Outfitter lend softness to the bathroom and allow privacy.
We love… a nice view
Guest bedroom
Thibaut ‘Bankun Raffia’ wallpaper in Fog lends cocooning texture to the guest bedroom. Georgia Boyd of The Classic Outfitter added further layers of comfort with a custom bedhead and valance in Fabricut ‘Cosada Stripe’ fabric and quilt from Restoration Hardware.
Outdoor entertaining
A dramatic outdoor fireplace and bocce court draws people out into the garden for relaxation and play, while a wellness pavilion has been added – a gym with sauna and outdoor shower among the greenery – so one can emerge from a stay here feeling thoroughly revitalised.
“The most important thing is that it be a family destination spot that we can all enjoy, people of different generations. That was the thinking behind the bocce court, for example – it’s multi-use, going from enjoying a nice summer evening playing bocce, through to the idea of little kids riding bikes around,” says Gary.
Flanked by a bocce court, the outdoor fireplace is a desirable destination any time of the year. This towering structure – made from ‘Apollo Random Ashlar’ stone cladding from Eco Outdoor and Bundanoon sandstone – is designed to visually balance the landscape.
Now a regular weekend destination for not only Kate and Gary but their daughters and their partners, the home is serving exactly the purpose they hoped, as a space for all to reconnect and recharge.
Design and construction: Cadence & Co, cadenceandco.com.au.
SOURCE BOOK
Interior design: Cadence & Co in collaboration with Interiors by George (interiorsbygeorge.com.au) and The Classic Outfitter (theclassicoutfitter.com).
Landscape design: Myles Baldwin Design, mylesbaldwin.com.
This article originally appeared on Home Beautiful and is republished here with permission.
