How They Turned a Dairy Farm into a Family Home in Just 2 Months

The owners of this home, Caroline Newick and Mark Roderick, live here with their four sons Charlie, Oscar, Jack, and Harry. The decision to buy came after the couple took a vacation in this area. Initially, the family planned to turn the cottage into a vacation home, but later decided to move in permanently after realizing how much time they spent there.

At one point I asked myself: "We spend so much time here, why not live here?"

Caroline and Mark had a limited budget, so they didn't change the layout and it's no surprise that the house has five rooms. Even with such a large family, everyone found their place.

However, the dairy farm past was evident and the couple had to do a renovation that took only eight weeks. To save money, the spouses tried to fix appliances themselves, restore doors and verandas, and look for furniture at flea markets.

When we first saw the house, we wanted to throw everything out, but upon closer inspection, we realized there were many good things inside.

Today, the house features new wooden flooring and a new kitchen, and all other furniture was either painted, repaired or found at vintage flea markets. The walls are painted white, a perfect backdrop that ties all interior details together.

The kitchen is small but functional. The cabinets are white to match the wall color, and the wooden countertop adds warmth. There is also a dining table that the couple kept from the previous owners and restored.

The living room and kitchen are separated by an arch, which is convenient when you want to zone the space and create a family gathering area. The sofa was also kept from the previous owners, and the coffee table was found at a vintage sale in Sydney.

All bedrooms were decorated following the same principle — no excess: painted and repaired bed frames, uniquely shaped sideboards, and retro wardrobes found at flea markets. Also, all rooms have light fixtures that the couple decided to hang on hooks and adjust the length of. This transforms a chandelier into a wall sconce and vice versa.

Caroline and Mark preserved the veranda, which offers a view of former pastures and the old milking shed left as a reminder of the dairy farm.