Hold Cottage: creating a country dream

Posted on 24 September, 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.

The story of Hold Cottage

We have always been drawn to the country. My husband Tim has a love of history, spending many hours tracking down his family’s past and I have an obsession with olde worlde architecture and homes.

After many weekends travelling rural and regional roads for our daughter’s basketball, our love for the country became stronger. The more roads we travelled, the deeper the pull became. We couldn’t shake the idea of a holiday home in the country.

Tim and Belinda travelled many a country road in search of the perfect home. Photography: Tim Bean

And so the search began, spanning the South Coast, Victorian High Country, the Southern Highlands—even Adaminaby in the Snowy Mountains. It had been months and it seemed like nothing was out there. Then a dear friend of ours, from a gorgeous country town called Carcoar, said ‘stop looking, let it find you’.

So we did.

Until a few months later when—for some unknown reason—Gundaroo and Gunning came to mind. A quick look on allhomes.com.au and there she was.

The day after seeing the cottage on allhomes.com.au, Tim and Belinda were bound for Gunning.

The very next morning we were in the car to Gunning to check her out. The connection to this little red brick cottage was instant for both of us, and the rest is history.

However, after further investigation, we discovered the cottage’s past was, in fact, part of ours. After pulling up a map of Gunning through the National Library of Australia, we discovered Tim’s direct descendant, Joseph Bean’s, name on the block.

If there was ever some truth in the saying ‘things happen for a reason’, this was it.

From there, building inspections were booked, contracts were exchanged and the keys were ours, and cottage became known as Hold Cottage. Why Hold Cottage? Because this cottage will be a place to spend time with loved ones and create memories to hold onto. This piece of land has returned to the arms of our family, holding onto our history.

Tim and Belinda get the keys to Hold Cottage.

The vision

The cottage had beautiful bones and the vision for a gentle makeover was pretty clear. It didn’t need to be demolished and polished. It just needed some TLC to bring its beautiful features back. We didn’t want to cover up her imperfections, just make them shine!

Those high pressed ceilings, those picture rails, those wide creaky cedar pine floorboards, those old doors, that fireplace and those double hung windows—all they needed was some love.

The vision was for fresh white paint throughout, new window treatments and light fittings, an updated bathroom and a new floor in the mudroom and laundry area.

Once all of these were completed, it would then be time to select the homewares and furniture. We saw a mix of repurposed and new pieces for each of the spaces. Pieces that would not only modernise the spaces but also be purposeful. And with that in mind, we called on IKEA.

We will be using IKEA in every room of the cottage—from the mud room, bathroom and laundry, all the way through the bedrooms, kitchen and living room.

Why IKEA?

So many reasons. Accessibility and Design. Affordability. Sustainability. The list goes on.

Many may not think of IKEA’s modern minimalist aesthetic as a natural fit with a country cottage, but they couldn’t be more wrong.

IKEA’s designs and products are so versatile and can work with many aesthetics—it’s easy to blend the old with the new when the style is right. The designs integrate so well with other styles, and their flat pack systems make transporting the big pieces easy.

We wanted to create a well-considered ‘homely’ feel in the cottage with a mix of repurposed and modern pieces that would not only speak to the cottage’s heritage but bring the space into the 21^st century.

Think a calm and relaxed vibe but with lots of detail. IKEA’s large range of accessories including throw rugs, floor lamps, light fittings, floor rugs, storage baskets and kitchen accessories will allow us to achieve this look.

Unlike many other homewares stores where you can wait up to eight weeks for beds and sofas etc, IKEA stocks most of their products in store, ready to go. You can even click and connect online so you simply place your order online, the staff fill your order and you simply pick it up. This makes IKEA quick and accessible so you can keep things moving.

Affordability was a big one. You forget very quickly the costs involved in setting up a whole home. Not only are there often renovation costs, there are all the things that go with making a home livable—from beds, mattresses, linen, light fittings, blankets, shelves, pillow protectors and floor rugs, right down to things like hooks in the bathroom, peelers and graters for the kitchen. IKEA’s price point makes sticking to a budget a lot easier, without compromising on quality.

IKEA’s focus on the environment and sustainability practices were also important to us. Their goal with their ‘five rules of circular economy’ initiative considers reuse and remanufacture, sharing platforms, extended product lifespan, product as a service and circular materials. From how they develop products and services, source materials and develop the IKEA supply chain, to how and where they connect with their customers. It’s a new initiative and it’s only just beginning but they are on track—60% of their range is based on renewable materials.

Where to from here?

We’ll be taking you on the Hold Cottage journey in a series of articles. You’ll watch as it’s transformed from a loved—but very lived in—100-year-old cottage, into a modern, airy and welcoming weekender.

You’ll hear the story behind each of the home’s ‘zones’, the design choices we’ve made, and see the finished product.

We can’t wait for you to fall in love with Hold Cottage, too.

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