The inside story

The traditional, stone-built facade of Kate and Mike Lawley’s converted Victorian schoolhouse hides a surprise – a cool, contemporary, open-plan interior

Open-plan space

‘We designed the staircase ourselves and it’s the focal point of our home,’ says Kate. ‘The kitchen, living, dining and TV areas are spread across the open space, creating a sense of flow. From the double-height seating area, you can see the whole space and up to the mezzanine.’

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Kate and Mike fell in love with the old schoolhouse’s natural charm and interesting history instantly, even though it had succumbed to disrepair and neglect. ‘The building had been converted into two dwellings in the early 1900s,’ says Kate. ‘In spite of its condition, we knew it had the potential to be something very special.

‘We’d been looking for a renovation project that would give us a big, open-plan living space inspired by warehouse conversions and loft-style spaces. A local architect, Nicola du Pisanie of Stonewood Design, really opened our eyes to how space could look.’ Sadly, many of the roof timbers were rotten because of past water leaks, the living space and bedrooms were inaccessible and the electricity only worked in a few of the rooms. ‘The early stages of the renovation were slow and frustrating,’ says Kate. ‘We had to replace roof timbers and windows to make it structurally sound before we could completely reconfigure the layout.