Escape time

WELCOME TO THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY RETREAT, A SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS WEEKENDER WHERE THE ONLY CHALLENGE IS BRINGING ONESELF TO LEAVE

- SHELLEY TUSTIN

Between the demands of work and raising a family, life can be a bottomless to-do list, but with their children grown, Sydneysiders Kate and Gary could finally consider carving out a country retreat in the NSW Southern Highlands.

Minimally landscaped and with dated finishes and a polarising terracotta facade, the charms of their dream home weren’t immediately obvious to all, but Kate was smitten. She says, “I hadn’t even walked inside – we just walked to the front door and I said to Gary, ‘This is it.’ He thought I was joking, because it needed so much work.”

They contacted design and construction company Cadence & Co to do a minimally invasive but transformative makeover on the space. “Originally, the brief was to bring a modern freshness to the interiors, with a more tailored approach to a country aesthetic. It was a light touch in terms of structural modification but as the project developed, more opportunities became apparent and the scope grew,” says Cadence & Co design principal Michael Kilkeary. “Creating an enclosed link between the existing garage and house enabled a secondary, informal entry, which allowed some new thinking in terms of the overall spatial layout. It also provided a more private enclosure in the rear garden.”