Hold Cottage: the transformation is complete

Posted on 6 November, 2019

HerCanberra has joined forces with IKEA to bring you the story of Hold Cottage—a 100-year-old country cottage in Gunning being transformed into a stunning home filled with olde worlde charm and modern finishes.

In the fourth and final instalment of our Hold Cottage series, we move into the back end of the cottage—the bathroom, mudroom, and laundry.

The home’s back door is the main entrance to the house, and leads into this space, so it was important for this area to be welcoming and set the scene for the rest of the cottage.

Here’s how owners Belinda Neame and Tim Bean created an inviting country cottage with a touch of Scandi chic.

THE BATHROOM

Hold Cottage’s bathroom: before.

It’s easy to panic when renovating—to think the only way to do it is to rip everything out and make it new. When Belinda and Tim started their renovation process, they were conscious of the way we restored the cottage, repurposing where they could.

“This focus on reuse and repurposing not only helped us to stick to our budget, but also meant were mindful of the impact we were having on the environment through the process,” says Belinda.

So instead of ripping out the old bathroom and replacing the whole lot, the couple decided to update the room, building on its “pretty good bones”.

Before.

“This part of the house isn’t original and had a pretty ghastly ‘90s vibe going,” says Belinda. “It just wasn’t working with the rest of the spaces in the cottage—we’re talking terracotta tiles, lace curtains and royal blue in the bathroom.”

So they thought outside the square. When looking at floor finishes, the first thing that came to mind was the slab of concrete under those terracotta tiles.

“Concrete would help push a bit more of the industrial vibe into the cottage as the mudroom floor leads into the hallway,” says Belinda.

And after.

Enter the guys from Tiling Dynamix Canberra who specialise in ‘makeovers’ and working with the old! They sanded back the concrete floor, polished and sealed it. They re-grouted the tiles, installed beautiful new tapwear and installed the most stunning ceramic sink for Tile Republic.

“Concrete finish paint was applied to the bench top and we painted the vanity black. And then it was time to take a walk through IKEA for all the accessories—we needed them to be as practical as they were beautiful”

An EGGEGRUND shower curtain in white protects the main cotton shower curtain from getting wet, while a classic white RINGBLOMMA roman blind provides privacy without compromising on light.

A SKURUP ceiling lamp in black adds a hint of modernity and a black VILTO towel stand not only saves space, but is a striking statement piece. SVARTSJÖN double hooks on the back of the bathroom door provide extra towel space.

The finishing touches? A SVARTSJÖN toilet brush in black (so much more chic than the standard white) and a little EKOLN waste bin in dark grey. Simple and elegant minimalist chic.

“We’ve also decked out the bathroom cabinet with BYHOLMA baskets in grey to store toilet paper, bathroom accessories, the hairdryer and all those other bits and pieces that need to be kept neat and tidy.”

THE MUDROOM

What’s a mudroom? Traditionally found in northern American homes, it’s a small room or entryway where footwear and outer clothes can be removed before entering a house.

“At Hold Cottage, we wanted the mudroom to serve as a practical area where you take your gumboots off and store the firewood,” says Belinda.

“But because this is also the main entrance to the house, we wanted it to be welcoming and aesthetically pleasing—a place where you could sit and just chill out and read a book while looking out to the back garden.”

Cue the IKEA HÖGSTEN armchair in white—the most versatile reading chair that can also be moved outside. And for a bit more comfort we dressed it with the INGALILL cushion in white and dark grey stripes, and the HILLARED cushion in anthracite.

“To ensure privacy without compromising on the stunning light in the mudroom, we again turned to the RINGBLOMMA roman blind—it’s a sleek and subtle window treatment that we love.

LAUNDRY

As the cottage is set for Airbnb, lockable storage is crucial for all the bedding, towels and linen, so Belinda and Tim secured three of the IVAR cabinets in white to the laundry wall.

“They bring the perfect industrial style to the laundry, which works in well with the small touches we have introduced through the rest of the cottage.”

This is a sponsored post, brought to you in partnership with IKEA.