If it’s beautiful homes you’re lusting after, look no further than the latest volume of Belle magazine’s Beautiful Australian Homes series. Belle Beautiful Australian Homes Volume III is full of stunning properties from Paddington to Orange and Toorak to Hamilton Island, and many places in between. Today, we’re lucky to be able to give you a peek inside this gorgeous new book at a historic property in rural Orange. Read on!
Orange, NSW: Agrarian Chic
A historic country homestead reclaims its grace and grandeur with a stylish update that places it firmly in the luxe category
Photos by Felix Forest, text by Judy Pascoe and styling by Steve Cordony.
Tradition meets state of the art in Steve Cordony’s Rosedale Farm in country NSW. Having bought the property in 2017, Steve and partner Mike embarked on a full-scale renovation of the C1877 house and its extensive grounds.
As an in-demand stylist, Steve knew exactly the look he wanted for his country retreat and wasted no time in ripping out what he didn’t like and replacing it with his dream fixtures. So, carpet was removed, floorboards polished, a wash of fresh white paint applied inside and out and then the details were carefully layered – graphic wallpapers mixed with contemporary rugs, glittering chandeliers and elegant furniture, enlivened with oft-changing accessories.
Nowhere is this approach more evident than in the kitchen, where chevron parquetry flooring, striped Roman blinds and the distinguished profile of the Shaker-style joinery evoke a sense of pastoral grandeur, while modern appliances and notes of polished brass break the mould. It is a kitchen designed to entertain at a moment’s notice.
“I wanted the kitchen to be a mix of classic American elegance and Shaker style,” says Steve. “After much deliberation and sampling I decided to go with a deep khaki/charcoal colour for the cabinets that would contrast well with the brass hardware and lighting.
Steve loves to cook so the appliance choices made a big impact on the overall look and design of the kitchen. As well, the Calacatta Vagli marble benchtops and the recycled chevron oak flooring were non-negotiable features.
Elsewhere in the home Steve has opted for design classics such as linen-clad sofas with velvet cushions, Louis XVI-style dining chairs and antique mirrors along with eclectic accessories, sculptures and paintings. The dining room’s decorative wallpaper panels by Iksel are a talking point and lend a colonial feel, while the Phillip Jeffries ‘Chevron Chic’ wallpaper in the study is handsome and refined.
True to his metier, Steve likes to ring the changes and is forever adding, subtracting and moving pieces throughout the home. It is always decorated with voluptuous blossoms or seasonal branches, often clipped from the property, where Mike is master of planting. The pair have added flower beds, spilling with cornflowers, primula, foxgloves and pansies in spring, cosmos, hydrangea and clematis in summer, restrained by the structure of Japanese box edging and with the fillip of obelisks for climbing roses and espalier apples. A vegetable garden, flowering fruit trees and a menagerie of monochrome farm animals, including horses, a camel, alpaca, a pig, chickens, ostriches, geese, white peacocks, guinea fowl and poddy lambs that range around the wisteria-lined verandah, contribute to the picture-perfect setting.
Never ones to rest on their laurels, Steve and Mike have many more ideas and plans for the property – it will be fascinating to witness them unfold.
—Belle Beautiful Australian Homes Volume 3 by Belle (Are Media) is out now.
Belle Beautiful Australian Homes
Volume III
Belle is delighted to present the third volume of Belle Beautiful Australian Homes, featuring a lavishly illustrated line-up of more than 40 inspiring residences from the best of the best in Australian architecture, interior design and decoration.
This beautiful 348-page tome invites readers to experience a diverse collection of recent projects by the local luminaries defining Antipodean style today, from Meryl Hare...
17 gorgeous food & design books coming in early 2021!
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