Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Country Style

HOW LOVELY does it sound to live on a lavender farm? The Viljoen family are lucky enough to do just that, outside Millthorpe in NSW’s Central West. Their beautiful property, Ashburton Lavender Farm, features on our cover and you can read all about their story on page 46. Lavender is one of my favourite fragrances. I find it calming and nostalgic, reminding me of my grandmother, who we all call ‘Nah’ because my eldest cousin mispronounced ‘Grandma’ and it stuck. When I was a child, I wanted to buy her Yardley English Lavender Soap for Mother’s Day from the stall at school every year. I also get my love of baking from Nah. Her banana cake and carrot cake are long-time family favourites. I’m looking forward to making the pistachio…

PREEN AND CLEAN Turns out that heap of clothes on the wardrobe floor does not take itself to the drycleaner. (Just me?) Good news: Fisher & Paykel’s Fabric Care Cabinet, $4999, does at-home dry cleaning, deodorising, sanitising and even leather care. Goodbye, heap! Visit harveynorman.com.au TIME TO SHINE Traditional elements – a square case, gold mesh strap and simple gold hour markers – meet modern styling in Rosefield’s Mini Boxy watch, $179.95. On the practical side, it has a date function, it’s splash-proof and you can switch out the strap. Visit theiconic.com.au HANG YOUR HAT Brisbane-based interiors stylist Rachael Honner collaborates with artisans to create slow, thoughtful homewares. This Scalloped Wall Rack, $180, is made from Tasmanian oak and is the perfect addition to a hall or mud room. Visit…

EDEN COTTAGE’S UNDENIABLE feminine energy distracts from its industrial beginnings. Originally built in the Central Queensland mining town of Mount Morgan in the 1930s, the home was moved to the nearby port town of Gladstone in the 1950s, before becoming home to the Giardina family in 2019. “I always knew our house was female,” says owner Lucy Giardina, 34. “When we first walked in, it had these romantic aspects, like the pressed metal ceiling panels, which have since been amplified by the florals and pastel colours.” Lucy, a medical administrator and medical science student, and her husband Sebastian, a chef, live in the home with their daughter Birdie, six, and son Bleu, five, as well as Rosie the Maltese cross, Persephone, a rescue cat, and a brood of chooks out…

MY MUM IS RESPONSIBLE for my love of plant nurseries and garden shops of all kinds because her love for them is unlimited. Years ago, when my nan’s health was failing, Mum would drive to Sydney every week, pick her mother up from the nursing home and head to a nearby nursery for coffee. It was green and peaceful, and a happy place. Our small town of Gerringong doesn’t have a nursery, but – oh happy days – we have one in Kiama that also has a cafe. It is heaven found in rows of roses, misted ferns and stands of bagged fruit trees. All that opportunity… how totally intoxicating. Sure, I need to get out more. Blame my mother. My first paid job was deadheading Mum’s daisies. She was…

POWER TRIP Four country powerhouses have joined forces to offer small-group tours. Food writer Sophie Hansen will lead gourmet trips in Italy; interior designer Addy Nuthall will showcase the shopping secrets of Mexico; while Felicity Armstrong from Channel Nine’s Getaway is tour director, and her sister, travel consultant Melissa Bowman, is tour coordinator. It’s a topnotch team that’s sure to create travel magic. Visit pinkpelicantours.com.au blush crush In the prettiest baby-pink shade that suits a variety of skin tones, Benefit’s classic Dandelion blush now comes in a mini size, making it perfect for travel; $33. Visit adorebeauty.com.au TOTE-ALLY TERRIFIC Aussie accessories brand State of Escape is celebrating two milestones: its 10th birthday, and achieving B Corp status for its eco-friendly credentials. Its new collection, Adrift, made from upcycled sailing rope,…

FROM LEFT Rare Rose Serum, $80, from Jurlique, hydrates skin with a blend of natural plant extracts and oils, including dwarf lilyturf root extract, rose, lavender and calendula. Conjure the heavenly scent of fresh roses with La Rose Large Scented Candle, $79, from Maison Balzac, made from soy and coconut wax. Add a subtle rosy tint to your lips with Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge Drama Matte Lipstick in Divine Idylle, formulated with grand rose extracts and hyaluronic acid, $65, from Adore Beauty. Infused with the uplifting aroma of rose, magnolia and geranium, Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream, $310, from Sisley, adds radiance to skin with black rose aqueous extract, hibiscus flower and alpine rose extracts. Packed with vitamin E and acai oil, Nars The Multiple in Maui Dusty Rose, $67, from…

