Claire Hickey and Daniel Oliver moved to the Northern Rivers ‘on a whim’ in 2017.
They rapidly fell in love with the NSW area’s small city allure (full with Saturday morning produce markets, an annual billycart derby, and Christmas truthful!) and determined to determine their lives within the space, buying a Nineteen Twenties Bangalow cottage.
Already with one youngster, Claire and Daniel simply wanted to transform the home to go well with younger household life and really feel extra ‘them.’
‘Though some not so nice renovations had beforehand been finished on the home, she nonetheless held her unique allure,’ says Claire. ‘My hope for our dwelling was to create an area that felt heat and welcoming.’
Renovations targeted on each reinstating unique dwelling options misplaced in earlier updates, in addition to modernising the kitchen and bogs to Claire and Daniel’s style.
They didn’t have the funds for a completely architect-managed venture, however had been in a position to have interaction These Architects for the preliminary design section. ‘I might undoubtedly do an architect-managed construct subsequent time!’ says Claire.
The unique exterior weatherboards (painted Dulux Berkshire White) and 100-year-old blackbutt flooring now have a look at dwelling once more alongside an prolonged verandah and timber home windows. Claire explains, ‘Sadly the earlier house owners had ripped out all of the outdated unique home windows and doorways and put in some fairly ghastly aluminium ones.’
The brand new kitchen created with cabinetmaker Martin Johnson replaces the beforehand all-white scheme, with heat timber joinery and welcoming curves.
Redoing the landscaping was additionally an enormous component of the renovation for Claire, Daniel and their youngsters River (9) and Anouk (5) who love spending time open air.
‘River, our son, is at all times kicking a ball within the backyard, or our daughter Anouk is constructing a little bit fairy home someplace in a flower patch, so I actually suppose the format of our dwelling is targeted on this facet of our lives,’ says Claire.
Report breaking rainfall noticed delays and pink mud trudged by way of the home for months on finish in the course of the constructing works, however the addition of a pool and ranges on the sloping website has remodeled the usability of all the dwelling.
‘All of the rooms open out from french doorways into the backyard now, permitting us to at all times have quick access to our favorite space,’ says Claire.
Altogether, the household house is ethereal, gentle and glad, balancing Claire’s extra eclectic style with Daniel’s fondness for minimalism.
‘I really feel we’ve got mixed each our needs for our house into one thing we each love and are happy with,’ says Claire.
‘All my most cherished recollections are inside these partitions.’