Green acres

An inspired makeover transforms an ordinary homestead into an elegant country retreat in the NSW Hunter Valley.

- STORY Chris Pearson | PHOTOGRAPHY Dave Wheeler

FRONT GARDEN Exterior painted Dulux White On White, Trimmed murraya and buxus hedges provide formal structure for the symmetrical garden designed by Spectra-Scape. Within the beds are ornamental pear trees, a mix of white, pink and purple perennials, Joe-Pye and hydrangeas. Pierre de Ronsard roses sit in the white obelisks from The Jardiniere Collective, where the pots in the garden and on the verandah were also sourced.

LIVING Curtains in Lizzo 'Allegro' sheer by Solis Products; custom sofa in Lizzo 'Forum' linen in Khaki, coffee table/ottoman in Lizzo 'Livorno' velvet, all Westbury Textiles. 'Agnes' chair and ottoman, The Feelter. Custom cushions in 'Lyon Glazed' linen in Oyster from Westbury Textiles, with Inge Holst fringing from Elliott Clarke. Aerin tray table, Becker Minty. Vintage vessel, Cleo Collects. Door knob, Noble Elements. Vintage rug, Cadrys.

For owners Michelle and Daniel, their home in the Hunter Valley, NSW, is full of newfound charms. But that wasn't always the case. Amazingly, with dextrous sleight of hand, interior designer Arabella Gardiner effected the transformation without juggling a single wall.

In 2019, the couple bought the 32-hectare property as a cropping farm to support their Angus beef farm. With only three bedrooms and one living space, the homestead felt smaller than the home they had left behind, but its allure grew on them and their daughters, Mim, now 15, and Liv, 13. "Something about it felt like home," says Michelle. "It found us outside more and connected us as a family. We had a picturesque rural landscape, with the river running through it."