Photography: Cath Muscat
It’s one thing watching Escape to the Country, but doing it is another. Building your own home on the top of a hill surrounded by state forest? Well, that’s a few (steep) steps further. But this is what Sydneysiders Chris and Susanne did when they traded forty years of city life for a 120-acre working farm, a home they share with twenty Belted Galloway cattle, five horses, chickens, their Australian Kelpie Ted and Jack Russell Terrier Barney.
Situated inland on the NSW mid-north coast, their cosy cottage, cocooned by warm Australian timbers, looks over the trees and their tranquil village, a scene they appreciate daily… not least when relaxing in their outdoor bath. “We fell in love with the area over 20 years ago, during holidays and picking up our daughter from a friend’s weekender. It feels very English. It’s so green and the views are stunning,” says Susanne, an expat.
Who lives here?
Susanne, a former midwife, Chris, who worked in the fashion industry and their dogs, Ted the Australian Kelpie and Barney the Jack Russell Terrier. They also have horses, chickens and Belted Galloway cattle they bred themselves.
Best spot to relax? Susanne: “On the deck, just beyond the window seat, we sit with our tea or a glass of wine and look over the fields. It’s so lovely.”
What are your favourite aspects of the design? “We love the layout and that we use every inch of the house. There’s no wasted space.”
Country life changes? “I do lots of yoga and have joined a great gardening group. I love my vegetable garden, cooking with the fresh produce and getting eggs from our hens.”
A true (hard) labour of love, the home was built by their son-in-law Brendon (the couple have three adult daughters and seven grandchildren). Chris painstakingly sourced and prepped all the timber, from the property’s grey ironbark trees to the recycled timber he found on Gumtree and Marketplace (cue umpteen trips to Victoria with a trailer). “Chris spent a whole year wearing a gas mask, covered in sawdust,” shares Susanne.
The couple’s tree change was a slow burner. In 2005 they bought a shed on five acres, then in 2015 upgraded to this farm, which offered more land for the family’s horses. “We converted the machinery shed into accommodation and came here often, but I never imagined a permanent move,” says Susanne. Then two years on, they sold their Sydney home. “The shed was cute and we were happy living in it, so we wondered if we even needed to build a house, but at the end of 2020, during Covid, the time seemed right.”
With the couple’s designs approved and earthworks complete, a burnished concrete slab formed beautiful floors throughout and set the scene for a country cottage with a modern edge. “Having a big family, we wanted lots of living space and outdoor decks, but only needed two bedrooms because we also had the shed,” explains Susanne.
An open-plan living area comprises the central kitchen (with a butler’s pantry and laundry behind), fireside lounge, dining space and a family-sized wraparound window seat. The main suite offers privacy, morning sunlight and valley vistas. There’s also a guest bedroom and study.
The couple imagined “moody and warm” interiors, minus any “log cabin” overtones. “While it’s a rustic farmhouse, we were after a level of sophistication and modern feel,” says Chris, who welcomed light accents and blue cabinetry for fresh contrast and unexpected details.
Reflecting on the move, Susanne says “I worried that I’d miss family and friends too much, but also knew Chris would go mad retiring in the city. I thought I’d go back and forth, but as it transpired, my daughters now live close by and my best friend bought a cottage in the village. That and the community here is wonderful and we love waking up to the peaceful country sounds and feeling of space.”
Kitchen
Farmhouse style is alive in the kitchen, with a freestanding Ilve oven, Fat Shack Vintage aged copper pendant and Brodware ‘City Stik’ pullout kitchen mixer in Rumbled Brass Organic. Cabinetry in Porter’s Paint Squid Ink is striking against the Essa Stone benchtops in Ash Concrete, home to an Abey double sink. Zellige tiles in Seafoam from Eco Outdoor grace the splashback, offering texture and contrast.
“I wanted to stand at the island and look out to the dam and the hills, so this informed the layout of the whole living area. A large fridge and extra storage are out of sight in the butler’s pantry,” says Susanne (pictured with her daughter Anna, who has since welcomed her fourth child).