DRESSING FOR A WEDDING has always walked a tricky line. Whatever you choose must suit a formal daytime ceremony as well as a joyful party that might stretch long into the night. Does such a unicorn outfit exist? It absolutely does – read on to find yours. The best thing about weddings is also the worst: they last a long time. That means comfort is key. We’re looking for pieces that are forgiving around the waist and don’t require constant tugging to fit right – seek out lower hemlines and higher necklines than you might otherwise pick. Soft fabrics and a good fit are vital; if you don’t already have a great alterations tailor, ask the staff in your favourite high-end shop if they can recommend one near you. (When…

July 2014 – NOW HERE’S A fine thing. After years of galvanising audiences with tales of life in remote Australia, I meet a bloke who tells me I’m full of waste matter. “You don’t know what remote is,” he said. “We’re remote.” “I’d say we’re pretty remote,” I said. “There’s an arrow and a sign painted on The Black Stump. The sign says: ‘Keep on goin’ for Handyman Hall’. Just how remote are you?” “We’re so remote that when we go out shooting, we drive towards town.” Well, there you are. Historian Geoffrey Blainey coined the term ‘the tyranny of distance’ to explain how remoteness shaped Australians, and to highlight our isolation from the world’s great cultural centres, such as Miami and Blackpool. It used to evoke a sense of…

Editor KYLIE IMESON Creative director SARAH FARAGO Deputy editor HANNAH JAMES Queensland contributing editor CLAIRE MACTAGGART Art director BERNHARD SCHMITZ Stylist KATE LINCOLN Features writer REBECCA HOOTON Featureswriter RACHEL WHITE Juniorwriter LISA EASEY Chiefcopyeditor, HomesGroup PETER GRIFFITHS Senior copy editors GRETA DUMBLETON, SUE RAMSEY ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION Commercial brand manager JO-ANN TAYLOR Advertising production manager KATE ORSBORN Director of sales – NSW, VIC, SA KAREN HOLMES Head of direct sales – VIC, SA, WA WILL JAMISON Queensland head of sales JUDY TAYLOR Creative director CLARE CATT Head of events and sponsorships CATE GAZAL Head of Directories REBECCA WHITE Production controller KARA STEAD Advertising production controller DOMINIC ROY All advertising inquiries ADVERTISING@AREMEDIA.COM.AU MARKETING AND CIRCULATION Director of marketing CARLY BOWRA Head of consumer marketing LOUISE CANKETT Marketing manager JESS TAYLOR Circulation…

LAST YEAR, while I was on tour promoting my book Graft, I stayed with an old friend. She made me breakfast – fresh eggs on homemade sourdough toast. I exclaimed over the toast, and she said she would give me a mother so I could make sourdough, too. While I was staying, she divided hers and then fed them both. They sat, the two mothers, on the bench by the Aga and doubled in size. By the time I left, my mother was fierce. She smelled potent, alive. The mother comes with me in my capacious handbag, and I arrive at my next friend’s house just as she gets home. We unload the shopping, and I bring in my bags and place my new mother on the bench. “What’s that?”…

IF WALLS COULD talk, what stories would they tell? For Lisa Lock and her family, their rustic bungalow in the South Australian town of Kimba might have a few things to say. “This home is a bit of a landmark,” says Lisa, 42. “It was built in 1949 to house the local doctor and his wife, so it’s funny to think this is probably where the doctor told my grandmother she was going to have a baby.” Situated in the heart of Kimba on the Eyre Peninsula wheatbelt, on traditional Barngarla lands, “the old doctor’s house” has seen generations of families. Lisa grew up on the family farm just outside the town and recalls many trips to the doctor’s house to see the visiting dentist. Years later in Western Australia,…

