New BEAUTY

A CELEBRATION OF CLASSIC COMFORT AND GRAND GESTURES, THIS HAMPTONS HOME TRANSPORTS THE AMERICAN DREAM TO SMALL-TOWN NEW SOUTH WALES

- SUE WHEELER

Elegant and airy, and boasting wainscoting and windows for days, this Hamptons home brings a slice of the US east coast to Tahmoor, a small town 90km southwest of Sydney. Built on two hectares of land, it’s a dream come true for Jody, her husband Michael, and their daughters, Stephanie, 18, and Stacie, 12. “I still wake up every day and can’t believe it’s ours,” says Jody, who was raised in Scotland and moved to Australia when she was 12.

Before building, the family lived close by on a ‘quarter-acre’ block, but they lost their beautiful views once it was subdivided. “I tried to create a Hamptons look in that house, but it had low ceilings and just wasn’t working, so we decided to start from scratch and build exactly what we wanted,” recalls Jody.

Driving through nearby Picton one day, she spotted a home under construction, shouted “Stop the car!” and cheekily found her way into the site to peek through the windows. “I could see all the French doors and panelling, and I fell in love,” says Jody, who immediately contacted the builders, Riverleigh Homes.