Living
The open-plan kitchen unfolds to the main living zone, decorated with a painting by Kate Debbo.
Effortlessly homely, the main living area is grounded by a rug the couple found in Morocco, a Kip & Co beanbag and two cream sofas, which brighten the timber tones (for similar, try Kulta Home ‘Sanger’ sofas from Freedom). “In the summer we live on the window seat and in winter we close the internal doors and settle next to the fire,” says Susanne.
A hero in the space is a Cheminees Philippe ‘Radiante’ wood heater on a concrete bench made by builder and son-in-law Brendon, who also crafted the coffee table from recycled timber. The walls behind the fireplace are finished in dramatic black oxidised steel.
A riot of colours, pattern and texture make for a joyous and comfy window seat, thanks to a variety of vibrant cushions from Bonnie & Neil, Kip & Co and Sage and Clare. The couple’s grandchildren (pictured), love relaxing on the generous window seat, as does Barney the Jack Russell Terrier. For a similar pendant, try ‘Oval Cotton’ pendant in White at Lighting Collective; for a similar fan, try ‘Caelid’ ceiling fan in Bronze/Natural from Beacon Lighting.
The idea was in my scrapbook for years,” says Susanne of this cosy nook off the dining area. “We use this space a lot and love it, especially when you open all the windows.” Sitting atop a favourite rug (try Sage and Clare for similar) is a coffee table that Brendon made. Vintage shelves and a cane chair complete the eclectic look near a linocut artwork by Paul Smith.
WE LOVE…timber tones
“I wondered if the timber might look too dark and thought, worst case scenario, we could paint some of it white. But I love it,” shares Susanne. In its natural state, reclaimed timber is the hero of the home, inside and out. “Several of the ceilings are Baltic pine, which brings a lighter tone to all the darker wood,” shares Chris, who scoured Carousel Interiors, The Design Ark and of course Renovators Paradise.
Bedrooms
Swathed in timber, it’s not surprising Chris and Susanne’s bedroom feels warm and relaxing. White bedlinen from The Sheet Society, a throw from Foxtrot Home and curtains from I Love Linen keep it fresh and simple, while the rug – a Moroccan find – adds softness underfoot (for similar, try Sage and Clare).
“When the family comes there are fourteen people, so we wanted this to feel like our ‘retreat’,” says Chris of the couple’s room.
Details such as aligning the ceiling planks with those on the walls and laying timber in various directions rise to the occasion in the guest bedroom. The bedlinen is from Kip & Co.
“We have a big family, so we wanted a house with plenty of space inside and out that allowed us to invite everyone over.”
Susanne.
Bathroom
The vanity and mirror made from salvaged wood lend a hand-crafted look to the couple’s ensuite. The concrete basin is from Stone and Rock, and other finishes echo the rest of the home for cohesion: zellige tiles in Seafoam and limestone floor tiles (also used for the pool coping), both from Eco Outdoor, and Brodware tapware in Rumbled Brass Organic. “We put the bath just outside on the deck as I don’t like getting too hot,” says Susanne. “We can quickly get back in through the doors. I love it, even in winter.”
“We bought good quality fixtures and fittings, as we knew we’d be here for a long time.”
Susanne.
Mudroom
The laundry and mudroom exudes rustic style. Brendon tweaked the design, adding beautiful raw timber details. The baskets are second-hand finds.
Deck and outdoors
A wide deck and picture windows frame verdant views from the dining area.
There’s nothing like diving straight in after you’ve been working on the farm. And our grandchildren [pictured] love it,” says Chris of the pool, which is finished with glass mosaics from Eco Outdoor. The concrete bath from Fossil Vintage has uninterrupted views.
Acres of greenery are punctuated by the rural charm of the wood shed.
“Our grandchildren have their ponies here, so they are always riding around the farm or playing in the pool.”
Chris.
Builder Binna Burra Construction, binnaburraconstruction.com.au.
Source Book
Timberwork Round 2 Timbers, round2timbers.com.au.
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