Escape time
Home Beautiful|August 2024
WELCOME TO THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY RETREAT, A SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS WEEKENDER WHERE THE ONLY CHALLENGE IS BRINGING ONESELF TO LEAVE
SHELLEY TUSTIN
Escape time

Between the demands of work and raising a family, life can be a bottomless to-do list, but with their children grown, Sydneysiders Kate and Gary could finally consider carving out a country retreat in the NSW Southern Highlands.

Minimally landscaped and with dated finishes and a polarising terracotta facade, the charms of their dream home weren’t immediately obvious to all, but Kate was smitten. She says, “I hadn’t even walked inside – we just walked to the front door and I said to Gary, ‘This is it.’ He thought I was joking, because it needed so much work.”

They contacted design and construction company Cadence & Co to do a minimally invasive but transformative makeover on the space. “Originally, the brief was to bring a modern freshness to the interiors, with a more tailored approach to a country aesthetic. It was a light touch in terms of structural modification but as the project developed, more opportunities became apparent and the scope grew,” says Cadence & Co design principal Michael Kilkeary. “Creating an enclosed link between the existing garage and house enabled a secondary, informal entry, which allowed some new thinking in terms of the overall spatial layout. It also provided a more private enclosure in the rear garden.”

This change in the nature of the back garden, from open space to cocooning secret garden, with exquisitely crafted design by landscaper Myles Baldwin, completely altered the home’s relationship to the outdoors. The French-inspired garden makeover inspired a rethink of the main bedroom suite. It was reconfigured to include a large and light dressing room, an adjoining bathroom was pinched to become the new ensuite, and a whole wall of windows added to the bedroom, so Kate and Gary can wake up to a dawn-lit garden.

This story is from the August 2024 edition of Home Beautiful.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 2024 edition of Home Beautiful.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HOME BEAUTIFULView All
BRING TO LIGHT
Home Beautiful

BRING TO LIGHT

A DULL AND UNINSPIRING HOME IS REINCARNATED AS AN IDYLLIC SEASIDE ABODE FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2024
CALI CLASSIC
Home Beautiful

CALI CLASSIC

TAKING INSPIRATION FROM THIS BUNGALOW'S EXTERIOR, A COUPLE REVIVED THE INTERIOR WITH CALIFORNIA SOUL

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2024
SEA CHANGE
Home Beautiful

SEA CHANGE

A DATED PROPERTY IS TRANSFORMED INTO A FAMILY'S FOREVER HOME WITH A FRESH BLACK AND WHITE PALETTE

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2024
Paradise found in LOS CABOS
Home Beautiful

Paradise found in LOS CABOS

ON THE POINT OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA, THE DESERT MEETS THE SEA AT THIS AWE-INSPIRING MEXICAN OASIS

time-read
2 mins  |
August 2024
THE gardener's LOG
Home Beautiful

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

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2024
COME RAIN OR SHINE
Home Beautiful

COME RAIN OR SHINE

It took two months of dedicated, daily work to transform an almost bare yard into this contemporary garden

time-read
2 mins  |
August 2024
BOLD STROKES
Home Beautiful

BOLD STROKES

DARE TO EMBRACE THE DETAILS THAT MAKE YOU DIFFERENT FOR A KITCHEN DESIGN THAT FEELS PERSONAL

time-read
1 min  |
August 2024
CREATIVE connections
Home Beautiful

CREATIVE connections

THE RENOVATION JOURNEY OF THIS BANGALOW HOME TOOK A EUROPEAN-INSPIRED ROUTE BACK IN TIME

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2024
SET IN STONE
Home Beautiful

SET IN STONE

WITH ITS ALLURING MIX OF MATERIALS AND ERAS, THIS HOME OFFERS A MASTERCLASS IN ENDURING STYLE AND ELEGANCE

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2024
Escape time
Home Beautiful

Escape time

WELCOME TO THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY RETREAT, A SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS WEEKENDER WHERE THE ONLY CHALLENGE IS BRINGING ONESELF TO LEAVE

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2024