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HOMES
68
second chance
Is there such a thing as ‘meant to be’? Nigel and Nicole felt such
a connection to their home in Canberra, they bought it twice!
STORY & STYLING MEREDITH McKENDRY PHOTOGRAPHY CATH MUSCAT
68 {JULY 2011} homebeautiful.com.au
we love
the cosy outdoor room
The deck of Nicole and Nigel’s sunlit home features
benches covered in cushions, piles of interior magazines
and a glamorous candelabra. “I love that it’s an extra living
room, instead of just being a deck with a lounge,” says
Nicole. An awning above ensures the area never gets wet.
Nicole sourced the benches, side table and candelabra
from Rodney’s Plants Plus; visit rodneys.com.au. >
homebeautiful.com.au {JULY 2011} 69
“I like to keep
furniture and
walls
– then it’s
easy to bring
in colour with
accessories
and change the
whole look”
neutral
IT’S RARE TO PURCHASE a family home and feel that it’s
complete; usually, it takes a little while to put your stamp on it.
Nicole and Nigel were won over by their four-bedroom home’s size
and location, but not so fond of its boxy rooms and dated finishes.
So, they renovated, repainted, replaced the carpets and installed a
new kitchen – but the house still didn’t feel right. Nicole persuaded
a reluctant Nigel to sell and move on.
Four years later, the house was available again. “When the people
we sold it to put it on the market, Nigel thought it was an omen,” says
Nicole with a laugh. “He never wanted to sell it in the first place.”
They snapped up the property, determined that this time, they would
get every detail right. Their first move was to completely remodel
the interior. To create a layout that would best suit their family, the
couple divided the space into separate zones for themselves and their
three children, Lochlan, Samantha, and Nicholas.
The new floor plan meanders from the parent’s retreat at one end,
with a bedroom, ensuite, walk-in robe and study, through to the kitchen
and living areas, down to the pool and outdoors. At the back of the
house, overlooking nearby hills, are three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The family relaxes in the downstairs cinema room at night. >
70 {JULY 2011} homebeautiful.com.au
LIVING ROOM {above left} Sticking to a neutral palette,
Nicole chose classic furniture that will last, like the microfibre
sofa she bought years ago. “The arms are wide so it looks like
a designer piece, but it’s not!” she says. A timber screen, made
to Nigel’s design using Victorian ash with a dark timber stain,
helps to conceal the living room from the floor-to-ceiling glass
front door. Soft wool carpet from Bob Walker’s Carpets and
Wilson ‘Luxury Satin’ curtains in Ash from Cusack’s Home
Centre (cusacks.com.au) feature throughout the open-plan
space, giving an elegantly understated and unified look.
DINING ROOM {top} The double-sided ‘Heat & Glo’ fireplace
from Jetmaster (jetmaster.com.au) neatly divides the living
and dining rooms, effectively heating both and creating a
comforting glow at night. During the day, a wall of windows
ensures the living and dining rooms are always bathed in
light. “I like to keep the furniture and walls neutral – then
it’s easy to bring in colour with accessories and change
the whole look of the room,” Nicole explains.
OUTDOOR LIVING Leading off
from the kitchen, this inviting nook
is ideal for alfresco entertaining,
with a statement hanging egg chair
from Rodney’s Plants Plus, one
of Nicole’s favourite stores, and
large format Uti & Inni pavers
in Nero from Rivoland Tiles.
Inside story
Who lives here?
Nicole and Nigel; their children,
Lochlan, 19, Samantha, 18, Nicholas,
13; dogs Molly, a Maltese terrier,
and Max, a Maltese/shih tzu;
and cat Casey.
Best decorating tip?
Nicole: “The best advice I can
give is to buy design books
and magazines. Magazines
played a huge part in the interior
design here – I’m forever buying
them and get so many ideas,
from house plans to colour
schemes. Little details make
a huge difference.”
Best bargain buy?
“I spent months looking for
pendant lights for the kitchen
and ended up buying them
at Bunnings for only $35 each!”
Most extravagant purchase?
“Having three benches in the
kitchen is a bit extravagant,
but it’s worth it. I love
everything about the kitchen
and wouldn’t change a thing.”
homebeautiful.com.au {JULY 2011} 71
72 {JULY 2011} homebeautiful.com.au
“Having
three benches
in the kitchen is
a bit extravagant
but it’s worth it.
