Ideas for Your Australian Garden Cottage

The owners of this cottage, Jane and Michael, moved from Sydney to find a place with clean air for their three children — Scarlett, Jasper, and Rafferty. The family has always made bold choices, and the decision about the house was no exception. Imagine: a couple looked at just one house and decided to buy it immediately.

We entered and thought: "Yes, this is exactly what we need, no point wasting time searching!"

Soon after moving in, the couple refreshed the walls and the house with paint, changed the windows, decorated the interior with new carpets and vintage lamps. Later, they began searching for furniture that matched their vibrant style. The couple’s non-traditional approach to design is confirmed by the black-painted facade and the home’s invented name — "the black hut".

Our house is an adventure. An adventure when searching for furniture at vintage markets or painting walls in yellow-blue colors.

Jane and Michael love vintage items and are ready to find them anywhere. Once a year in Australia, there is a large garbage clean-up where people display unwanted clutter by the roadside. The couple adores this day and drives around Sydney looking for something unusual.

For example, the bird painting in Scarlett's room was an old real estate sign that Jane found by the roadside.

Most of the things we find just need a couple of nails and some paint.

The working desk in Jane's office is an old advertising sign that used to hang by the road.

In the work of a stylist, I most enjoy playing with colors, proportions, scale, and textures. Why not play at home too?

The walls in the house are light-toned. A good background for bright interior items from various styles: a Moroccan sofa, decorative bird cage, typewriter, and a series of flower paintings the couple bought at an auction in Sydney.

Along with the house came a garden, and although they made a quick decision to buy it, the half-hectare area initially seemed overwhelming.

We managed and tidied up the garden. Now the backyard of the house is an access to a grove with fruit trees, wild iris, and bright purple agapanthus blooms.

Michael also built a treehouse for the children that doubles as a pirate ship, where they often have to fight noisy cassowaries.

The couple planted a mini vegetable garden on the property, and they call their harvest treasures from the beds. The family especially loves their trees: orange, lemon, apple, and cherry. The garden also helps the family make new acquaintances, as sometimes Jane shares part of the harvest with neighbors. There's also an old van near the house that now serves as a guest cottage.