Free spirit A love of travel inspired the look of this unique abode

A LOVE OF TRAVEL AND EXOTIC PIECES INSPIRED THE UNIQUE LOOK AND FEEL OF THIS BYRON BAY HOME

Set on the rolling green hills of NSW’s Byron Bay hinterland, the home that Ralph and Kathy share with their daughter Hannah, looks out to the ocean and farmland. Yet step inside and there’s a sense you have travelled to a more exotic part of the world. With its sculptural curves, whitewashed finishes, handcrafted fixtures and array of antique furniture, the property has an incredible feel. “I’m originally from South Africa, so people tell me they can see that influence,” says Kathy. “Others say it reminds them of Greece or Morocco, but to me, it doesn’t have a particular style. It’s a global house that reflects some of the places we’ve been.” Built in the 1960s, with subsequent renovations over the years, the house had little going for it when Kathy and Ralph bought it five years ago. “It really was decrepit,” she remembers. “The only thing I liked was the location and the outlook across a sea of date palms. And the trees weren’t even in our yard, they belonged to the neighbours!” Undeterred by the task they faced, the couple got stuck into transforming the place. Everything needed replacing – windows, doors, plumbing and, being in a cyclone-rated area, the framework had to be reinforced. While the scope of the renovation was more than they had first anticipated, the couple are thrilled with how it’s come together. “Because the house looked so bad, I thought anything we do is going to be an improvement, so I played out my fantasies and included all the things I love,” says Kathy. Doorways were turned into striking features with intricately carved antique doors sourced from India, where the couple travel on buying trips for their homewares and furniture company Bisque Interiors. Mediterranean-inspired moulded finishes and curves were added wherever possible, with beds, seating nooks, bathroom walls and outdoor benches crafted by multiple builders. Ralph was also hands-on throughout the four-year renovation and mastered the art of rendering and carving Hebel. Low ceilings were removed to expose original beams, which enhance the sense of space and allow for antique pendants that capture attention in every room. The kitchen was overhauled with new cabinetry and the layout reconfigured so it connected seamlessly with adjoining spaces. Like the renovation process, which was slow and steady, everything in the home has been collected over time and is imbued with memories. One of Kathy’s most recent purchases, a Berber chest from Marrakech, even retains the faint smell of smoke, having been in a Bedouin camp for decades. While the family still spends up to three months a year travelling for work, they agree there’s really no place like home. “Whenever we get back, I’m overwhelmed with gratefulness that this is where we live,” says Kathy. “We’ve created our forever home and I don’t want to move anywhere else.”

WHITE ON WHITE It took them four years to renovate, but for homeowners Kathy and Ralph, it was worth the effort to create their forever home – shared with their adult daughter Hannah – in Byron Bay’s hinterland. Awash with white, the serene palette is the perfect base for eclectic pieces sourced globally. “The first thing I bought, before we’d even started, was three magnificent chandeliers,” says Kathy of antique pendant lighting from Olde Memories & Treasures, one of which is in the entrance (above left). Dated and dark, the original exterior with its ’70s bamboo balustrades was transformed by a white rendered finish (opposite), complementing custom-made Moroccan-style railings. Sculptured seating was carved from concrete, while butterfly chairs such as this one from Mediterranean Markets – with a Turkish towel from Bisque Traders – can move around the pool.

KITCHEN The kitchen (left) has a wonderful rustic feel, courtesy of its tactile finishes. To achieve the timeworn patina, custom cabinetry was made from recycled pine and topped in marble, with a butler’s sink and Perrin & Rowe tapware from The English Tapware Company completing the look. LIVING AREA Drawn to the romance of “old pieces with a story”, the couple discovered this console at a market in Marrakesh (above). The framed artwork is by Kathy’s father, Jacobus Francois Coetzee, and the cuttlefish wall hanging is from Bisque Traders.