TREASURE trove

Unique vintage finds and an extensive art collection make the Highlands getaway of charity CEO and former magazine publisher Deborah Thomas a cherished one.

- Kirstie Clements

When Deborah Thomas, CEO/ managing director of Camp Quality, and former editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly and her husband, Vitek Czernuszyn, decided to buy a home in NSW’s Southern Highlands, the primary motivation was not an escape into solitude. “I liked the house because it was purposefully built as a bed and breakfast,” Deborah says of the extensive four-bedroom home, Stonnington, which also has a separate two-bedroom cottage on the same property. “I love entertaining and having friends and family to stay, so having six bedrooms, each with their own bathroom was just perfect!”

The exterior of the house speaks to the Highlands style, with its Provençal chic yellow exterior and pale green shutters, but the interior is surprisingly modern eclectic, a reflection of the couple’s love of art, and in particular, art glass. “I like to collect unusual handmade objects; I started collecting in my early twenties,” says Deborah. “If you need a bowl, why not get a beautiful one that was made by an artist?” she asks, pointing out a blue glass bowl by Peter Crisp. “It’s much more special to utilise something hand-hewn in everyday life as opposed to buying something new and ‘perfect’.”