Indice dei contenuti per Christmas 2015 in Country Style

We are very lucky at Country Style that so many people open their homes — and their hearts — to us each month. Without their generosity, it simply wouldn’t be possible to bring you this magazine that you have all loved over the years. It’s this spirit of sharing that is behind one of the loveliest books that has crossed my desk recently — Shelter: How Australians Live — so I completely understood why its author Kara Rosenlund dedicated her first book to all the people who welcomed her into their homes during the year she spent travelling around Australia. It sounds like she had an amazing road trip: “There would be times when I would have to dip out of my journey, back to reality to shoot a job…

As an artist renowned for expansive Australian landscapes, it makes perfect sense for Danelle Bergstrom to be living in Hill End, the picturesque former goldrush town in NSW’s central west that has long inspired painters. We find her pottering in the garden of the rundown miner’s cottage she has called home for the past 18 years. The charming 1890s house that Danelle shares with her artist husband, John Firth-Smith, sits at the end of a dusty road. Life moves slowly in Hill End. A small mob of kangaroos lazes in the sun on a nearby grassy patch — and Danelle says she and John are in no rush to finish renovating. Some of the uneven floor is still covered in original lino, and the décor is sparse but authentic, right…

Whether it’s the muddy boots or a lovable but hairy pet, busy, outdoorsy lifestyles have a way of showing up in the home. But that’s no reason to hold back – the Dyson DC54 Animal Pro is built to keep up with you. Designed to separate the fine particles that clog other machines, the DC54 with Dyson Cinetic™ science is the only vacuum with no loss of suction and no bags or filters to wash or replace. The carbon fibre turbine head with stiff nylon bristles is perfect for gently removing dirt from carpets and dust from hard floors. Seven additional engineered tools make it easy to clean those tricky surfaces and hard-to-reach places. ENGINEERED FOR A POWERFUL CLEAN THE DC54 ANIMAL PRO WITH PATENTED TECHNOLOGY AND INCLUDED TOOLS WILL…

There are times when fighting against instinct leads to exciting new terrain, free of the shackles that bound you to your comfort zone. Then there are times when that wrangle simply takes you the long way round, and back to proof of what you already knew. Andrew and Marianne Kay’s rebellious detour came on the back of three beautiful old homes: two that they renovated in Australia, and one in the English town of Esher in Surrey. The result: when they returned from the two-year UK sojourn in 2005, they decided to move, with their children — Maddie, now 15, and 14-year-old Charles — into a newly built house in Adelaide’s Hyde Park. “It never actually felt like home,” Andrew says. Marianne agrees. “I tried injecting soul — and bear…

EMIRATES ONE&ONLY WOLGAN VALLEY WEEKEND PACKAGE OCTOBER 23–25 Priced from $1999 per person for two nights’ twin-share in a luxurious Heritage Suite with a private pool. It includes daily breakfast, lunch and dinner with a select range of beverages, a $100 One&Only Spa credit, daily nature-based activities, and two tickets to the Country Style Champagne Dinner, with guest chef Russ Lusted from Sydney’s The Bridge Room, on Friday, October 23, at 7pm. Book on (02) 9308 0550 or oneandonlywolganvalley.com BYRON AT BYRON RESORT AND SPA WEEKEND PACKAGE NOVEMBER 27–28 Tickets for the dinner alone may be purchased for $195. Accommodation is priced from $1050 a couple for two nights in a Superior Suite at this beautiful resort just minutes from the heart of vibrant Byron Bay. Includes breakfast and two…

LAID-BACK AND EASY, with interiors that reflect the interests and lifestyle of its owners. This was the approach interior designer Suzanne Gorman, of Studio Gorman Design Project, took to renovating a four-bedroom farmhouse near Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands. Sydney-based owners Paul and Robin, who have three school-aged daughters, bought the property in 2013 as a weekend escape. “We were looking for a place that we could get away to, where the kids could run free and be kids,” Robin says. “The idea was that it would be a simple farmhouse and a place we could come to relax.” The floorplan of the single-level, 1980s-era house “just made a lot of sense,” says Suzanne, who had worked on the couple’s Sydney home. “It has good proportions — the bedrooms…

Traditional wainscot wall panelling set the tone for a new take on period glamour in this large and luxurious bathroom by Sydney interior designer Tania Handelsmann. The wall motif was borrowed from the foyer of the circa 1910 home and paired with a soothing palette of neutral tones and textures to create, as Tania says, “a sanctuary that was also functional with hardworking surfaces and storage. Wall-to-wall tiles would have felt heavy-handed in such a large space but the panelling creates a sense of warmth and is period-appropriate.” Before the update, the bathroom felt dated, with a palette that included creamy yellow walls, blue floor tiles and blue-and-white striped Roman blinds. To restore a sense of elegance and grandeur to the space, Tania had the MDF wainscot panels custom-made by…