ON WALL To Sit Quietly by Amanda Ogilby painting, $520, from The Toowoomba Gallery. Sea & Sky by W. Ayerst Ingram painting, POA, from Vintage Art Emporium. Antique chromolithographs by Henry Seebohm, $120, from The Powder Works. Fig Botanical art, $65, from Pepperwhites by Tara Dennis. African Avocado Tree print, $320, from Love After Love. Paint in Piraeus, $149.70 for 4L, from Porter’s Paints. Laminex Heritage 150 primed surround, POA, from Laminex. Alford floor lamp, $1350, from Pepperwhites by Tara Dennis. Clara armchair in Latte, $2199, from Alfresco Emporium. Echo cushion in Eucalypt, $99, Salma cushion in Aloe, $79, and Isla blanket in Fern, $242, all from L&M Home. Girona cushion in Celadon Moss, $160, from Walter G. Everyday cushion in Pewter, $99, from Pepperwhites by Tara Dennis. Hunt radiator,…

WHILE WORKING at a cafe in Hobart in what was probably the smallest kitchen I’ve ever been squeezed into, I was fortunate to work alongside a fantastic chef called Anish. He was one of the hundreds of Nepalese people working in hospitality in Hobart – and among the tens of thousands working in hospitality Australia-wide. Without their efforts, hospitality venues throughout this country would shudder to a halt. Of Anish’s many remarkable talents – unwavering calm during the melee of service; a methodical approach to working through the stream of breakfast dockets – the most endearing was his consistent mispronunciation of the word ‘brioche’. Now, I’m not making fun of him as I could never hope to get my tongue around the curly examples in the Nepalese lexicon, but I…

MAKE YOUR OWN It’s easy to make linen pillowcases. For a standard pillow (48cm x 75cm), you’ll need 50cm x 160cm of fabric. Hem both short ends, then fold the fabric with right sides together so that one hemmed edge is 15cm from the other. Pin along the side edges, then fold the 15cm flap over the other hemmed edge and pin. Sew each side seam, then turn the pillowcase right-side out. PILLOWCASE TRIM MATERIALS Standard pillowcase or 50cm x 160cm fabric to make your own (see facing page) Water-soluble fabric marker or tailor’s chalk and ruler Embroidery thread Crewel needle (medium eye and sharp point) Scissors and sewing supplies 1 Using fabric marker, draw a line 5cm from the open end of the pillowcase. (If you are making your…

WHAT CAN I BRING? Sophie Hansen, Murdoch Books, $49.99 The way we eat today is not remotely similar to what was on the table 20 years ago. This being the case, a swathe of old favourites now seem like ‘discoveries’. Hansen’s theme is sharing. A potluck, picnic or street party opens a door to creativity. The selection is divided into seasons. Rice, potato and chorizo pilaf is comfort food in winter; strawberry-jam crumble slice, revived from the 1950s, is a crowd-pleaser in spring; salads that won’t wilt in transit fill the summer section; and chocolate chip cookies, an autumn choice, are guaranteed to vanish in minutes (these surprise because tahini is added to the cookie dough). ‘Simple pork terrine’ isn’t that simple. It has 15 ingredients if you count the…

FAMILIAR DELIGHTS There’s always a sense of anticipation about what I’ll find in the next edition of Country Style. I’m confident that I’ll find at least one gorgeous dog, posing perfectly and making me wish I had a houseful of canine companions in all shapes and sizes. What a madhouse we could make of life with a dozen dogs! And then there are the people we meet in each issue: creative, inspiring, stoic individuals and families sharing their homes, lives and aspirations with your audience. The beautifully styled and curated interiors always set my mind racing and initiate a rearranging of displays of my own collections. Then, on to the featured objects themselves. The special pieces and finds from over the years which become part of the joyous fabric of…

TEN YEARS AGO, Lisa Innis found herself at a crossroad. After seven years of rolling health catastrophes, culminating in major brain surgery, she woke up in recovery and decided there was no more time to lose. “I didn’t want to get old and wonder what could’ve been,” Lisa, now 51, explains. “I had always wanted to create my own botanical products, but for many years I lacked confidence in myself, so I kept postponing my dreams.” Determined to overcome her self-doubt and thankful to be alive, Lisa’s post-surgical conviction took some time to grow to full strength. “I didn’t have the confidence straight away,” adds Lisa, who lives in Gippsland, Victoria. “When I started, I only told a few close friends and my family. Then I spent a year and…

