A little wooden house

Photography by Tony Potter
Styling by Amy Howker

Story by Gabrielle Baxter

Margaret fondly describes her lovely home in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales as a simple wooden house, but in reality it's so much more.

Margaret Archer was inspired originally by the charm of the timber cottages found in abundance all over the USA. "That's where my daughter lives," she explains, "and I was looking for a wooden house because I just love what they do with them there." Six years ago she was living in the Riverina where she'd run a B&B on the Murray River for a decade. As the area was in drought there weren't many guests coming by, so she decided to move somewhere with more rainfall, and as she had a long association with 'the Highlands', just south of Sydney, that's where she headed. "Anywhere there would have done," she adds casually, "but I happened to find this." How lucky could she be?

The cottage is clad in cedar slats, beautifully oiled and stained to preserve them and keep them smart, and it has verandahs both front and back. "It's just a little wooden house with a tin roof, and only about 16 years old – almost new really," Margaret says, "but because of the rain and mist here, there's a lot of moss about which makes everything seem older. It also looks much bigger than it is – it's deceptive that way." The two-storey home stretches across the block, so it appears quite wide from the front but it's not very deep. With four bedrooms, two bathrooms plus an ensuite and the open-plan living area, the accommodation it affords is ample, but Margaret admits the rooms are on the small side. "The kitchen's a good size though, and I enjoy entertaining the family when they come," she adds, "and the upstairs is lovely as it overlooks the garden."

Gables as a name for it is very apt because these are a major feature both inside and out, with sloping beams enhancing the look of the double-storey living space as well as the upper rooms. Margaret's idea of giving the interior continuity with a classic off-white shade worked a treat and it serves as a backdrop for the comfortable, understated furnishings, including some special pieces that stand out and, of course, her stunning paintings. "They're the ones no-one else wanted," she chuckles. "I only started about 10 years ago, but it's my passion now."

At 73, this is a considerable achievement of which Margaret is justifiably proud. She's had a successful exhibition and her work sells well; she's also kept busy with commissions. The pretty cottage garden is another big interest. It's full of well-established trees and shrubs, and she describes it as "very English, like the village itself" with lots of groomed box hedges "Oh, I don't clip the hedges," she hastens to add, laughing. "I get someone to do it for me." Another resourceful country type, no doubt.

Now that everything about the little wooden house is to her liking and she can relax and enjoy it, Margaret is delighted with the result. "I had to choose between this place and another one, and possibly that one would have been easier to deal with," she muses. "But now, I'm so glad I opted for this one because of the difference I've made to it. It really responded to my ideas and now it's exactly what I wanted."

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