ROSES DIFFER GREATLY from place to place and from year to year. Height, colour, size, and resistance to disease are all directly affected by growing conditions. Flowering times and hardiness also vary, according to the climate. But it is true that almost all roses will grow well enough and produce flowers in a wide variety of soils and climates. We all know of deserted gardens where roses have survived on benign neglect. However, it is also true that some roses will do better than others in particular climates and that they do respond to watering. In hot dry summers, such as most Australian gardeners endure, watering prevents summer dormancy so that the plants continue to flower. Lulled by wonderful pictures in European garden books, we need to be mindful which…

TOOWOOMBA MAY HAVE risen from a swamp — the name is believed to be a corruption of the Aboriginal word ‘Tchwampa’, meaning ‘water sit down’ or ‘place where the rushes grow’ — but it’s now known as ‘The Garden City’, with an amazing tally of 165 parks and gardens. Its strategic location within the rich farming region of the Darling Downs saw it grow steadily from the mid-19th century. Today, a population of around 114,000 means that locals can describe it as Australia’s largest inland city that isn’t Canberra. Another told a web forum that “it’s a big city full of country people”, which seems to be a successful formula. Many who have moved there say they love the range of schools and a university, four hospitals and good shopping…

I MUST say I was surprised to read recently how well Britain’s landed gentry is managing to hang in. I’d somehow assumed that the appeal of television shows like Brideshead Revisited, Upstairs Downstairs, To The Manor Born and Downton Abbey was that it depicted a largely historical social class that had gone the way of the dodo. That it was so threatened, David Attenborough would narrate the next series. But, no. It appears that more than a third of Britain is still in the hands of a tiny group of aristocrats. In fact, 36,000 individuals — just 0.6 per cent of the population — own 50 per cent of Britain’s rural land. “Is it much different here?” asked The Chosen One. “I read that the Kidman family owns 110,000 square…

KARA ROSEN LUND The photographer gives us a rare look inside an old pastoral homestead on page 40 . Kara and her caravan, Frankie, starred in our January 2013 cover story. Since then, the Brisbane stylist and photographer has become an author, releasing her interiors book, Shelter. “I spent just over a year travelling all over Australia, hunting down old homes, unique people and landscapes,” Kara says. “I wanted to experience the emotional aspect of travelling alone and also be able to connect with strangers.” The experience opened Kara’s heart — and her eyes. “We think we’re all so clever and connected with social media, but the country community really do know everyone and everything that’s happening.” NIGEL LOUGH Taking Lisa Wilkinson’s portrait for the story on page…

EMIRATES ONE & ONLY WOLGAN VALLEY The spectacular Wolgan Valley in the Blue Mountains plays host to the Country Style Champagne Dinner – and you could be there. For more, see page 71. book a table ACT Farmhouse Restaurant at Pialligo Estate By the Molonglo River on the site of Canberra’s first market garden, this restaurant offers more than just award-winning bacon and cured salmon from its onsite smokehouse. The seasonal menu, which showcases produce from the garden, may include spanner crab with watermelon, smoked cream and young radishes. There’s an outstanding wine list and it’s just eight minutes from the city centre. (02) 6247 6060; thepialligoestate.com.au SA Harvest Kitchen at Artisans of Barossa The restaurant at Artisans of Barossa’s cellar door in Tanunda serves lunch from 11am…

When I was driving near the small NSW town of Gunnedah — as a photographer I do a lot of driving around Australia — I ended up taking a wrong turn down a dirt track and found myself in front of an old farmhouse. The former beauty had fallen into some disrepair, with planks of the verandah falling off, and she was thirsty for a lick of paint. The old house, however, still stood strong. It looked beautiful in the light of the afternoon sun. What was the story of the old house? Why didn’t anyone love it anymore? What did it look like inside? Someone needed to document authentic old homes like this. They needed to be photographed and celebrated before it was too late, and they crumbled into…

