Design power couple Charlie Albone and Juliet Love are selling their farm in Ourimbah on the New South Wales Central Coast. “We absolutely love it here,” says Juliet in a promotional video for the property, as Charlie adds, “Yes we do, but it’s time to hand over the reins to somebody else.” The couple originally purchased the weatherboard cottage on a 2.02ha parcel of land in 2012 for $840,000, but today the property’s current price guide is more than double that, listed at $2.45 million to $2.65 million.
Landscape designer Charlie and interior designer Juliet are both hosts on Better Homes & Gardens and previously lived full-time at Ourimbah before increasing work commitments saw them relocate first to a seaside home in eastern Sydney and then to a fixer-upper in Maroubra in 2020. Busy with work schedules and raising children, the couple held on to Ourimbah as a cherished weekend retreat. “The thing I like about the place up the coast is that there’s no-one else around,” Charlie told Home Beautiful in 2017. It’s a sentiment he reiterates in the listing’s video, “The thing I love most about this property is that it is so incredibly private.”
For more than a decade, Charlie and Juliet have updated the home extensively, installing a new kitchen, replacing the flooring and giving each room a fresh coat of white paint. As for the garden, that too has evolved over the years. “The newest addition to the garden – one we’ve done in the last couple of years – is all about being self-sufficient. I’ve hand-built some raised vegie patches, so they’re really easy to work on, but the best thing about them is that they’re wicking beds, so they’re self-watering,” says Charlie.
The garden is even filled with so many different types of fruiting trees, Juliet struggles to list them all! Lemons, pomegranates, figs and mulberries are all grown on the farm.
But the central feature of the sprawling outdoor space is the lawn, which encircles an outdoor dining table shaded by a wisteria-covered arbour. “It has been the perfect setting for so many great occasions,” says Juliet. In September, Charlie says the wisteria blooms to life, producing flowers that perfume the entire garden.
While the property has served as the ideal weekender for Charlie and Juliet, it also has potential to become a multigenerational home for the next owner. There’s a self-contained guest studio located just off the garage, complete with its own kitchenette, ensuite and living area.
The couple are sure to miss the magical estate, but with roots firmly planted in Sydney, it’s time for them to move on. Juliet called the sale “bittersweet” but said “it’s time for someone else to create memories here and love it as much as we do.”
Charlie and Juliet’s Ourimbah farm is currently for sale, listed with Ray White Long Jetty. For more information, visit the property listing.
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