Photography: Hannah Puechmarin
Kathryn runs her household according to the wisdom of her Irish grandmother, Nanna Mary Josephine.
“My nan instilled in me that life is meant to be lived fully,” says Kathryn, a school teacher and recently graduated florist. “She used the ‘nice’ things every day: lace tablecloths, pearls, fine china. My favourite saying of hers is still, ‘If not now, then when?’ “Nothing is too precious,” she says of her Queensland home. “It’s a space that’s meant to be used.
My three rambunctious boys and new puppy have really tested this philosophy though!” For Kathryn, finding Rosewood, a 4.5-acre property 30 minutes from Brisbane, was equal parts luck and logic.
Having grown up with a veterinarian dad on a property near Gympie, she’d always hoped her sons – Louie, eight, Leo, seven, and Frederick, four – would know the freedom of country life. “They just adore nature and animals,” says Kathryn, whose husband Tim hails from Brookfield, a semi-rural community on the fringe of Brisbane.
After Kathryn turned 40, the couple started searching for a weekender on the Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast hinterlands. “But one day I was sitting in traffic for two hours coming back from an open home, and it dawned on me,” reveals Kathryn. “Many friends had moved back to the Brookfield area, so why not look for acreage, close to familiar faces and the city?” Almost overnight, a good friend sent Kathryn the listing for a characterful 1920s Queenslander.
Giving their young children a taste of life on the land inspired Kathryn and her husband Tim to find a semi-rural retreat not too far from their home in Brisbane. Lovingly reimagined by Biju Interiors, the couple’s weekender is now rich with colour and character.
Guests are greeted with pattern and texture at the entrance, which sets the tone for the rest of this kaleidoscopic weekender. The ‘Nantucket’ lamps from Cromwell sit on a Lincoln Brooks console. Alfresco Emporium baskets conceal shoes and toys, and the Biju Interiors-designed custom rug was made in India. A throw from Weave Home and a large printed artwork by Craig Trewin Penny from La Grolla complete the welcoming vignette.
INSIDE STORY
Kathryn & Tim’s weekender
Who stays here? Kathryn, a school teacher and florist, Tim, a lawyer, sons Louie, eight, Leo, seven, and Frederick, four, their Pug Wendell, Spoodle Poppy, Welsh Mountain Pony Pippin and four Guinea Fowl.
Favourite space in the home? Kathryn: “The guest bedroom, with its soft yellow details, ticking-stripe lampshades, a frilled valance and layered quilted bedlinen.”
Biggest challenge during this update? “The saying ‘Many hands make light work’ rings true for the rose garden, planted in the pouring rain by the entire family, including my mum and dad.”
Kathryn and Tim’s property is set on 4.5 acres of verdant greenery.
Sunny curtains in Colefax and Fowler ‘Hayden’ fabric in Gold brighten the guest bedroom. Lamps from Circle of Light feature custom shades and the cushions were crafted using Linwood fabric, available from Wortley Group. The panelled walls are painted in Resene Avocado.
“There are surprises around every corner – a mix of history, fun and antiques.”
JULIA MONAGHAN, INTERIOR DESIGNER
“I knew it was the house,” she recalls. When the family inspected it the following day, the boys tumbled out of the car and commandeered the farm cats and basketball hoop. “Leo said, ‘Mum, pass me your wallet, we’ll take it’,” says Kathryn with a laugh. And they did, full of excitement for their new retreat. Rosewood had been relocated from nearby Auchenflower in Brisbane around 1993, and a repurposed football club house was installed as a wing a decade later.
A pair of custom armchairs is upholstered in Nina Campbell fabric from Domus Textiles and the blue cushions feature a Schumacher trim that ties in with the leather ottoman from Alliance Furniture and lamps from Sue Riley Home Collections. Resene Dark Knight cloaks the walls, with the skirting boards painted in Resene Bronze, while a Tallira rug by The Rug Collection continues the bolts of blue.
A chequered fabric from Prestigious Textiles was chosen to upholster the sofa, which is plump with cushions in Nina Campbell fabric. The smallbox on the floor is from Hermès and the porcelain stool is an Orient House find.
A separate former railway cottage was also relocated to the property in 2015. While the historical patchwork home was charming and functional, its all-white interiors were ‘meh’. To reflect its effervescent new custodians, the couple turned to Julia Monaghan and Bill Tanwan, co-founders of Biju Interiors, to layer the farmhouse with colour and pattern.