1 MAKE A STATEMENT WITH BLACK Black is big news in design right now, and nowhere does it shine more than on exteriors. In this home — the work of Melbourne-based Whiting Architects — Scyon ‘Axon’ vertical cladding and recycled steel doors found in a demolition of a 1930s crèche building combine with brick to create a contemporary urban vibe. Texture is key when using black outdoors. For timber, look to stains such as Feast Watson Timber & Deck Stain in Black Japan, which delivers deep colour without hiding the wood’s grain. whitingarchitects.com 2 BLEND OLD WITH NEW If you want to add a modern extension to an old home, contrast is imperative, according to Melbourne architect Travis Walton. He likes to highlight the change in architecture with…

With its elegant woven panels, beautifully textured cabinets and subtle copper hardware, this Sebastian Cox Kitchen by UK kitchen company deVOL perfectly blends country charm with an up-to-date urban aesthetic. An award-winning designer and craftsman, Sebastian is a rising star in the design world, and this kitchen’s look and feel is inspired by his love of sustainably produced local timbers. “I am dedicated to working with unacknowledged timbers, raising their profile and designing things that will inspire people to fall in love with them,” he says. Much of the kitchen’s character comes from how Sebastian handles the materials. “The kitchen is full of subtle texture, showing the hand of the maker, which accentuates the characterful timbers we have chosen,” he says. “It makes the whole kitchen feel very light and…

FOR DAVID HULL, head chef at Cullen Wines in Western Australia’s Margaret River region, a typical work day starts at about 8am when he heads down to the kitchen garden to collect the vegetables for the day. “Not only do I get to pick fresh produce before service, I have the luxury of planning my menu with our full-time gardener, Jaimie Orkin, based on what’s in season,” David says. Depending on the time of year, David and his team of chefs could be harvesting asparagus, salad leaves and edible flowers in the kitchen garden, or picking the broad beans and peas planted between the grapevines to add nutrients to the soil. There’s also an area for growing fruit trees, including citrus, figs, pomegranates and guavas. In keeping with Cullen Wines’…

Imagine you’ve just picked a spread like this — not only will it taste superb, but your photographs and a garden journal could also gain some great prizes in the Country Style Harvest Table Competition. Whether it’s a big plot with a hen house in a country schoolyard, a few carefully staked beans and tomatoes in a small patch in the city, or even some pots of herbs and salad greens on a balcony, everyone can enjoy watching plants grow and reaping the bounty. As in past years, we really look forward to the gardening stories of schoolchildren across the nation — so let’s get outdoors and grow something tasty! There are two great prizes to be won: 1. $5000 for the Best Class or School Harvest Table. 2. An…

Rose With their velvety petals and showy displays, few blooms inspire like the rose — and fragrant varieties only enhance their appeal. No matter your favourite, now is the time to revel in these beauties. Cut and display them often — it will only encourage growth! BLOOMING LOVELY From exotic orchids frozen inside slabs of ice to lavish installations for some of the world’s top fashion brands, Saskia Havekes’ (pictured left) latest book, Flower Addict (Lantern, $79.99), chronicles 20 years of the Sydney florist’s best work. It includes a behind-the-scenes section on some of her growers and her Sydney shop, Grandiflora. high stakes Fresh herbs add the perfect touch. To stay organised in the garden bed, try our Country Style herb garden stakes (above), $27.95 for a set of four.…

SCHOOLS Toowoomba has 16 state primary schools, four public high schools and 12 private schools, providing a great diversity of education to suit individual needs. With 4000 at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) campus and a major TAFE centre, the city also has a large tertiary student population. ATTRACTIONS Carnival of Flowers The 10-day floral extravaganza in late September draws visitors from all over Australia to the Garden City. tcof.com.au Empire Theatre Regional Australia’s largest performing arts venue is an Art Deco beauty in a theatre precinct that hosts everything from ballet and Shakespeare to country’n’western shows and comedy acts. 56 Neil Street.empiretheatre.com.au Japanese Garden Located in the grounds of the USQ campus, many say this is the most beautiful of the city’s many famous parks. usq.edu.au Picnic Point…

Don’t clean a piece of furniture without thinking about the impact this may have on its value. We can all clean away built-up dirt and do a gentle polish, but more extensive resurfacing is a job for a professional. An original surface that has been over-cleaned, or re-painted, can destroy the value of the piece — nothing is worse than a shiny polish replacing the mellow surface that years of polishing builds up. Similarly, wear and tear on a painted surface can never be replicated and often enhances the value of vintage furniture. The motto is think before you clean. Collectors value a surface patina that only age can give.…

