Photography: Louise Roche / Styling: Kylie Jackes
Claiming a coveted clifftop spot, heads often turn to check out Rockfield, a late Victorian-era home perched on a sizeable slice of land in inner city Brisbane. For years it had piqued Lindar’s interest on her commute to work and when she saw it advertised for sale, curiosity got the better of her. “I had to take a look and when I stepped inside, I got a feeling in the pit of my stomach, ‘this is right, this is what I want, how can I make it happen?’” she recalls, of her desire to buy the property 28 years ago.
Who lives here?
Lindar, partnerships manager and her adult children, university students Mackenzie, Stafford and Sienna.
Favourite spot in the house?
“My bedroom, it’s a beautiful calm oasis from the goings-on of family life when I need some ‘me’ time, plus the curtains Leigh recommended are a stunning centrepiece.”
Best source of interior inspiration?
“Home Beautiful, of course, Houzz and Highgate House’s body of work.”
Lessons learnt renovating?
“Trust your instincts. Be bold expressing your personality in the choices you make and have faith in your interior designer. They weave their magic and make your dreams come true.”
While the house needed some TLC, Lindar was taken by its incredible location on a quarter acre block, overlooking the Brisbane River and city skyline and saw her role as a custodian as she set about reinstating its heritage charm.
“When I began master planning the renovation I grew to be fascinated by the story behind the house,” she says. “I spent a lot of time at the state library researching its past and discovered Rockfield was originally built for a coal merchant Captain Daniel McGregor, his wife and six children, and records show the first post delivered to the address was in 1892.”
Having changed owners numerous times in the century prior to Lindar’s custodianship, the house had undergone various interior iterations, yet even shrouded in ’70s mission brown, orange lino and laminate, beautiful original features such as VJ walls, timber fretwork breezeways and intricately crafted architraves still shone and captured her imagination.
Lindar’s vision, plotted and executed over several years, involved an extensive renovation, which celebrated the home’s heritage within a more modern, open-plan layout. Ideas were pooled from three architects to create the harmonious blend of classic and contemporary design which encompassed altering the floor plan, extending the wraparound verandah to make the most of sweeping views and building in the undercroft to create extra bedrooms, bathroom, living space, laundry, garage and grand staircase.
Original features were reproduced on the new lower level with turn-of-the-century inspired ceiling roses, classic cornicing and digitised timber cutout breezeway panels added above doors. “Woodworkers duplicated all the original trims and doors in cedar throughout, which were painted white to emphasise the city views and enhance the natural light throughout,” says Lindar.
The result is a blended upper and lower level, which makes it feel like the home is entirely original. As a long-time admirer of interior designer Leigh Boswell of Highgate House, Lindar enlisted her expertise to create a look that transcended eras.
“I love Leigh’s eye for all things classically beautiful and she had wonderful ideas, which at times pushed me out of my comfort zone, in a good way,” shares Lindar of the enduring palette layered with timber, marble, custom upholstery, stately lighting and glorious shades of green, which enhance the connection to outdoor spaces.
Reflecting on the three decades she’s lived in the house, the last two with her adult children Mackenzie, Stafford and Sienna, a favourite place to gather is the deck, which has hosted many celebrations and provided an idyllic spot to take in the city sights and sounds.
“From the deck, we always enjoy the annual Riverfire event and New Year’s fireworks displays and being directly opposite the Riverstage in the City Botanic Gardens we benefit from free concert music,” says Lindar.
Recently closing her chapter in the home’s history to downsize, Lindar reflects her gut instinct all those years ago was right. “I’ve loved living here as a custodian and I’m proud to have left my mark on Rockfield and the Brisbane landscape.”
Entryway
A reception area was created on the new lower level, with materials such as Thibaut ‘Bankun Raffia’ wallpaper matched to the upper level. Apart from antique pieces, Lindar chose all the furnishings with interior designer Leigh Boswell, such as the timber table topped with a ‘Vicenza’ lamp and marble ruffle edge fluted bowl from Highgate House. The ‘Stanford’ chandelier was sourced from Zest Lighting and has custom shades by Highgate House.
Kitchen
Lindar’s brief to kitchen design and construction company Wyer + Craw was for solid timber cabinetry in the kitchen. “With all aspects of the house I thought about longevity and the ability to simply repaint quality timber cabinets, if I ever wanted to change the colour down the track, really appealed,” she says.
VJ walls in Resene Truffle frame the zone, while a decorative custom blind in Duralee fabric injects pattern alongside Fornasetti plates. She opted for a mix of benchtop materials: black granite adorns outer benches, while the island is topped in Arabescato Corchia marble from Project Stone.
Living
There are several living areas, yet perhaps the most well used is the space adjacent to the kitchen. Highgate House sofas were chosen for their timeless appeal, as was the Hooker Furniture vintage ‘West’ X-base coffee table, from Globe Imports paired with a Rug Concepts rug. Cushions from Highgate House.
We love…timber cladding
There’s something incredibly warm and welcoming about VJ walls, which add extra depth and character to a space. As lead paint was discovered on some existing VJ walls during the renovation, the most cost-effective solution was to copy the original profile and sheet over it, with the classic look recreated and used extensively throughout the interior. For similar, try Easy VJ, easycraft.com.au.
Bedrooms
In this space, Thibaut ‘Patani’ wallpaper in Charcoal sets the scene for a custom bedhead from Highgate House. An Emac & Lawton ‘Prescot’ chandelier and posters by John Ireland round out the room. Doubling as a study for the university student, a ‘Campaign’ desk from Xavier Furniture is positioned to take in garden views, with an armchair from Highgate House in the corner.
“The house has a sense of quality and history that I love as well as style from the late Victorian era.”
Lindar, homeowner.
Connected to the verandah via French doors, teamed with original soaring ceilings, the main bedroom is a tranquil retreat. Highgate House cushions feature on the bed while a timeless Highgate House lamp and bedside table echo the Greek Key pattern in the Thibaut ‘Maze’ wallpaper.
“I loved adding colour in places, especially green, which is beautiful and calming.”
Lindar, homeowner.
Bathrooms
Walls adorned in Thibaut ‘Nemour’ wallpaper in Green create an enchanting backdrop in the bathroom, with decorative features such as the Brodware ‘Classique’ console from Elite Bathware & Tiles. Carrara floor tiles add to the classic feel, as do ‘Molly’ bamboo wall sconces in Nickel (for similar, try Cromwell) with custom shades from Highgate House. A Cromwell Artisan Chest, sourced through Highgate House, is on the back wall.
Laundry
The laundry continues the classic grey and white palette with custom cabinetry in Dulux Vivid White, complemented with a Caesarstone benchtop. On the floor, Platinum Silver Travertine from Stone & Tile Studio adds a wonderful textural element.
Gazebo
A ‘Snyder’ outdoor sofa set by B_seated layered with cushions from Provincial Home Living creates a comfortable retreat in the gazebo to enjoy glorious garden views.
Interior designer Highgate House, highgatehouse.com.
SOURCE BOOK
Architects Bruce Buchanan (retired); Kon Panagopoulos, KP Architects, kparchitects.com.au; Graeme Spender, Davis Sommerville Architects, 0411 451 369.
Landscape design Steven Clegg Design, stevencleggdesign.com.au.
Exterior tiling Stellar Tiling Group, @stellartiling
Kitchen joinery Wyer + Craw, wyercraw.com.au.
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