Let it grow

Sweet florals, pastel pops and a quaint kitchen garden belie this cottage's ties to an industrial past

- Rachel White

Eden Cottage’s undeniable feminine energy distracts from its industrial beginnings. Originally built in a mining town in the 1930s, the home was moved to the nearby port town in the 1950s, before becoming home to the Giardina family in 2019.

"I always knew our house was female," says owner Lucy Giardina. "When we first walked in, it had these romantic aspects, like the pressed metal ceiling panels, which have since been amplified by the florals and pastel colours."

Lucy and her husband Sebastian, a chef, live in the home with their daughter Birdie and son Bleu, as well as Rosie the Maltese cross, Persephone, a rescue cat, and a brood of chooks out the back.

Not always the idyllic family residence it is now, Eden Cottage, which sits on a 763sqm block, needed a serious makeover when Lucy and Sebastian bought it. "We bought this house that was half falling apart and many people thought we were crazy," explains Lucy. "But I always think we were meant to own this home. It sat vacant for 18 months before we purchased it and I like to think it was waiting for us."