Christmas Day this year will be a quiet country affair for television personality Neale Whitaker and his partner David Novak-Piper. “The day will almost certainly start with a good walk along the beach or, if we’re feeling energetic, a hike,” says Neale. “That will be followed by a long, late and exceptionally lazy lunch with friends.”
ZaZa sofa, King Living. Vintage Beni Ourain rug, Jason Mowen. The carver chair is a “traditional Chinese chair we bought from a friend and painted white”, says David. Husk armchair by Patricia Urquiola, Space. Atollo 238 bronze lamp by Vico Magistretti, Euroluce. Coffee and occasional tables are both vintage finds.
The front door is dressed with a willow wreath embellished with fresh foliage from the garden.
And when they sit down to lunch, they’ll no doubt drink in the beauty of their backdrop: a lush valley near the village of Berry, on the NSW South Coast, where Neale and David relocated from Sydney 15 months ago. After 10 years of holidaying in rental properties in this blessed location – two hours’ drive south of Sydney and a mere 10 minutes from famed Seven Mile Beach – the couple took the plunge and bought a farmhouse of their own last year. While they retained a city bolthole, this is now their main home.
Home-baked goodies on the coffee table.
“We’d told a couple of local estate agents that if a suitable house ever came up we’d be interested – but we were very specific about location,” says Neale. “We had it narrowed down to just one road. Not surprisingly, there was very little available, but the stars and planets aligned last year. The right property came up at the right price, in the right location, and we jumped at it.”
David was formerly a professional chef and the kitchen is very much his domain
At the heart of the new kitchen is an island with plenty of seating and table space, ensuring the room is a sociable gathering place.. Somersby cabinetry in Strata Grey, Kinsman Kitchens. Benchtops in Silestone Calacatta Gold. Floorboards painted Perfect Floor Paint in Talc, Porter’s Paints. Fornasetti decorative plates, Macleay on Manning. Deer head, vintage store. Framed poster, Vintage Posters Only.
The four-bedroom brick cottage, built in the 1930s, is a classic farmhouse, with a wraparound verandah and wide eaves. It sits on a 1ha parcel with an outlook of verdant paddocks dotted with dairy cows and a dramatic escarpment that glows at sunset. Originally built over the road from its current location, it was moved in the 1970s to avoid flooding. The cottage has seen its fair share of add-ons over the years, so it is now “a bit of a patchwork quilt. But that simply adds to its charm”, says Neale.
Neale and David eat outdoors whenever the weather permits, but when dining indoors they dine in this light- and art-filled room. “The artworks have been collected over our 16 years together,” says David. “They’re all by obscure artists and vintage pieces we fell in love with.” Aether fireplace, Aurora Suspended Fires. Global dining table with marble top, New York console and White Cuzzi III table lamp, all MCM House. Le Corbusier B9 bentwood chair with cane seat, Thonet.
“We love books and objects with a history,” says Neale.
While the structure was sound and the floor plan generally liveable, it needed updating. Neale and David decided to pursue a staged renovation. Their first priority was to overhaul the kitchen, which had no connection to the rest of the house. Working with the footprint of the existing kitchen, they redesigned the layout, installing an island bench in the centre of the space and adding a butler’s pantry. They also removed an internal wall to create an L-shaped open-plan living/dining area and redecorated the front rooms, currently two guestrooms and the study.
More of David’s handiwork.
In summer, the couple dine outdoors as often as possible.
Like the residents, much of Neale and David’s existing furniture has adjusted easily to the new country home. “All of the art and furniture we had in our very contemporary city apartment has travelled down here with us, and it works perfectly,” says Neale. “The house gave us cues but there was no desire to create a typical country-style interior,” says Neale. “We love to mix a variety of styles – some people might say clash! – and that’s what we’ve always done. Neither David nor I like sticking to any decorating rules.”
The ‘green room’ features dramatic Ubud Palm wallpaper from Graham & Brown. Biba mirror, Hermon Hermon Lighting. Rug, Cadrys.
Neale’s office is painted Taubmans Grassy Knoll to reflect the view out the window.
They still plan to overhaul the main bathroom, main bedroom and ensuite, but those projects are on next year’s to-do list. “After that, we’ll tackle the garden… There will always be something that needs doing,” says Neale. For the moment, though, they’re happy to take a breather, sit on the front verandah and soak up the balmy summer evenings. “The views at dusk, and the changing colours of the escarpment as the sun sets, are magical,” says Neale.
The ‘blue room’, a second guestroom, is painted Taubmans Cape Blue. The photo in the hallway is by Paul Westlake.
“It’s a unique and very special part of the world,” says Neale of their NSW South Coast idyll.
