Photography: Mindi Cooke, Styling: Rhianne Contreras
“People walk in and can’t believe it’s not an original Queenslander,” says Maggie of her newly constructed home in Bangalow, where she and her husband Josh live with their two sons and newborn daughter.
Prior to building the four-bedroom abode on a vacant 750-square-metre block, the couple were intent on purchasing and renovating an older character house. Originally from Adelaide and returning from a short stint living in the US, they were drawn to the natural landscape and lifestyle of the Northern Rivers.
Who lives here?
Who lives here? Maggie, her husband Josh, their two sons Morgan, seven, and Wells, four, and newborn daughter, India.
Any lessons learnt? Maggie: “Thank goodness we were working alongside a designer, because I think I could have spent forever going through different design ideas and styles. Just having someone there with you to guide you through the process made the biggest difference and was extremely helpful.”
What do you love about your home? “Our home feels so warm and joyful.”
In 2020, they bid on an old Queenslander on their favourite street bordered by rolling farmlands, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“We were disappointed to miss out on that house, because we really wanted an old home with charm,” says Maggie. “Then we saw there was a block of land for sale just down the road.”
Quick to pivot, they bought the plot and engaged Ballina architect Amy Campbell. With its deep verandahs, elevated outlook and pitched roofline, Amy’s design has all the characteristics of a traditional Queenslander. The interiors, completed by Rachael Peachey, are splashed with panelling, ornate fretwork and happy hues.
To Maggie’s delight, there’s a strong indoor-outdoor connection. Designed by Fig Landscapes, the garden is a tapestry of native flora and grasses alongside cottage blooms. “We wanted lots of space to start growing our own vegetables and have some fruit trees, as well as a grassy area where the kids could play. That was big for us,” says Maggie.
A stretch of turf greets the pool area, which is paved with soft pink and natural travertine chequerboard tiles. Its white rendered wall is capped with reclaimed bricks: a design detail Rachael added after gleaning inspiration from the walled gardens she saw in the UK. “It’s a retaining wall that’s doing a job,” she says, “but I thought, ‘Why not make it practical and beautiful?’ I say bring in the joy wherever you can.”
The home overflows with tiny but mighty moments of joy: cupboard interiors are painted in lolly-hued shades and trims in the boys’ bedrooms are finished in their favourite colours. The graceful merging of old and new gives the fresh construction its inviting charm. The reclaimed timber flooring throughout originated in an old factory in Sydney, and the garden terraces were originally railway sleepers in a past life.
Maggie wanted to use colour and make her house feel fun for her kids,” Rachael Peachey, interior designer.
After speaking with neighbours who have navigated challenging restoration and renovation projects on their own century-old properties, Maggie and Josh are glad they started with a clean slate and embarked on a new build. “We did stretch the budget by a lot, but at the end of the day, this is our dream home and we plan on living here for a long, long time,” shares Maggie. “It’s perfect for us and we feel so blessed to be able to be here.”
Bedrooms
The couple chose Bauwerk Colour Limewash in Almond Blossom for the walls in their bedroom. “Josh doesn’t mind the pink. It’s quite a pale, soft pink, which changes throughout the day. It’s so sweet and dreamy,” says Maggie.
Their timber bed from Create Estate is topped with Bed Threads linen and joined by side tables from Bonnie & Neil. Soft Roman blinds and romantic, floaty sheers in white linen, both by Blind Design, add to the palette.
Maggie wanted her kids’ rooms to be able to evolve as they grow, so she opted for vintage wardrobes instead of built-in joinery. “She was open to doing something a bit different in the boys’ rooms and didn’t necessarily want them to be all white. Yellow is Morgan’s favourite colour, but Maggie was hesitant to go heavy on it, so we went with the trims,” says Rachael of the Dulux Swedish Yellow architraves, cornices and skirtings.
Bathrooms
WE LOVE… nostalgic notes
Even the guest quarters on the lower-ground floor were treated to traditional touches. In the guest bathroom, a ‘Rockwell’ pedestal basin in Willow Green from The Water Monopoly salutes classic style, as do the brass lever taps and a showerhead from Designer Tapware Co. ‘Manacor’ wall tiles in Blue Moon and White Gloss are offset by ‘Tierra Bejmat Cotto’ floor tiles, all from House of Surfaces.
For inspiration, see houseofsurfaces.com
Laundry
Outdoors
bricks in Original by Austral Bricks cap the pool wall in a harmonising hue near a Basil Bangs ‘Jardin Patio’ umbrella. A long timber outdoor dining table from Early Settler complements the spotted gum decking(Credit: Photography: Mindi Cooke, Styling: Rhianne Contreras )
“Fig Landscapes did an amazing job creating the different levels in the garden. The top point of the garden is very high up, so when you sit up there you overlook the farms and the hills – it’s so peaceful,” shares Maggie of the terraced space, where Morgan runs off energy.
Corten steel and hardwood steps add a weathered touch, as do the retaining walls, made of reclaimed timber sleepers from Off The Rails Byron Bay.
SOURCE BOOK
Interior design Studio Peachey, @studiopeacheyArchitect Amy Campbell Architect, amycampbellarchitect.com.au
Builder Inspired Built, inspiredbuilt.com.au
Joinery Custom Kitchens & Interiors, ckandi.com.au
Landscaping Fig Landscapes, figlandscapes.com.au
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