WORLDS APART Since I came to Australia from Canada, and to Canada from my home country Switzerland, I loved to escape into your wonderful magazine and I shared many very special ideas with my new friends. I found a wonderful doctor in town and was astonished that there were magazines which were of no interest to me — and as I saw, to other patients. So after a while, I put one year of Country Style magazines together and brought them to my clinic with some cupcakes. The girls at the counter were so happy, and my doctor thanked me for making the waiting time more attractive. Thank you for all your wonderful efforts to bring a high-end magazine to me! Elisabeth Zillig, LISMORE HEIGHTS, NSW SPRING INTO ACTION How…

Join author Kara Rosenlund and Country Style’s editor-in-chief Victoria Carey to celebrate the launch of Kara’s first book Shelter (Lantern, $59.95) on Tuesday, November 17, at du Fermier restaurant in Trentham, near Daylesford in Victoria. Inspired by a beautiful but dilapidated farmhouse she stumbled across at the end of a dirt track one day, Brisbane-based Kara decided to hit the road. From NSW’s artist town Hill End to Tasmania’s Satellite Island, she spent a year travelling around Australia in search of country homes — and the result is breathtaking. Country Style readers now have this exclusive opportunity to meet Kara and hear how she achieved her dream. COUNTRY STYLE LUNCH & DINNER AT DU FERMIER Each week, chef Annie Smithers prepares a menu that features produce from her…

With their soft, gentle colour and velvet-like texture, lime-washed timber floors are the natural first choice for Bangalow-based interior designer Shannon Fricke. “Lightly toned floors are fantastic for opening up a space and making it feel breezy and casual,” she says. “They make you feel like you’re walking on a cloud.” Timber is also a favourite of award-winning Sydney interior design firm Hare + Klein. “It has a beautiful aesthetic and is always comfortable underfoot, in winter and in summer,” says design associate Dimity Chitty. “Timber floors are a perfect and timeless grounding for a period renovation — or for a new, contemporary home.” Pastel- and grey-washed timber boards are a newer take on the lime-washed look, with a soft hint of pink, lavender or green lending a modern Scandinavian…

Inspired by the chic simplicity of Scandinavian design, this bright and functional kitchen proves that white never goes out of style. The work of Sydney interior designer Romy Dankner of Homeroom Studio, it’s light, inviting and the social anchor for family life. “The old kitchen was dated and dark, and had minimal bench space,” Romy says. “But the biggest concern was that it wasn’t the hub of the home. I wanted to create a functional kitchen that reflected the owners’ passion for food, cooking and entertaining.” Central to the design is a marble enclosure, which houses the stovetop and rangehood. Wrapped in a veined ‘Volakis’ marble from Signorino Tiles, it lends texture and interest. “We picked the slabs together,” Romy says. “It was almost like searching for the right art…

GREEN TIPS Growing up, it was the apple cucumber that was sliced into salads. Today, it’s more likely to be the Lebanese cucumber. Peel some of the skin off, leaving decorative stripes, dice finely and fold through plain yoghurt. Add crushed garlic, salt and chopped mint for a refreshing dressing for roast meats. Or, juice it with apple and mint. WHAT’S COOKING? Chef Karen Martini has wowed diners (and her contemporaries) at some of Melbourne and Sydney’s top restaurants, while her clever cooking segment on the Seven Network’s Better Homes and Gardens has earned her a loyal following. Karen’s latest book, New Kitchen (Plum, $44.99), is incredibly warm and friendly, with achievable recipes that will appeal to food lovers and cooks of all standards. It’s very homey but the food…

IT WAS DURING the late 1980s that I was introduced to corned girello by my old head chef at that most venerable Melbourne ristorante, Tsindos Bistrot. The Bourke Street bistrot (yes, that is the correct spelling) was Italianesque, had a French name, was owned by a Greek, and was staffed by Italian waiters and an Australian kitchen brigade. By all accounts, Tsindos was extremely popular — along with Fanny’s and Lynch’s, it was a favourite haunt of Melbourne’s glitterati — and it was perhaps an early model for the multicultural food scene we take for granted today. Head chef John D, a confirmed Italophile, found a way to marry his love of Latin food and his Australian country heritage. By applying the brining method — or corning as it is…

For three heady summer days in Grasse on the French Riviera, locals pay homage to a delicate white flower that shaped the town’s fragrant history at the Grasse Jasmine Festival. The jasmine petals might be petite, but their powerful aroma sparked the birth of a centuries-old perfume industry that still thrives today. The fields around Grasse, dubbed ‘the perfume capital of the world, famously bear some of the most prized raw materials — all the jasmine and rose in Chanel No. 5 comes from Grasse because, according to expert ‘noses , the precise aromatic compounds in the flowers grown here cannot be found anywhere beyond these hillsides. To this day, rose and jasmine are still picked by hand at dawn in the fields around Grasse — heat spoils the petals’…

