A HERITAGE LISTED SANDSTONE HOUSE IN BELL IS WARMED BY CURTAINS, BLINDS & WOOD FIREPLACES
‘Holly Lodge’ built in 1852, is a very special heritage listed sandstone home in Bell. When Anne Hogarth, Director of Interior Design and Decoration stepped inside this property to specify new curtains and blinds along with fireplaces to warm the space, she truly felt that the property was very lucky to acquire two very talented custodians to restore this historical building. With an outstanding creative vision, and a carpentry trade in their back pocket, the restoration of this property is not only sympathetic to the period, but it also innovatively enhances the special features this place has to offer. It goes without saying that Anne felt honoured and excited to be called upon to support with warming their home.
With three small children, warmth was a priority for the brief throughout the property, so Anne specified that all curtains and blinds in the main living spaces and bedrooms were fitted and lined with block out lining to ensure drafts from the original timber windows were kept at bay. Each window was also fitted with light filtering blinds, which allow a UV filtered, diffused daylight through the windows, whilst ensuring privacy and once again, further limiting any drafts.
The dining room and adjoining kitchen has a range of different sized windows; therefore, a combination of curtains and blinds were specified using James Dunlop Zia in Pelican throughout. Using the one textile ensures cohesion throughout the single space. The blend of viscose and linen in the Zia range offers better durability and structure than traditional linen, making this textile versatile across all styles of window furnishings. Furthermore, the linen-like weave lends itself to traditional style houses, particularly those with a modern vision. For the cedar feature window, the pelmet was covered in the same Zia textile, with only a UV filtered blind to take advantage of the beautiful timber and glass panes overlooking the ever-changing seasonal landscape. A box pleat style paired with with Nettex sheers for the floor to ceiling windows offers privacy and warmth, with the flexibility to reveal, in full glory, the stunning escarpment views beyond. Finally, roman blinds paired with sunblock roller blinds for the smaller windows allows the opportunity to place furniture beneath, ensuring flexibility within this busy space.
Moving into the ‘Whiskey Room’ the pairing of roman blinds in James Dunlop Zia with sunblock roller blinds ensures cohesion of the interior design throughout the home. Once again, the choice of roman blinds allows for furniture to be positioned beneath the windows, maximising the potential within the intimate space. A Pacific Energy ‘Alderlea’ inbuilt fireplace with a traditional aesthetic was specified for the original chimney with the intention of providing heat flow to the adjoining staircase, and into the kitchen and dining beyond.
The formal loungeroom features a stunning original sandstone wall and cathedral ceilings which were installed by the owner of the home. With plenty of space to play with, inverted box pleat curtains were positioned high and wide, just beneath the cornice of the ceiling leading the eye upwards and further accentuating the featured ceilings. This time a more traditional textile, James Dunlop ‘Notting Hill’ in latte was selected, with its woven pattern offering movement and texture.
Moving into the children’s bedrooms, the use of roman blinds in James Dunlop Zia with sunblock roller blinds continues, this time using colours which support the styling of these pretty and imaginative little spaces.
The study called for another wood fireplace to be fitted within the original chimney. The client restored the fireplace using large sandstone blocks. A small and intimate space, the Morso squirrel wood fireplace was specified once again with a traditional aesthetic to work cohesively with the in the adjoining room. The Morso ‘squirrel’ is affectionately named as it features a little squirrel which is cast into the sides of the fixture.
To be honoured with the collaboration for curtains, blinds and fireplaces on this breathtaking restoration of the Heritage listed sandstone property in Bell was indeed a privilege and a pleasure for T&B Director Anne Hogarth. Particularly with respect to the innovative vision, quality workmanship and attention-to-detail which can be credited to the custodians of this very special property.
