Game, set and match
Styling by Jayne Reid
Photography by Albert Comper
Story by Kate Williams
It was love at first sight when a Melbourne couple discovered this weatherboard cottage.
The couple fell in love with this 1950s weatherboard at first sight, fifteen years ago. “When we moved in it was all original, with dusty purple walls and purple carpets in one room and electric blue carpets and matching walls in another!” Peter says. “The kitchen cupboards were so shallow that you could barely close the doors when a plate was inside. On the whole, the building was in pretty good condition, but needed a new lease of life.”
Tonia and Peter changed the colour scheme several times over the years, replacing the original white and mission-brown exterior with mint green and then, more recently, with a custom-made buttery yellow Bristol shade. “We wanted something fresh and completely different,” Tonia says. The interior is painted Dulux Antique White USA. “It goes with everything,” she explains. Not wanting to leave the area, the couple extended and renovated to suit their changing needs, adding a new kitchen, family room, deck and pool.
A keen recycler, Peter was happy to re-use materials where possible. “Originally the deck at the back was full width, but we took half up to push the extension out,” he says. “We recycled it to the front, as the boards were merbau which weathers and wear very well.” he extension was built with the assistance of Tim Haddock of TJH Construction. “Tim was fantastic to work with, as he put up with so many additions and changes and coordinated the tradesmen in no time,” Peter says.
The furnishings are a relaxed country-style mix of pieces collected by the couple over the years from furnishing websites, antique stores and op shops and online sellers. Tonia is a fan of internet shopping and has found many interesting pieces on eBay – one of the most exciting being her spinning wheel. The couple bought their blackwood dining table from a deceased estate, stumbling across it while buying something else, and have since restored it. Another lucky find was the Tasmanian oak flooring beneath the carpets, the boards were polished and matched in the extension.
The couple’s design skills came into their own with the kitchen, which was planned around a Shaw’s traditional butler’s sink and Italian tapware from Schots Home Emporium, Clifton Hill. The pot filler above the stove is a unique feature and was also found at Schots. “It’s a great idea not to have to carry a heavy pot from sink to stove,” Tonia says, “although the plumber initially found the concept confusing, as it’s unusual in Australia.” he couple added their own twist to the French-provincial-style kitchen from Smith & Smith Kitchens by adding French words, inspired by interior designer Vicki Dreier from design service Shabby to Chic – also featured in Country Home Ideas magazine.
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