Memory Lane

Nostalgia for a childhood home, the desire for bucolic views and theatrical design skills all played a role in the revival of this cottage in the NSW Southern Highlands.

- Elizabeth Wilson

After decades of inner-city living, James Watts was hankering for a tree-change. With fond memories of growing up in the English countryside, the Sydney-based managing director of rug brand Armadillo found himself dreaming of rolling hills and rural vistas.

Three years ago, he sold his home in Sydney’s inner east and started searching for a cottage within a 150-kilometre-or-so radius of the city. For 12 months, James and his partner Tony Chapman spent their weekends hunting for the perfect place.

They began their search on the NSW South Coast before gravitating inland to the Southern Highlands. On one of their exploration missions, they took a turn-off to Burrawang, an historic village of timber cottages and old-school store signs set against a backdrop of undulating countryside. James immediately felt at home. Enterprisingly, he decided to drop notes in letterboxes, in the hope of finding someone ready to sell.

“We were up to our third letterbox drop when neighbours came out to chat,” says James. “They told us people down the road wanted to sell off the market. We had a look at the place and bought it the next weekend.”

Built-in the 1930s, the two-bedroom weatherboard cottage needed some work, which suited James and Tony perfectly. “We wanted a bit of a project,” says James.

They lived in the cottage for six months while James devised the renovation, drawing on his design background, including a previous career in TV and film set decoration. “Set design is all about visual storytelling with interiors,” he says. “It was nice to reprise those skills here.”