I love everything
about the kitchen
and wouldn’t
change a thing”
< The family tends to gravitate to the uncluttered kitchen, with its
gleaming white benchtops and floods of natural light. “The kitchen
overlooks the pool area, living and dining rooms, so you always feel
a part of what’s going on, and it’s great for entertaining,” Nicole says.
Off the kitchen, the open-plan living and dining rooms are defined
into cosy areas using timber screens and a double-sided gas fireplace.
“The fireplace divides the living and dining rooms without closing it
off,” says Nicole. “We wanted something in the middle to give the
rooms a focal point and it’s so comforting, especially at night.”
With a blank canvas to work with, Nicole decorated in shades of
muted grey and brown, with textural contrasts – such as sculptural
vases, fluffy cushions and timber screens – to keep the neutral palette
interesting. The same cool neutral walls, dark wool carpets and
off-white curtains feature throughout to unify the home.
Now warm and welcoming, the home has plenty of room for the
family to spread out and enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, while still enjoying
their own personal space. “The thing I love most about the house is
that the living areas are really open, so we can be a part of whatever’s
going on,” says Nicole. It seems that when a home takes hold of you,
it might just take a little perseverance before it feels like a perfect fit.
CASUAL DINING {opposite} The white kitchen table
and chairs, all from Domayne, uplift the neutral colour
scheme; try their ‘Pure White’ dining table and ‘Jasper’
dining chairs; visit domayneonline.com.au.
KITCHEN {above} Designed so Nicole never has to
have her back to guests, the kitchen has not one, but
two island benches topped with Quantum Quartz
benchtops in New Diamond White. The centre bench
features Smeg cooktops and an oven; the front bench
contains the sink and dishwasher. “The cooktops are
on the middle bench, so if there are a lot of people in the
kitchen, I can go on the other side of the bench to cook,”
says Nicole. With Deco Foils cabinetry in Chino Matt and
Urban Grey High Gloss (decofoils.com.au) and a glamorous
Emperador marble splashback, the kitchen is a study
in slick sophistication. Pendant lights from Bunnings
and ‘Cliff’ stools from Matt Blatt complete the look;
visit bunnings.com.au and mattblatt.com.au. >
homebeautiful.com.au {JULY 2011} 73
MASTER BEDROOM Nicole and Nigel’s
bedroom is peaceful and uncluttered. The
key feature is a wall of wenge timber veneer
panelling from Amerind; visit amerind.com.au.
A luxurious upholstered bed is topped with
white bedlinen from Aura by Tracie Ellis
(aurahome.com.au), matched with Laura
Ashley cushions; visit laura-ashley.com.au.
Downlights leave the bedside tables free
for decorative glass vessels Nicole found
at Cusack’s Home Centre. “The downlights
are great for reading and they give the
bedroom a warm glow,” she says.
style notes
1
2
the details
3
1 Interior paint: Try Wash & Wear 101
Advanced paint in Vivid White, $36.95/litre, Dulux.
2 Kitchen benchtops: Quantum Quartz in
New Diamond White, from $400/sqm (including
installation), WK-Quantum Quartz.
3 Bathroom tiles: ‘Neutra Cemento’ wall
tiles, from $110/sqm, Rivoland Tiles.
Stockists, page 205
BATHROOM The bathroom features Deco Foils cabinetry
in Urban Grey High Gloss and Essa Stone benchtops in Pearl
Fondant; try Essa Stone’s Crystal Chalk. The taupe ‘Neutra
Cemento’ tiles from Rivoland Tiles on the walls and floor
create a sophisticated ambience and don’t show marks.
BATHROOM A ladder from Rodney’s Plants
Plus is a clever storage solution. The tiles
are ‘Vetro Cemento’ mosaics from Rivoland.
The taupe tiles on the walls and floor create a
and don’t show marks
ILLUSTRATION KENZIEDESIGN.COM
STORE
BATH
sophist icated ambience
WIR
BATH
BED
BEDROOM
KITCHEN
BEDROOM
BATH
LAUNDRY
STUDY
INDOOR POOL
WIR
ENTRY
MASTER
BEDROOM
INDOOR POOL A daybed piled high
with cushions and a huge mirror give
the solar-heated pool a real resort feel.
DINING
LIVING