Rich beats mixed with vintage vibes

Vintage treasures and bargain finds are set against a palette of rich earthy tones in this eclectic Australian cottage that’s full of put-your-feet up charm.

When friends alerted Grant and Helen to the sale of their neighbouring property, a simple hardwood framed cottage, the couple’s long search for an affordable project that offered potential was finally over. But it was the location more than anything that first attracted the couple to the property, as the house itself was basically a shell that needed everything replacing.

Affectionately named Winchester Rise, the cottage located in Foster, Victoria, is now a popular Airbnb escape (link here), and as the couple live nearby, it's always re-stocked with freshly snipped herbs and displays of wild blooms.

‘We loved where our friends (now our neighbours) lived – it was on the edge of town on a rise with beautiful views towards the hills beyond, and protected by a beautiful stand of trees,’ explains Helen. ‘We knew we faced many months of hard work as we planned to do pretty much everything ourselves, but we weren’t in any hurry as this was to be a holiday getaway. Plus the house had good bones, even if the insides were shabby.’

Built around 1980, not much love had gone into building the cottage – three different types of plywood panelling lined the walls – but fortunately the frame and stumps were solid. ‘We found insulating the walls and ceilings pretty easy because we just removed the plywood panelling, insulated it, then replaced the panels ready for painting. Excavating material from under the house to install drainage was a bit harder though, but it's helped improve the warmth of the house,’ says Helen.

Boasting a practical and sociable layout, with two bedrooms and bathroom at the back, and an open plan kitchen living room at the front, large picture windows make the most of the wonderful views, particularly from the deck running the length of the cottage along the front.

‘We loved the original layout but we decided to make a few adjustments, such as removing part of the wall between the master bedroom and lounge, and replaced it with bi fold doors, rescued from Gumtree,’ recalls Helen. When the doors are pushed aside, light flows from the picture windows through to the bedroom, bringing a sense of space to the compact cottage.

The solid front door that faced out onto the deck was also removed and replaced with a double-sliding door, found at a reclaimed timber yard. ‘This instantly transformed the living space, bringing the view and light in,’ smiles Helen.

The master bedroom has a similarly rich tone to the lounge space next door, with a deep blue wall setting off warm woods and vintage prints.

As a self-confessed op-shopper and second hand hunter, Helen has a keen nose for a bargain. 'I find most my treasures at op-shops - you just have to keep going back regularly and be lucky. I'm also regularly search Gumtree for that special one-off, but again you have to really look. For example, I found the retro lounge suite with swivel chairs on about page 15 of a Gumtree search. We paid just $200 for the lot. You can sit in the chairs and look at the view over the hills. They make me want to curl up like a cat,' smiles Helen.

Another major project was re-building the entire annex attached to the side of the house, to create a practical laundry space and inviting sunroom. ‘I'm from Edinburgh and in the U.K. many homes have conservatories on the north side of the house to take advantage of the winter sun. We wanted to create something similar - a room with a lot of glass, but with a wood heater - the perfect place to hang out in winter,’ says Helen.

Originally, the annex was dark and rustic with imposing panelled walls, so the couple added second-hand double-glazed windows (Gumtree again!) and a triple width double sliding door (this time eBay). ‘None of the walls are load-bearing so we just had to rebuild the frames between the existing posts.'

'We then clad the internal walls in plywood with a small black ‘shadow’ line and the external walls in second-hand corrugated iron that we’d collected over the years,’ explains Helen.

To avoid the room feeling like an extended laundry, Grant built a custom-made bench using Form-Ply, to hide away the washing machine and sink. He now sites this as his proudest achievement. 'It solved so many problems, cost very little and looks great,' pipes in Grant.

Moving the laundry from the bathroom to the sunroom freed up space for a traditional slipper tub and a modern shower cubicle. 'Although my style is eclectic, I think bathrooms and kitchens should feel practical and luxurious,' states Helen. 'However, saying this, I still like to mix and match new and old in these spaces.'

Case in point is the kitchen space that combines functional surfaces with retro fittings. 'I got really addicted to finding second-hand items online, and that's where we spotted the fabulous 'Robinhood' extractor fan. It makes a striking statement while adding just enough old-world charm to the other modern surfaces,' says Helen.

The original panelled wall in the second bedroom was revived and now sets a comforting, retro tone, while Grant's wire animal print ( see his website Gone South Studio) keeps the mood fresh and modern.

Helen will be the first to admit that she likes lots of stuff to look at, but has actually pared back her natural decorating instincts at Winchester Rise. 'We didn't want it to feel cluttered so I've had to carefully curate my displays for a balanced feel,' she admits. But the cottage feels anything but cluttered. Cute collections and treasured vignettes dotted around offer a warm and homely invitation to come and relax, and you really can't resist the temptation.

Step out onto the timber deck and you could be in a Balinese retreat, thanks to the reclaimed louvre resort-style shutters (another online find) and the natural tones of the cane lounger. 'I'm trying to stop myself from going op-shopping as we don't need anything, but it's a challenge. Maybe we need another project,' laughs Helen. I for one would be extremely happy if this creative couple embarked on another holiday home project...it would be at the top of my Airbnb wish list for sure!