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Courtney Adamo’s laidback family home in Bangalow

The entrepreneur and mum-of-five shows us around her abode just outside NSW's Byron Bay.
Courtney Adamo's Bangalow homePhotography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books

If you followed lifestyle blogger Courtney Adamo on Instagram in 2015, you’ll know that it was the year her life changed. It was the year that the Adamo family sold their London home and packed up their lives to travel the world for a year, homeschooling their five kids as they journeyed through the United States, Peru, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka and Italy.

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Courtney Adamo's Bangalow home
Courtney Adamo’s home in Bangalow is designed to suit her busy family’s life. (Photography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

It was on this trip that the Adamos first visited Byron Bay in northern New South Wales. It’s a coveted area where plenty of famous Aussie personalities reside, including Shelley Craft who has a home inspired by Tuscan villas.

Courtney Adamo's Bangalow home kitchen
The kitchen is light and bright with a central island where everyone can gather. (Photography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

Courtney and her family fell for the area’s laidback lifestyle: surfing in the morning, hot coffee on the walk home, cooking family dinners in the evening under a syrupy Byron sunset. At the end of their sabbatical, the family of seven decided to leave London behind and put down permanent roots in Australia.

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Courtney Adamo's Bangalow home dining room
A timber dining table with Bentwood-style dining chairs stands alongside the kitchen. (Photography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

They chose Bangalow, a town just outside of Byron, famous for its bustling farmer’s market, and had been living there for some months before Courtney and her husband Michael spotted the house they now call home.

Courtney Adamo's Bangalow home living room
The living room features a gallery wall with pieces Courtney has collected (artists unknown). (Photography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

“I came to see it out of curiosity, with zero expectations,” she recalls. “When I walked into the house, I felt immediately at home. Having lived in London for 12 years, always in old Victorian homes, I felt right at home in this old house with its creaky floors and old windows, tall ceilings, and rickety old doorknobs. I felt like I was being hugged.”

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Courtney Adamo's Bangalow home bedroom
One of the bedrooms is inviting, with stacks of books, a wall hanging above the bed and a framed Matisse print on the wall. (Photography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

Some pretty serious renovations were in order: the Adamos remodelled the house, moving the kitchen to the rear of the home so it would overlook the garden, and added a laundry room, second bathroom and one extra bedroom.

Courtney Adamo's Bangalow home
A studio in the garden has been a precious extra space that’s been used for work as well as a teenager’s bedroom. (Photography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

In terms of decoration, Adamo went for simple, open and inviting, hanging the family’s treasured pieces of art from their travels on every wall and letting in as much light as possible through big, open windows.

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Courtney Adamo's Bangalow home bedroom
The studio has doubled as an extra bedroom for the Adamo family. (Photography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

The result is an airy and relaxed family home, full of life and love. A place where kids can cook in the kitchen with their father, or grab a surfboard and head out to the beach. It’s also where Courtney works, sitting at her little desk overlooking the garden and crafting e-courses on motherhood and pregnancy, or sharing snapshots of the family’s life on Instagram.

Courtney Adamo's Bangalow home
Courtney Adamo in her home’s studio with a built-in shelf which is a clever use of space. (Photography: Jessie Prince courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

“I wanted to create a home that felt unique to our family, with mementos from our travels, favourite art on the walls, favourite books on display, most-loved toys in baskets, plants in pots,” she explains. “It gives me so much pleasure creating a place that feels like home to our family.”

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The Makers book Bed Threads Hardie Grant Books
(Image: The Makers courtesy of Hardie Grant Books)

This is an edited extract from The Makers by Bed Threads, published by Hardie Grant Books.

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