Stylish eye revives an old classic

It was love at first site for the owners of this classic Queenslander who have spent five years restoring the home to its former glory

WHEN Reece and Katie Rackley made plans to travel the globe expanding their fashion label Silk Laundry, a worldwide health pandemic wasn’t on the cards.

Last year the couple moved their family to Montreal where they opened their first store as a foray into the market in Canada, where Mrs Rackley was born.

Silk Laundry retail stores are also found in Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast and James Street in Brisbane, with stockists across Australia, France and the US.

And while the Rackley’s plans to explore new markets abroad may be on ice until the COVID-19 crisis passes, the sale of their charming Tallebudgera Valley home is all go.

The original Queenslander, believed to have been built in 1910, was moved from Brisbane around 30 years ago.

Restoring the home has been a labour of love for the Rackleys, who have spent five years making gradual improvements. “It was a love project,” Mr Rackley said. “It’s the house my wife fell in love with. The purchase was a very emotional one to begin with, but we’ve loved living in the home and bringing our family up here.”

Many of the home’s Federation features remain, including leadlight casement windows, sugar pine flooring, lofty pressedmetal ceilings and decorative fretwork.

The old roof has been replaced with Colorbond and the area under the house builtin to create additional living space.

Fresh paint inside and out completes the transformation, with a Dulux colour consultant called in to advise on a modern palette that was in keeping with the traditional character of the home.

That character flows through to the fittings, fixtures and styling with modern pieces mixed in with traditional ones.

“That’s what my wife does really well is to mix old with new, and that’s how we live in general,” Mr Rackley said.

“It’s so satisfying to see a beautiful home like this looking its best and ready for another family to enjoy.”

The 1.01ha property has been an idyllic family retreat for the Rackleys who also own Rackley Swimming with 23 aquatic centres across South East Queensland.

The relaxed country vibe is completed by the chicken coup, vegetable patch, water tanks, an Envirocycle waste system, machinery shed and two dams.

“When you drive out into the Tallebudgera Valley you’re only 10 minutes from Burleigh, but you’re in an environment that’s so secluded, quiet and beautiful,” Mr Rackley said. “My heart rate would drop 50 beats when I’d drive home and into the driveway after a stressful day working in town.”

And for all the stress being caused by the coronavirus, Mr Rackley remains optimistic that life and business will bounce back.

“The reality is we will return to some kind of normal,” he said.