Julia had previously worked on Kathryn and Tim’s Brisbane home, so Kathryn gave her and Bill free rein. Although, she was drawn to the amber, plum, forest green and deep red in the home’s original stained-glass windows. “I also vibed with purple, like the wisteria that grows on the balcony,” she adds. “They ran with it.” The project was more like a sprint, as the house settled in November and Kathryn hoped to celebrate Christmas amid new interiors.
Inspired by English country homes, Ralph Lauren and Kathryn’s Irish background, Julia and Bill drenched the VJ-panelled walls in rich hues and commissioned plush furnishings. “We leaned into that moodiness, but also added playfulness,” says Bill. While Rosewood isn’t yet finished – a kitchen refresh and wellness zone are on the cards – it provides the family with slow weekends reminiscent of the 1980s, when sunshine and curiosity beat screens. The kids hoon around the circular driveway on electric bikes and traverse ninja courses they magicked up. Marshmallows are toasted over a fire pit on Queensland’s version of a chilly night. The boys are learning to ride Pippin, their new Welsh Mountain Pony, while caring for 16-year-old Pug, Wendell, and young Spoodle, Poppy. It’s organised chaos and it’s perfect. “We bought the farm for our boys,” says Kathryn. “Having some land and breathing space is so good for them. They just run free.”
WE LOVE…
Intricate pattern.
A melange of floral, gingham and equestrian-inspired fabrics, selected by Biju Interiors, breathe life into the custom cushions, bedheads and furniture upholstery. “Floral skirted dining chairs in Sanderson fabric recall memories of my Nanna Mary Josephine,” says Kathryn. Pattern not only plays across the soft furnishings, but also on plates and heirlooms, walls and cabinet shelves.
“Our antique table has already become the centrepiece of celebrations,” shares Kathryn of the dining space. Florabelle Living rattan pendants illuminate the custom Lorenzo Castillo tablecloth, which is grounded by a Cadrys ‘Seasons’ rug. Ever the bowerbird, Kathryn has collected pieces over many years from across the globe, some of which feature in an 18th century hutch. Living The Hali rug inspired Biju Interiors to add layers of simpatico colours in the family’s living area.
Kathryn’s curation of Bordallo Pinheiro plates, Wedgwood and Churchill pieces, plus a Margaret Olley artwork, amp up the character and history. The deep ‘Montauk’ sofas, upholstered in Warwick ‘Walsh’ fabric in Amber, were crafted by EJP furniture. Nearby, the colours of the fabric are picked up in a table lamp from Bloomingdales.
Julia and Bill specified Resene San Juan for the moody walls in this gorgeous boys’ zone. Above the Lincoln Brooks bedhead are vintage tennis racquets. Warner House and Inge Holst via Elliott Clarke supplied the vibrant textiles for the custom cushions. The bespoke bedside lamps were designed by Biju Interiors and the matching bedside tables are from Wisteria Design.
“This set of circa-1930 flying mallard ducks is reminiscent of the ones I saw in many of the homes I visited as a child,” muses Kathryn of the couple’s room. Walls in Resene Woodland rise above Resene Dark Knight and Resene San Juan. The custom bedhead in Elliott Clarke ‘Glenmore’ fabric is quintessentially country and the art is from Antiquely and Orient House. The floral cushion is in Warner House ‘Fleurs Indienne’ fabric, while the blue cushions sport brush fringes. “The Inge Holst fringe is somewhat our signature,” says Bill. Frederick’s bedroom The couple’s antique leather armchair and a lamp by Florabelle Living top a rug from India in their son’s room.
“Kathryn loves a cushion. When we were doing the install, the cushions were piled up in the mudroom and she dove into them – literally!”
JULIA MONAGHAN, INTERIOR DESIGNER
Wisteria Design ‘Avalon’ outdoor furniture makes the verandah an idyllic space, easily accessed from the rumpus room, living and dining areas, and guest bedroom. External French doors flow onto it from almost every room in the house. A rug from The Shop Front Collection delineates the alfresco relaxation space, which features a mirror that reflects the rose garden and wicker plinth planters, all Florabelle Living.
A vintage coffee table rounds out the space. Around the corner, Poppy strikes a pose. “This spot on the verandah overlooks the garden and circular drive where the kids tear around in go-karts, bikes and scooters,” says Kathryn. The antique table was updated with Olive Grove Furniture chairs and an L&M Home tablecloth beneath an existing pendant light.
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Interior design: Biju Interiors, bijuinteriors.com.au
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