Ainslee Costa Shares Her Tips And Tricks For Creating A Country Haven

In Her Beautiful New Book, My Suburban Farm, Ainslee Costa Shares Her Tips And Tricks For Creating A Country Haven In The Most Unlikely Of Places

- AINSLEE COSTA

If ever you’re in need of a little inspiration for pursuing your passions, the first place to look is at those who have done it before you. Five years ago, gardener, crafter and maker Ainslee Costa began sharing photos of her projects and the transformation of her garden into a suburban farm on Instagram (@MySuburbanFarm); she soon realised she was also tapping into the ambitions, interests and passions shared by so many others… 80,700 followers (and counting), in fact. “It fascinated me that people from all corners of the world were peering into my backyard via the internet,” she says of the experience.

Ainslee was simply “besotted with country living” and, in 2007, set out to inject her favourite parts of rural life into her own little patch of suburbia, which she shares with her husband Karl and their three young-adult children Tim, Madison and Sheridan, near Melbourne’s bustling CBD. “I’ve always been drawn to the charming simplicity and delicious slowness of rural life − there’s something so dreamy and comforting about the homegrown, the hand-crafted, the pre-loved and the locally sourced,” she says. “You could say I’m on a mission to bring the romance of country living and the conveniences of city life together – so our family can enjoy the best that both worlds have to offer.”