This rural New South Wales house has been converted from a dark and moody building to a sun-drenched home with a calm and relaxing atmosphere.
When Kerry and Vern Norrgard returned to Australia after living in Thailand for four years, they decided to purchase a five-acre property in Galston on the northern outskirts of Sydney. On the land stood a small cottage and a three-bedroom house made with sandstone mined from a quarry on the same block, and although the house had a typical 1960s decorating scheme and a very dark interior, they saw the potential for a beautiful sun-filled home.
A COUNTRY KITCHEN
The house was certainly a solid one, with 14-inch stone walls and cathedral ceilings throughout. But the inside timberwork was darkly stained, and combined with the mission-brown tiles on the floors, the house was gloomy and shadowy. The kitchen was small and very 60s-looking, with orange benchtops, dark timber-laminated cupboards and purple walls. Vern and Kerry decided to replace it with a country-style kitchen, and were determined to include a large work bench, a porcelain butler’s sink and a chimney and mantle over the stove. They chose Nouvelle Kitchens to create a new kitchen, and Vern set up makeshift kitchen facilities in the dining room while the work was carried out.
The original kitchen only used a third of the space in the available area, so the new layout would be much more spacious. Vern and Kerry chose Dulux Stowe White to replace the purple paint on the walls, and the brown floor tiles were removed to make way for white tiles which they knew wouldn’t date quickly. They selected an island bench to feature in the centre of the room, and complemented it with bar stools.
Six weeks after the work started, their new kitchen was installed, complete with all the country elements the couple wanted. They decorated the room with sentimental ornaments picked up during their stay in Thailand, and replaced the fluorescent light fittings with a black chandelier. “We found it at a lighting shop, on special. It was disgusting to look at; it had grape leaves everywhere which were removed by Vern and his angle grinder,” Kerry laughs.
SERENITY AND SUNLIGHT
The sunroom was another part of the house that had great potential. It was originally a partially-enclosed area with a flat roof, and it was exposed to southerly winds and was very cold in winter. The couple hired Turrell Building Services to work some magic with the area. The building company enclosed the room, and installed a special transparent pitched roof that features shutters designed to keep the summer sun from flooding straight into the room. They also added a new floor, louvered windows, a fireplace and a 4.5m bi-fold door. “This door opens on to a lawn area surrounded by gardens, a wisteria walk, an entertainment area that overlooks the tennis court and the entrance to the studio,” says Kerry.
On the east side of the room, the large 1.5m by 3m window overlooks a large fish pond and surrounding gardens. “We wanted the room to be part of the garden, blending in with the house, but keeping the cold winds out,” Kerry explains. She and Vern furnished the room with chairs and a lounge that were re-upholstered by Gotcha Covered in Dural, and they also included some grey couches they had made when they were first married 37 years ago.
Story by Katy Scott
Photography by David James
Styling by Kathryn Borglund