Sarah Foster decorated her Melbourne home in the popular French-provincial style using elements that provide her with a sense of strength, comfort and joy.
Since moving to this home 18 years ago Sarah, a keen organic gardener and cook, has undertaken several projects including planting a stunning rose garden and a bountiful potager.
The home’s two bathrooms were also renovated in 2000 and have stood the test of time, remaining “as fresh today as they were then”, Sarah says. Dramatic black and white tiling set the tone for a major change in 2004 when she did a full-scale renovation at the rear of the house, creating a new kitchen, eating area and terrace, as well as painting inside and out, white-washing the floorboards and landscaping the garden.
A sizeable budget was required but Sarah considers it well justified. “You have to consider the impact on the house as a whole and how it adds value over the years. A classic style can last up 20 years and not date,” she explains. The skills of Daniel Haskell from Haskell Architects in Melbourne and Michael Meagher of Eastern Building Services in Nunawading were enlisted during the process to help the vision become a reality.
CHERISHED THINGS
The kitchen is Sarah’s favourite part of the home because it offers plenty of space to spread out and has lots of storage as she is a self-confessed storage aficionado. She delved into cooking as a hobby and invested in the required accoutrements.
As the garden proffers a range of fresh produce such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage in winter or eggplant, capsicum, tomato and zucchini in summer, she lets the seasons guide her cooking. “Italian is my specialty,” she says. The kids’ favourite meals are spaghetti and meatballs. “I make a huge pot of it using fresh herbs like parsley, basil and oregano and they polish it off in record speed,” she laughs.
The kitchen features an Ilve stove and Asko dishwasher, as well as a wrought-iron chandelier that produces a flattering light. “I adore having a few girlfriends over for dinner and catching up over a bottle of wine as they sit at the bench,” Sarah relates. “I make a cheese soufflé and pick salad greens from the garden. It’s as chic as dining at a little French bistro.”
Another of her favourite pastimes is relaxing on the couch with a cup of tea and a magazine, gazing out at a majestic 150-year-old elm tree in the yard. “It’s a very soothing thing to do,” she notes, “like you’re floating up to the green canopy to be with all the birds.”
A PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT
Sarah has enjoyed a public profile through her work as an author, clothing designer, guest speaker, MC, personal wardrobe stylist and radio and television presenter. “I don’t so much believe in fashion and trends as much as I believe in the classics and basics first,” she says, and this philosophy is echoed in her elegant home. “Life is so demanding out there in the big, wide world, and I find when I’m at home I need to really focus on creating an environment that replenishes my stores of resilience and energy,” she muses, “so my home is all about giving me a sense of peace and calm.”
In 2007 Sarah was diagnosed with cancer and her marriage ended. “I didn’t know where to look or how to cope,” she recalls. “The garden became the focus of my recovery. I spent every waking hour out there.” These days she blogs about what she has achieved in the home and garden, and is keen to share her journey undergoing challenging life circumstances and finding the courage and strength to create a new life for herself.
COMFORTING RITUALS
Sarah believes that one of life’s greatest pleasures is bringing flowers into your home so she buys cheerful bunches of blooms from markets, while also growing her own roses including Mother’s Love, Violina, Best Friend, Just Joey, Maria Callas, Honey Bouquet, Soeur Emmanuelle, David Austin’s Abraham Darby and Mary Rose.
Each day she rises at dawn and tiptoes out to the garden to check whether anything has been feasted on by local possums overnight, then comes back inside for a cup of tea. “It may sound silly, but when I was in my darkest hours and trying very hard to recover and find equilibrium, this ritual gave me a great deal of strength and sanity,” she recalls.
Story by Tamara Stanley
Photography by Ryan Hernandez
Styling by Kathryn Borglund