Southern belle

Amid beautifully landscaped gardens, the true character of this 1890s cottage shines through.

- Judy Pascoe

This pretty 1890s cottage in the Southern Highlands of NSW is picture-perfect in every way, with its bay window, steeply pitched roof, timber fretwork and original shingles enhanced by beautiful gardens.

Set on 1000sqm of land at a high point in the street, it also offered further potential for the downsizing buyers.

While undeniably attractive from the outside, the interior needed some refurbishment and the new owners were keen to maximise the facility of the garden studio by turning it into guest accommodation.

But first they had plans for the garden, envisaging a series of outdoor rooms to provide varied entertaining spaces for different occasions and times of the day. The couple engaged Susie Reynolds, a landscape designer who works in the area. She in turn recommended interior designer Sally Wilkins to help with the upgrade of the four-bedroom property.

“The project actually began with the design of a new potting shed and the renovation of the garden studio before we moved on to work on the interiors of the main house,” says Sally. “Starting this way was helpful to get a sense of my client's style.”

Hailing from the US, the owner was well travelled and had been inspired by traditional cottage garden buildings. She and Sally spent a great deal of time poring over images of English and American potting sheds. “As the client's adult children live in the US, she travels there often and brings back fabulous ideas,” says Sally.