ABOUT THE HOUSE

• Key contractors on the build of this house were MA Steel and Everdell Constructions. (02) 6382 4387, masteel.com.au; (02) 6382 7558, everdelltest.wordpress.com

• The building’s exterior is Colorbond in Dulux Monument. This colour is repeated inside and teamed with Dulux Shale Grey. 1800 022 999, colorbond.com; 13 25 25, dulux.com.au

• The Easycraft VJ panelling was sourced from Bunnings in Cowra and the spotted gum boards are from Midcoast Timber. Entry to the house is through a spotted gum 2500 x 1500 swing door designed and built by Kerry and Peter. bunnings.com.au; (02) 4323 6907, midcoasttimber.com.au

• The house is off-grid so it is more sustainable. It is powered by a 6kw PV system from Towards Tomorrow Energy.

1300 732 224, towardstomorrowenergy.org

• Kerry’s favourite places to source items for this home included Pottery Barn, Three Donkeys Home, The General Store, Country Road, Ikea and I Love Linen. 1800 232 914, potterybarn.com.au; (02) 4309 5440, threedonkeys.com.au; (02) 6382 2021, facebook. com/thegeneralstorebychalkncheese; 1800 801 911, country road.com.au; ikea.com/au; 1300 859 773, ilovelinen.com.au

he made for the bed and its cluster of seven lights. “My job was to go up the ladder and she’d be like ‘move that one up’ then she’d step back and say ‘no, I think it needs to go higher… wait, a bit lower’.” Off the bedroom, there’s a 2.5 x 8 metre ensuite that opens to the outdoors and can truly be described as spectacular.

Visitors enter the home’s main living zone through the breezeway and are instantly struck by the space, warmth and friendliness of Kerry’s design. A wall of windows ensures the expansive landscape beyond is omnipresent while spotted gum boards and VJ panelling offer a nod to the warm farmhouse aesthetic Kerry loved.

Right through the house, there’s a beautiful tension at play between the rustic and the sophisticated. Kerry’s decorating style is faultless — “her ability to pick out homewares and know how to put them together has always left me in awe,” says Peter — but there’s nothing precious about the house. The flecks in the floor might accentuate the house’s colour palette but at the end of the day it’s low-maintenance concrete that can handle anything a bloke coming in from the paddock can throw at it.

The house was indeed finished for Emmeline’s wedding and the role it played in her special day filled Kerry and Peter with happiness and pride. In 2019, about a month before Kerry passed away, she and Peter moved into the house permanently. “When she knew she wasn’t going to get better she felt very strongly that she wanted to be here,” says Peter.

For him, the house is a gift Kerry was able to leave behind — her touch is everywhere: in the light fittings she made, in the furniture she picked out, the curtains she sewed, and in the sheets she meticulously labelled in the linen cupboard so he knows which bed they’re for.

“Kerry built two things: our family unit and the house. And the house is a place that’s all about cherishing family, so it’s no wonder we can feel her presence here.”

“Kerry built two things: our family unit and the house... so it’s no wonder we can feel her presence here.”

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE In the guest room, the single beds can be wheeled together to form a queen, the stools are from The General Store and the light is designed and made by Kerry and Peter; chairs from Pottery Barn and a Kemlan fireplace from Burning Log; Kerry designed the wall and pendant lights, and made the curtains. Peter built the mirror frame and pendant lights. FACING PAGE A 15-year-old bed has been rejuventated for the guest room. The chair cover is from Muumuu Design, the frame is from Michael Cooke Garden Design and the rug is from West Elm.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT On the property is a hill, called Little Carramumbola, which can be seen from the deck. The Mimosa director chairs are from Bunnings; Kerry and Peter designed and built the bed, shelf and bedside table in the main bedroom. The lamp was made by Kerry and the bed linen is from Adairs; a stack of firewood; merino sheep on the farm; Moet relaxing on the bed. FACING PAGE Kerry and Peter made the bench for the main bedroom ensuite and Kerry made the lights. The mirror and matching Fienza Bahama bath and basin are all from Sydney Taps.