“If you have a hankering for rural relocation, there’s really no excuse not to GIVE IT A SHOT.”
For many of us, the lure of open spaces and the unspoiled beauty of the country seems to be getting stronger and stronger. I know a lot of readers will be taking some time this year to reassess where they live, how they blend work and life – is it ‘bleisure’ or ‘bleasure’? We are all trying to make some clever and solid life decisions. And it is not that easy – apparently, a number of us are experiencing post-Covid brain fog and are unable to process as well as we used to!
Making a tree change or sea change is a monumental decision, and just how do you make it? I guess it’s easier if you know a town because it’s where you grew up, or you have friends and family who are established there. And now, if you have a hankering for rural relocation, there’s really no excuse not to give it a shot. We have been sitting on technology – not using it to its full capability – and now it has been unleashed so that work does not have to be metro- or even office-based in lots of vocations. Many careers can be conducted from the middle of a paddock or an olive grove!
I love the houses in this issue and admire the determination and drive behind the various homeowners’ rural adventures. Our cover house in country Victoria, owned by Darren and Donna, ticks just about every box I have on my dream house list (page 68). It has an impressive and picturesque storybook facade. The collected finds thecouplehaveunearthedontheirtravels,bothhereandabroad,havebeenimaginatively incorporated with flair and Savoir-faire. There are cinematic views from multiple viewing points throughout the residence. The eclectic curation of the spaces is surprising and exciting without being over the top, and every room feels like it is waiting to look after you or host an interesting tête-à-tête. Darren sums it up perfectly, saying: “We have always created our own interiors in a style that works for us. We never strove for perfection.”
On the topic of clever collecting, decorative china is back – did it ever go away? On one of my regular vintage antiquing excursions, I was talking to the team at Mitchell Road Antique & Design Centre in Sydney and, evidently, floral china is hot, hot hot. They can’t get enough to satisfy their porcelain-obsessed customers. Our talented stylist Sophie Wilson has styled some refreshing and gorgeous pages of beautiful pieces to inspire your culinary curation (page 37). I love the mix of old and new – don’t be afraid to elevate what you have with new pieces, or give an old kitchen dresser a shiny new life with a coat of paint. Your precious teacups will thank you!
Enjoy the issue. I am heading out to Orange on the NSW Central Tablelands for the coming weekend, for a little refreshing country air.