The next Chapter

Having brought its owners 20 years of enjoyment, a country retreat in NSW’s Hunter Valley receives a well-deserved update.

- Chris Pearson

The pull of a tranquil rural retreat was hard to resist for the owner of this striking home in the NSW Hunter Valley. His Austrian father owned the neighbouring property, and in 2000, he built this farm – designed by architect Tom Rivard – so his children could enjoy the same carefree weekends he’d experienced as a boy.

DINING This double-height room plays host to a glamorous customised chandelier and Mood dining chairs from Weylandts (now closed). Artworks by unknown artists. BACKYARD The house, designed by Tom Rivard and built in 2000, still looks amazingly contemporary, helped by the refurbished garden by Paul Bangay and the interior tweaks by Thomas Hamel.

Designed to be low-maintenance, the Modernist concreteclad home remained largely untouched until 2015, when, after years of family rough and tumble, its interiors called for an update. The owner asked designer Thomas Hamel, who had worked with him on other projects, to update it for what had then become a blended family of five children of varying ages (now 11 to 29). “We wanted a relaxed, easy-living home,” says the owner. And that is exactly what they got.