In full bloom An interiors devotee builds a house from the ground up

WITH A PASSION FOR PATTERN AND A LOVE OF ELEGANT, FEMININE DESIGN, AN INTERIORS DEVOTEE HAS BUILT THIS HAMPTONS-INSPIRED HOME FROM THE GROUND UP

SWEET STYLE After years spent devouring interiors magazines, Olivia couldn’t wait to get her teeth stuck into building a new home for herself, her husband, Ivor, and their children, Ava, eight, and Henry, five (pictured opposite). After finding a beautiful block in their hometown of Ballarat, the decorating addict drew on East Coast inspiration to fill her newly finished abode with classic Hamptons-style features, including Shaker cabinetry and a soothing grey-toned palette. She has given the scheme a feminine twist with modern floral touches, including artwork from Temple & Webster and a Bonnie And Neil cushion (above left), and a stunning botanical wallpaper in the main bedroom (above right). Two by-the-book Hamptons features are the weatherboard-style cladding (for similar, try Scyon Linea boards) and the timber windows, custom-made by Project Windows And Doors. This budget-stretching feature was non-negotiable, epitomising everything Olivia loves about the US-born trend. “All the Hamptons inspiration that I’ve been poring over included those beautiful, white rectangular timber windows,” she says. “I knew I had to have them.”

Tastes are not static; they change over time, mature and expand, which explains how people can become addicted to building or renovating one house after another. This idea of evolving style is perfectly encapsulated by Olivia and Ivor’s Ballarat home, a soothing space that first caught HB’s eye as one of the 2017 Beautiful Rooms finalists, when the kitchen seduced with its polished East Coast-inspired design. This is the couple’s second building project and sits in stark contrast to their first, which was an off-the-plan build embarked upon when they were first married. Though they enjoyed the process, their choices were restricted to the list of standard inclusions and approved materials. “We had a slab of Carrara marble in our old kitchen and we had to sign a statutory declaration to get it, because the company were like, ‘No, we’re not allowing you to get that because it’s so porous and if you put a teabag on it you’ll sue us’!” recalls Olivia. When keen golfer Ivor saw an opportunity to build again, on a block adjacent to a golf course, Olivia needed little convincing, enticed as much by the prospect of a new design challenge as by the idea of an expanded dwelling for their growing family, which now includes children Ava and Henry. With free rein to choose the finishes she loved, plus 10 years of magazine-flicking, Olivia had an overflowing file of inspirational pictures and ideas. The couple took this to local building designers Project Now, who translated Olivia’s ideas into a plan that ticked off every wish-list item, drawing up a family home with an office for Olivia’s business and an overall feeling of airy, Hamptons-inspired elegance. “I wanted it to feel really light and airy,” she says. “Downstairs, we’ve got three-metrehigh ceilings, which makes a huge difference. It’s not a humungous house, by any means, but it feels very spacious.”

“I KNEW THE SPLASHBACK WAS GOING show stopper TO BE A REALLY BIG – IT WAS EITHER GOING TO BE AN EPIC epic WIN OR AN FAIL” ~ OLIVIA

This classic look is the complete opposite to their previous home, which was uncompromisingly contemporary. “It was 10 or 11 years ago, back in the days of red glass splashbacks,” says Olivia. “Everything was shiny! But my tastes have evolved and I really love this Hamptons look, which is a much cleaner palette.” A preference for matt textures, as well as the palette of pale greys and whites, gives the home a softness and a feminine charm, brought back from the brink of sweetness by selective hits of black. Olivia was aided in her design endeavour by builder Andrew Madigan, a friend of the couple before he was their builder, which not only gave Olivia and Ivor confidence, but also made the process more fun. Olivia laughs as she recalls accidentally going berserk with her tile purchases. “I thought the tile budget was just for the tiles, not to buy and lay the tiles, so I blew the budget out of the water,” she says. “But it was funny – Andrew and I were going to get T-shirts printed saying, ‘Why stop now?’” In the year since they’ve moved in, the family has settled into their new home, discovering their own favourite cosy corners and appreciating the beauty of what they’ve created. It’s a recipe for a forever home – at least, until their tastes change again!

KITCHEN Olivia’s feature splashback in Marazzi hexagonal tiles earned her kitchen (opposite) a place as one of our 2017 Beautiful Rooms, but this standout feature almost didn’t happen. “When I walked in and saw the tiles, I thought, ‘I hate it’,” she recalls. “‘It looks like a patchwork quilt!’ I actually found a butter knife and started to wedge some of them off.” Luckily her tiler and builder talked her down and when the paint and floors were done, and the natural light was streaming in, it was clear their perseverance had paid off. “I’m so glad they talked me into it,” she says. Elsewhere the kitchen is pure simplicity – white Shaker cabinetry, handlefree overhead cupboards and matt Essastone benches allow the tiles to shine. In the living room (above), Olivia had two armchairs originally from Voyager Interiors recovered by Ashmore’s Upholstery in a pale grey Warwick fabric. Custom joinery by Ideal Cabinetry on either side of the gas fireplace provides a place to display mementos and artworks.