With a traditional white picket fence and verandah, this cute cottage in regional Victoria has the sort of appeal that lasts lengthy after its authentic period.

Proprietor and photographer Stef Driscoll had up to date completely different rooms contained in the Nineteen Twenties home over time, however all the time made an effort to retain its quaint really feel. So when she engaged the assistance of Torquay-based agency Leÿer Design Studio for a extra important makeover in 2020, the transient was to create fashionable areas and cohesive inside, with out shedding all of the heritage particulars that crammed the house with character.

‘Stef wished an area the place she may create long-lasting recollections with family and friends across the kitchen island sharing scrumptious meals and wine,’ Leÿer Design Studio founder Rebecca Leijer says.

‘Attending to know Stef and the way she lived and entertained in her dwelling was essential to set the scene for the venture’s design philosophy.’

They even checked out her meals pictures as references for her dream kitchen, which revealed her must-have options like an island bench with a cooktop, so she may nonetheless work together with visitors whereas making ready meals.

‘She had her plans drawn up by Chris Adams Design, altering the ground plan in addition to including an addition to the rear of the property,’ Rebecca says. ‘Once I got here on board, Stef and I labored via some extra format modifications collectively for the kitchen, pantry, laundry and toilet.’

There was a lot authentic brickwork in the home that had beforehand been hidden beneath plaster. This impressed them to create a full-height wall of uncovered brick as point of interest of the brand new open-plan kitchen space.

‘We knew it was going to be essential to essentially hero it and make sure the supplies we used have been delicate in color,’ Rebecca provides.

The remainder of the tonal inside palette was designed to assist join the outdated elements of the house with the brand new addition. New textural bejmat tiles line the island bench in a chalky peach hue, layered with sage greens, terracotta, terrazzo, and heat timbers.

‘Stef sourced some reclaimed timber flooring from a faculty in Melbourne and used as a lot as she may for the timber cabinets within the kitchen,’ Rebecca says. They have been additionally in a position to retain the unique timber doorways and a mantlepiece from one of many fireplaces was repurposed as a shelf within the hallway.

Rebecca says it’s all of the little particulars which have helped flip this dated home right into a ‘actual dwelling’, whereas the brand-new extension already feels prefer it’s been there for a very long time.