STATE OF PLAY

THIS HERITAGE HOME TRANSFORMATION WAS A TRUE FAMILY AFFAIR, BROUGHT TOGETHER WITH LOVE AND CARE AND JOYFUL LAYERS OF VIVID COLOUR

- STEPHANIE HOPE

It’s easy to lose track of time when you live in a home as beautiful as this renovated heritage red-brick cottage in Canberra. “I’m forever just wandering around, touching things, opening things, admiring things,” says its owner, Barbara, who lives here with her husband, Len. “Everywhere you look, there’s something to admire. It’s just a whole new feel to what we had before.”

The couple bought the home in the early ’90s. It was originally designed in 1926 by renowned architect Kenneth Henry Bell Oliphant and Barbara and Len lived here comfortably for almost 30 years. “But it was getting a bit tired,” Barbara admits. “When you looked around, there were lots of things that needed updating.”

Top of her list was a new kitchen, with an easy flow for entertaining and a butler’s pantry where she could hide the mess. And there was only one person she wanted for the job: her daughter, interior designer Vanessa Hawes.

“Mum has always said she wanted me to design her a new kitchen and, as is often the case, this then had a knock-on effect of becoming a full-scale renovation,” says Vanessa, who worked in partnership with her architect partner Paul Tilse to reimagine the entire home for this next stage of her parents’ lives. “The size of the house is perfect: all one level and not too big. So it was really about getting the functionality right and making each room a beautiful space for them to enjoy.”