From inside to out, this stylish owner-built family abode is a testament to flawless taste and inspired design
With a decades-long passion for interior design, Samantha knew instantly she had found the home she wanted to build for her family when she and her husband David came across Harkaway Homes just over 10 years ago. With previous experience in building and renovating, Samantha had no hesitation about becoming an owner-builder and project managing the construction of her new family home — and the results speak for themselves.
“I was so excited and the process didn’t scare me at all,” she says. “When we found Harkaway Homes, we instantly fell in love with the charm and character of the homes and, in particular, the Gabled Homestead Series. We knew that we wanted a country-style house and the symmetry of the roof line really appealed to me, as did the soaring ceiling heights and the wide verandahs that wrap around the whole house.”
“Ten years later, the home and garden have blossomed together in perfect unison. Ornamental pear trees line the driveway and this avenue of trees picks up on the symmetry of the distinctive roof line, carrying it into the design of the beautiful and now well-established garden,” says Tim Tobin, Managing Director of Harkaway Homes. Asyou stroll about the garden you will spy white Iceberg roses, freesias, lilacs and other cottage classics, all embraced by manicured hedges and complemented by perfectly trimmed ficus plants.
“Samantha’s Harkaway home and the surrounding garden inspire her on a daily basis and feed her ardour for creating inspiring interiors and coming up with exciting decorating ideas, which she shares through her business, Beautiful House,” adds Tim. “Her regular blogs about Australian homes and interior decorating, as well as tips on how to style your own home and create beautiful DIY projects, are all demonstrated in the style and the warmth that Samantha has created within her own character-filled home.”
Employing a soothing neutral colour palette for her fabric furnishings, which she has carefully accented with pops of blue and green, the interior of the home is as classic as the exterior. In terms of the spacious, well-thoughtout floor plan, this works perfectly for her family of five.
“Because of our previous homes and experience in building, we knew we did not want the bedrooms all together down a hallway,” explains Samantha. “Also, having the three separate living zones, plus my home office, works perfectly for us.”
Samantha and David also customised the floor plan to make the kitchen and meals area larger to accommodate a 14-seat dining table, where many large and enjoyable family meals have been shared over the past decade.
“I went into building my forever family home knowing exactly how I wanted it to look, and the end result is everything I hoped it would be,” says Samantha. “I would absolutely recommend Harkaway Homes to anyone seeking a character home and have done so numerous times over the years. David and I are very happy clients.”
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