TOP OF THE TOWN Step inside an elegantly restored Launceston home that’s ideal for weekends away. PHOTOGRAPHY SUE STUBBS A SOCIAL HEART beats at Wahroonga on Bourke, a recently refreshed Federation home and holiday stay that presides over the Tasmanian town of Launceston, on the traditional lands of the kanamaluka people. Leeroy Gorman, 34, and Anthony Crawford, 42, purchased the prominent property in 2021 and were pleased to learn about its history of bringing people together. The house was built in 1901, and by the 1940s, Phyllis McDonald and her husband moved in. New in town and keen to make friends, Phyllis opened Wahroonga’s door to the community in 1946 by establishing the Ionian Club, a women’s social network with chapters worldwide. She also ran deportment classes in the home’s…

JUST ONE MORE… This Mother’s Day, make beautiful edible gifts for your loved ones. MOTHERS ARE A special kind of magic, aren’t they? Pivotal cheerleaders, role models and the glue that keeps our families together. I think this is a realisation that really hits home as you get older, or when you have children of your own – as it sinks in just how much your mum did, and if you’re very fortunate, continues to do for you! I had a conversation with my mum about this just the other day, and I was also struck by the thought that the older I get, the more worries I have for everyone around me, especially my kids. I seem to get softer and less resilient with every passing year. I think…

IN THE HISTORIC timber-mill town of Nannup in Western Australia, an old worker’s cottage has been converted into a restful haven, with much of its decor inspired by its humble history. “There was originally a shop attached to the house called J Pickering Bootstore,” says the home’s owner Zoe Martyn. “I thought about this man, working with his hands creating something quite utilitarian, but also with the craftsmanship of someone who deeply knows their trade. As I was renovating, some of the bootmaker’s children, who are now in their 70s, would come check on the progress and tell me stories of their time there. It felt good to honour its history while making it more liveable and contemporary.” Indeed, the renovation was a cathartic experience for Zoe, who purchased the…

MOST PEOPLE HAVE JUST one aim for their maternity leave: to keep themselves and their baby alive. Lauren Roe, however, isn’t quite like most people. “Looking back, it was absolutely a bit insane to launch a website just a few weeks after coming home from hospital,” admits Lauren, 42, the founder and creative director of bed-linen brand I Love Linen, which she runs from her hinterland home on the border of New South Wales and Queensland. “But my mat leave was the only time I felt I could just try something.” The clues to I Love Linen’s success were all there. She’d worked in marketing for a decade, gaining vital knowledge for launching her own company. On top of that, “Retail was in my bones, as my parents were self-sufficient…

MARRIED AT THEIR HOME just outside Scone in New South Wales’ Upper Hunter, Polly and Jack Archibald let three carefully chosen words guide the planning and execution of their entire wedding – but they’re not the words you might be thinking of. “One of our friends, Georgie (who was also one of Polly’s bridesmaids) encouraged us early on to come up with three words that we wanted our day to be,” says Polly, 31. “The words we came up with were: joyful, warm, and treat.” Using these words as their north star, Polly and Jack, 34, were able to plan a day of celebration in an intimate setting, while providing plenty of indulgent moments (or treats) for their 170 guests. “When we were making decisions, we asked ourselves: ‘Does this…

PLAZA SUITE Create a room for relaxation. Unfurl in the sumptuous Plaza Sofa, featuring a chaise for added comfort. Maintain a sleek and tidy space with the Herringbone Buffet, and complete the look with the matching Herringbone Coffee Table. harveynorman.com.au HANDBAG COMPANION Smitten Merino’s Australian-made Classic Poncho is a versatile piece that easily fits in your handbag. Made from lightweight, 100 per cent merino wool, it’s warm but also perfect if you need protection from the sun. Free express shipping. smittenmerino.com WASH AND WEAR Elevate your wardrobe care with a touch of luxury. The Asko 5kg Heat Pump Drying Cabinet will transform your household laundry routine and become your fabric guardian, drying clothes in the most efficient manner. harveynorman.com.au CONTEMPORARY APPEAL The new smart finish from Smeg, Neptune Grey, is…