UNTIL 8TH NSW GRAFTON JACARANDA FESTIVAL The activities and events planned for this celebrated annual festival all play second fiddle to the purple brilliance of the town’s hundreds of jacaranda trees, the first of which were planted in 1879. (02) 6642 3959; jacarandafestival.org.au 7TH–8TH NSW ST PETERS GARDENS Celebrating its 26th year, this weekend festival in Armidale sees 10 cool-climate town and country gardens open for inspection. Entry from $5. 0414 674 519, armidalegardens.org.au 12TH–13TH VICTORIA GARDEN DESIGN FEST Get up close and examine the work of top landscape designers such as Rick Eckersley, Robert Boyle and Paul Bangay. With gardens open in Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and Euroa, 10am–5pm. Entry from $8. 0419 897 979, gardendesignfest.com.au 15TH TASMANIA FESTIVAL OF ROSES Held at Woolmers Estate, a world heritage-listed 19th-century…

FIREFLY CAFE Interesting breakfast choices — try the lemongrass and chilli beans — and at lunch, perhaps the braised brisket. 100 Russell Street. (07) 4564 9197; thefireflycafe.com.au THE FINCH Its banh mi Vietnamese rolls, pies and splendid salads are a big hit. 469 Ruthven Street. (07) 4613 0159; thefinch.com.au TOOWOOMBA FARMERS’ MARKET Last Saturday of the month, 7am–noon. Royal Toowoomba Showgrounds. 0439 844 849; toowoombafarmersmarket.com.au VERAISON Leads the fine-dining scene in Toowoomba, from the salt cod brandade to the wild venison ragu. 532 Ruthven Street. (07) 4638 5909; veraison.com.au…

Abey Australia abey.com.au Aeria Country Floors aeria.com.au Aerin 1800 061 326 esteelauder.com.auAesop aesop.comAlvaro Bros alvarobros.com.auAnaesthetic anaestheticdesign.comAndi-Co Australia 1800 685 899 andico.com.auApaiser apaiser.comArtedomusartedomus.comASOSasos.com/auBang & Olufsenbang-olufsen.com/en Beaumont Tiles (02) 9629 8666 beaumont-tiles.com.auBec & Bridge becandbridge.com.auBed Bath N’ Table bedbathntable.com.auBespoke Tile & Stone (03) 9429 9588 bespoketileandstone.comBisanna Tiles (02) 9310 2500 bisanna.com.auBlack & Spiro blackandspiro.com.auBolon bolon.com.auBrodware (02) 9421 8200 brodware.com.au Caesarstone 1300 119 119 caesarstone.com.auCandana Bathroom Ware (02) 9389 8631 candana.com.auCavalier Bremworth 1800 251 172 cavbrem.com.auChloé chloe.com Cult 1300 768 626 cultdesign.com.auDavid Jones davidjones.com.audeVOL Kitchens devolkitchens.co.ukDi Lorenzo(02) 8602 1470 dilorenzo.comDomestic Textile Corporation domestictextile.com.auDomo (03) 8803 8803 domo.com.auDoug Up On Bourke douguponbourke.com.auDriza-Bone drizabone.com.auDulux132 525 dulux.com.au Early Settler earlysettler.com.auECC Lighting + Furniture ecc.com.auFeast Watson 1800 252 502 feastwatson.com.auFiona Lynch fionalynch.com.auFrancalia francalia.com.auGant(03) 9340 5200Georg Jensen1800 536 736 georgjensen.comGibbon Group gibbongroup.com.au/tretfordGinkgo Leaf ginkgoleaf.com.auGreat Dane (03) 9682 2777 greatdanefurniture.comGreg Weight…

TIME FOR BED With an emphasis on high-quality organic fabrics and a soothing colour palette drawn directly from nature, bedding and homewares company Sheets On The Line makes sleeping-in an even greater pleasure. sheetsontheline.com.au VINTAGE CHARM Elegant curves and classic details herald the Phoenix Tapware ‘Nostalgia’ Exposed Shower Set. With its shiny chrome finish and 3-star WELS rating, it makes a fine addition to a traditionally styled bathroom. phoenix tapware.com.au THE SUITE STUFF In their first collection for bedding superstore Forty Winks, design twins Alisa and Lysandra Fraser — best-known for their winning appearance on TV show The Block — combine Scandinavian style with the beauty of Australian timber and a hint of rose gold. The ‘Astra’ four-piece suite starts at $799.…