When Sue and her husband Rob bought their beautiful Blue Mountains house, they set out straightaway to turn it into a relaxed, light-filled home that the whole family could enjoy. The four-bedroom house has been a work in progress for the couple and their sons Tom, Ben and Alex and family pooch, Fin, ever since they moved in three years ago. They were keen to create a space that had lots of light and a lovely open-plan feel, and according to Sue, “it had to just feel right” – of course!
Starting small
The family haven’t actually made too many changes to the interiors, simply painting throughout each room, adding blinds and decorating to suit their own tastes. Sue wanted neutral, earthy tones in the living areas, so in both the kitchen and lounge room, the ceiling and skirting boards were painted with Italian Marble and the walls in Raw Canvas. “These were Kmart Colours,” says Sue, “but they don’t do paint anymore.” She added colour in the way of warm feature walls in Dulux Self Destruct in the lounge room and Dulux Spiced Nutmeg in the kitchen. But it’s outside where the couple have really put in some work, extending and covering the outside back deck with a roof, putting in a pool and planning the garden beds in the front and back yards. “We are also in the process of painting the outside of the house,” adds Sue, “and the list goes on!” Today, the house has a comfortable, casual feel, though Sue jokes it can’t be anything but laid-back with three boys running around, and the couple particularly enjoy beholding the results of their hard work. “It’s always nice to see something you’ve planned finally finished, whether it’s a freshly painted room or the outside deck completed.” Her favourite room is the lounge room, with its cosy leather couches from Freedom and the toasty, wood-burning fireplace. “In winter, sunlight streams through the front windows and it’s just so nice to sit in there and read.” The back deck also gets plenty of use, especially in summer. “With the daybed, we tend to cook and eat out there most days and it’s always great for Sunday breakfasts and entertaining,” says Sue.
Do it yourself makeover
Much of Sue’s inspiration for decorating comes from magazines, but she is always on the lookout for new ideas to improve the house. She advises anyone thinking of renovating their home to really spend some time looking at all the different options and ways to do want you’re planning. “You should also hunt around for the best price,” she says, “as you wouldn’t believe the variation in the cost of things.” And while Sue believes no-one ever sticks to their budget when renovating, she and Rob have reduced their bills by completing all the work themselves. “I’m pretty handy with a paintbrush, and Rob’s very handy at building any ideas we come up with, which has saved us a lot of money.” It also helped that the couple had previous experience in renovating. “Before we lived at Warrimoo for 16 years in what started out as a one-bedroom cottage and ended up a three-bedroom house with a large rumpus room.” They still have other things planned for this place too, including finishing off the pool area and backyard and painting the exteriors. “After that we’ll take a break from it and enjoy summer with the pool,” smiles Sue, “and that’ll give us time to decide what we need to do next.”
A happy ending
Family and friends have already given the house their stamp of approval – “they love what we’ve done in the backyard with the deck and the pool area” – and Sue personally likes how light it is. “It’s just beautiful to sit in the lounge room during winter; it’s so warm,” she smiles, “and the kitchen, which is much larger than the one in our old house, is really easy to work in.”And while they’ve had a few problems along the way, it hasn’t been anything the family couldn’t deal with. In fact, there’s nothing the couple would have done differently, as all their changes turned out just as they’d planned. “We simply want to make it as comfortable as possible and to have a relaxing place to come home to,” says Sue, “and we’re getting there slowly but surely.”
Story by Lauren Broomham Styling by Greg Sukendro