A Country Life

A White Palette and Vintage Layers Create a Vibrant Family Home and Workspace in a Queensland Village

- Claire Mactaggart

 

VINTAGE APPEAL When Dezley and her husband, Michael, first spotted this original 1930s cottage just across the road from their home in a tiny village on the Sunshine Coast’s hinterland, they were sold, despite its busy colour scheme and unloved garden. One of the first things they did before moving in was paint the exterior (opposite & above) in Dulux Oolong to let its true character shine. “It needed a more coastal feel,” explains Dezley, a stylist. “We kept it simple and calm.” Next on the list was to add a beautiful L-shaped deck at the back to create a gorgeous garden connection, with French doors opening from each bedroom. “It’s quite a retreat and really beautiful to have the doors open and the breeze drifting through,” she adds. A pair of cane chairs from Eclectic Style in Noosa (above), topped with grey linen cushions, capture the space’s lounge-y style.

Michael and Dezley were familiar with the multi-coloured cottage just across the street in their Sunshine Coast hinterland town, but it wasn’t until a hand-painted ‘For Sale’ sign appeared in the front yard that it really captured their attention. That was three years ago, after the couple’s eldest sons – Jarith, now 25, and Brannon, 22 – had left to work in Brisbane and it seemed the right time to downsize with younger children Zane, 18, and 16-year-old Grace-Cyn. “I was intrigued by its character and charm and could see beyond the colour palette and overgrown garden,” says Dezley, a floral and interior stylist. “The house had good bones and we just needed to make it beautiful again.”