Carol’s family weekender in the charming Blue Mountains village of Leura, 80 minutes from Sydney, has welcomed many visitors in its lifetime. Built in the 1920s and initially owned by the Catholic Church, the weatherboard cottage became a doctor’s surgery in the ’80s. Positioned a whisper away from the main street filled with boutiques and eateries, the property is now known as Orchard Cottage, beautifully updated with a spectacular street frontage.
Carol, her husband George and their children Jacob, 21, Benjamin 11, and Claire, 14, had been visiting the area for many years before buying in 2014. “We love Leura – it holds many precious childhood memories for our family,” says Carol, the driving force behind this elegant home renovation. “We could see the beauty in the original home and wanted to retain that, but, by the same token, we wanted to create something pleasurable to live in, and that suited our family lifestyle.”
The cottage was small and dark, but go-getter Carol loved facing the transformation challenge. “Restoring the cottage was no small undertaking!” she admits. While the building works were completed in a swift six months, the timing coincided with a particularly snowy winter, where not just one, but two, large snowstorms blanketed the region. Despite the dreadful weather, and perhaps due to her judicious project management skills, Carol reports the snow had only a minor impact on the construction schedule. The trickiest part of the renovation, she says, was working with the quirks of an aging home. “Not only did it require special care, especially dealing with old structures and building materials, but it was important for us to give it new life while still respecting the character of the original building,” says the talented homeowner.
Denne historien er fra June 2021-utgaven av Home Beautiful.
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Denne historien er fra June 2021-utgaven av Home Beautiful.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BRING TO LIGHT
A DULL AND UNINSPIRING HOME IS REINCARNATED AS AN IDYLLIC SEASIDE ABODE FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR
CALI CLASSIC
TAKING INSPIRATION FROM THIS BUNGALOW'S EXTERIOR, A COUPLE REVIVED THE INTERIOR WITH CALIFORNIA SOUL
SEA CHANGE
A DATED PROPERTY IS TRANSFORMED INTO A FAMILY'S FOREVER HOME WITH A FRESH BLACK AND WHITE PALETTE
Paradise found in LOS CABOS
ON THE POINT OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA, THE DESERT MEETS THE SEA AT THIS AWE-INSPIRING MEXICAN OASIS
THE gardener's LOG
With only one month until spring is officially here, August is the last chance to give your plants a winter prune and shape your garden for summer
COME RAIN OR SHINE
It took two months of dedicated, daily work to transform an almost bare yard into this contemporary garden
BOLD STROKES
DARE TO EMBRACE THE DETAILS THAT MAKE YOU DIFFERENT FOR A KITCHEN DESIGN THAT FEELS PERSONAL
CREATIVE connections
THE RENOVATION JOURNEY OF THIS BANGALOW HOME TOOK A EUROPEAN-INSPIRED ROUTE BACK IN TIME
SET IN STONE
WITH ITS ALLURING MIX OF MATERIALS AND ERAS, THIS HOME OFFERS A MASTERCLASS IN ENDURING STYLE AND ELEGANCE
Escape time
WELCOME TO THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY RETREAT, A SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS WEEKENDER WHERE THE ONLY CHALLENGE IS BRINGING ONESELF TO LEAVE