AGED TO PERFECTION
The makeover of an Australian homestead is a creative balance of functionality and elegance
When one Australian family decided to tackle an extensive renovation of their Victorian homestead, in the Grampians region, western Victoria, they knew exactly which interior designer to call upon. Having spent her childhood on a similar working cattle station in New South Wales, Adelaide Bragg instinctively understood the need for an interior that would be both practical yet warm and welcoming. Her intuition for a fine balance between functionality and a natural, earthy elegance would ensure the redecorated interior struck the perfect chord.
With children and grandchildren visiting regularly, newly reconfigured family spaces with an emphasis on functionality were key. An extension containing a large kitchen and sitting room was joined seamlessly to the house. ‘The old house had strong bones, but was tired and had been broken into many rooms that needed more living space and more light. In its previous manifestation, you would enter the house and walk past all the bedrooms so this was flipped over, making the back of the house the front entrance and creating a new driveway,’ Adelaide explains.
Sourcing a mixture of new sofas, armchairs and ottomans, Adelaide combined newly acquired pieces with older, much-loved furnishings. Additional characterful items were collected from around the property, such as the large dining table, which was once used in the shearing shed. In the spacious living area, Adelaide chose fittings and furnishings that would match the grand proportions. ‘It was important to scale the large kitchen and sitting room. The oversize plants help with this, as well as the huge bookcase and wooden pendant lights, which are each a metre in diameter,’ she says. An earthy colour palette of soft terracotta, sage green, chocolate and caramel was used, with her client specifically requesting not to include any detail or fabric that was ‘too fussy or pretty’.
The working cattle and sheep station also breeds polo ponies and, with much of the work being done on horseback, the animals are a strong ingredient in family life. ‘This prompted the choice of the Kravet fabric for the reupholstered dining chairs. It reminded my client of a saddle blanket and guided us with all the colours and fabrics we used in the room,’ says Adelaide.
Cowhides are also plentiful, layered over the jute and sisal rugs that define spaces. Throughout the main living areas, smoked oak floorboards bring an earthy, rustic charm, counterbalanced by elegant furniture.
The surrounding lawn garden, punctuated with well-established oak and red gum trees, was another source of inspiration. The architect enlarged the windows to take full advantage of the spectacular views of the rolling foothills and Grampians. ‘I was reluctant to obstruct the sitting room’s view with curtains, but we found we needed something to curtail the strong afternoon sunshine and opted for a self-lined linen sheer,’ Adelaide says.
Eager to reference the outside world throughout the interior, Adelaide has included a series of fern pressings in the hallway and botanical prints in the master bedroom. Lush, well-nurtured houseplants make focal points of corners and nooks, bringing in the fecundity of nature.
The house has been designed to evolve with time for many generations to come. Now it’s a home that has become as well-established as the ageing oak trees outside, and its sensitive restoration is a source of great pride to Adelaide. ‘This has been one of my favourite projects. We have created a liveable house that has effortless elegance and timelessness to it.’