Time Traveller
Professional renovators refresh a classic Queenslander on the Gold Coast.
Froma pristine part of the Gold Coast, husband and wife ‘team’ Carlene and Michael Duffy run a home renovation, design and styling service called Cedar + Suede. They also have a thriving media career as TV presenters and brand ambassadors, launched after their 2014 stint as contestants on The Block Glasshouse.
It was that first foray into TV that led to their latest gig: the full renovation of a 1927 Queenslander owned by local businessman Matt and his wife Vali. “We met Matt at the airport while grabbing a pre-flight coffee,” says Carlene. “He struck up a conversation with us as an employee of his had been one of the electricians on TheBlock in Melbourne. A few months later he engaged us to design their home renovation.”
The beauty of the job was its proximity to their own home, in a semi-rural pocket near Currumbin. The area is mostly comprised of acreage properties, with mature trees and grassy paddocks populated by cows and horses, all under 15 minutes to the beach. There are a number of health retreats nearby.
Matt and Vali had purchased the 1.4-acre (0.56ha) property in 2015, after years of living in a very modern home. It was love at first sight for them and their two young children, mainly because the two-storey Queenslander had the family feel they’d yearned for. They were surprised to learn that the house was originally built in the heritage area of Ipswich and relocated by the previous owners. Two
years later, Matt hired the Duffys with the following brief: to renovate the interior in an architecturally sympathetic way. “Often the integrity of these old buildings is lost during the update, so we were excited to show how this house could be transformed while celebrating its history,” says Carlene.
Michael, a carpenter and builder, took the lead on the small layout changes and Carlene chose the materials, palette and furniture. Their plan was to retain as many original details as possible, so they began by restoring decorative elements such as the archways and fretwork, as well as the windows and doors. Upstairs, the 90-year-old hoop-pine flooring was sanded back and restained; downstairs, they used new hoop-pine boards.
Easycraft VJ panelling was affixed to the walls throughout, and light was maximised wherever possible. “Natural light wasn’t in abundance in this house,” says Carlene. “We added skylights to the kitchen and dining area, and worked with the moodiness by opting for a rich, saturated wall colour.”
Matt and Vali adore the results of the sixmonth renovation. “The brief was nailed and the house feels very homely and warm,” says Matt. “We love that the floor plan of the upstairs living room was retained, and that the kids now have their own domain downstairs in the media/rumpus room.”
Proud renovator Carlene has a number of soft spots for this house. “The living room has my heart,” she says. “The wall colour feels like a warm hug and allows the art to pop off the walls. I also love the floor-to-ceiling bookcase. My favourite aspect, though, is one I’m not responsible for – the beautiful stainedglass windows at the entry.”
Cedar + Suede, Tallebudgera, Queensland; cedarandsuede.com.au.