Who lives here: Renovation enthusiast Dianne Bremer and her engineer husband, Rhys Brett, with their two children — a daughter, 16, and son, 14 — plus Burmilla cats Moet and Millie.
Style of home: A 430-square-metre new build on a parcel of 4.5 hectares.
Location: Bowral in country NSW, traditional land of the Gundungurra people.
Timeline: Construction started in September 2020 and was finished by November 2021.
EXTERIOR “The house is set back from the road, so it was always my vision to have a beautiful, curved, white gravel driveway,” says owner Dianne, who chose crushed white limestone for the surface with Corten steel edging. Dulux Snowy Mountains Half is the home’s primary paint colour. Stone cladding, Callala sandstone from Artisan Exterior. Landscape design by Mon Palmer. Trees lining the front garden, Pyrus nivalis or snow pear.
HALLWAYS Owners Dianne and Rhys wanted to showcase the views from the house. They were keen to do this by including lots of glass and making the most of the sunny aspect in the north-facing back area. The wooden floors are engineered European oak from Woodcut in a style called White Oiled, and the internal stone walls are the same Callala sandstone as the external cladding. Windows by Stegbar and front door by Steel Window Design. Wall and ceiling colour, Dulux Lexicon Quarter. Built-in pale oak seat by Tasker Constructions. Cushion through Kristin Rawson Interior Design.
Dianne and Rhys were intrigued when their real-estate agent said he’d found a drought-ridden 4.5-hectare plot for them to build on. “We weren’t specifically looking for acreage,” says Dianne, “but I was open to the challenge.” The couple, who had lived in Bowral, NSW, for 15 years, were looking for a new project in the area after renovating their previous home.
They drove six minutes out of town to inspect the vacant land and knew it was a no-brainer. “The block was at the end of a cul-de-sac with nobody else around – it was magic,” Dianne explains. “It looked terrible because it was so dry, but we knew it was the place for us.” They bought it knowing that, in order to do the land justice, they needed to build a house that would capture the incredible views and the light surrounding it. “We wanted to create a calm space that would almost feel like you were outside,” she says. “There are 270-degree views here, which we didn’t want to lose.”
HALLWAYS Narrow hall table, Bowerbird Interiors. Artworks through Kristin Rawson Interior Design. Odyssey leather tote bag in Caramel, available from State Of Escape.
KITCHEN This bespoke room has a cellar directly behind, customised with black steel and glass. All the marble is Carrara, sourced through Marble Hub. The flutes cladding the island were produced by Stone & Tile Projects. Linear brass pulls, Lo&Co. Toledo opal pendant lights, About Space. Stools, Bowerbird Interiors. White bowl, Country Road.
Basing her design on a pavilion-style property, Dianne drew up a plan for the architects. Although the layout of the house was clear in her mind, it was only when she saw a striking steel-and-glass front door that the rest of it fell into place. “From the get-go, I thought the house should have a beautiful front door,” she says. “When I saw this one, we sort of built the house around it.” The door certainly sets the tone for the rest of the property. Striking black steel outlines the windows, including the gable window in the living area that acts as a picture frame for the view outside. “Sitting in front of this window is like watching a moving picture – it’s constantly changing.”
DINING AREA Hanging above the table is a spectacular frosted-glass light called the Toril Pendant, available through Coco Republic. Huxley ‘Linea’ dining table, GlobeWest. Payton dining chairs, Horgans. Maison Jasmin rug, Rug Culture.
The fireplace uses the same glass-and-steel contrast, and allows you to see through it from the living area to the kitchen. Now one of the home’s focal points, it almost didn’t exist. “Originally, we were supposed to have a chimney in this spot,” says Dianne. “But when I realised it would block the line of sight from the living area, we decided to change it. I hadn’t realised the chimney was a structural part of the building, so we had to work with the engineer to do it, but I’m so glad we did.”
MAIN LIVING AREA “The hearth is white concrete that was hand-mixed and poured by our builders,” says Dianne. “It was finished with a very light salt and pepper grind and then sealed.” To fit unobtrusively in the spot between the sitting and dining zones, she chose a Paul Agnew ‘Siena’ 750 Tunnel design from Highland Fires & BBQs. Amsterdam coffee tables and Palome chairs in Cream Bouclé, all from Horgans.
MAIN LIVING AREA Palome sofa in Cream Bouclé from Horgans. Throw, Kristin Rawson Interior Design. Artwork, through Bowerbird Interiors.
Open spaces and being able to see through to different areas were essential in making sure the flow of the house felt right. “We only have doors where they’re really needed,” points out Dianne. “This lets a breeze through and gives a sense of the house being open.” The archways were originally designed as square openings, but she changed them to curves to soften the space and added a curved wall in the kitchen, to keep that softness throughout.
LAUNDRY Earp Bros also supplied the porcelain floor tiles in this generous space. The wooden tray is from Ecology Homewares. Basket and towels, Mamapapa. Candle by Carrière Frères.
WALK-IN WARDROBE A Polytec finish called Plantation Ash was chosen for the built-in wardrobes. Carrara marble on table, Marble Hub. Ottoman, Bowerbird Interiors. Pendant, Beacon Lighting.
GOOD NEWS
Cross-ventilation and high-performance windows and doors ensure great temperature control in this home. Outside, solar panels, a water tank for the garden and drip-irrigation systems reduce costs and maintenance.
MUD ROOM The seat bases store shoes, hence the grills for ventilation. Seat cushions, Kristin Rawson Interior Design. Walnut oak hooks, Scandiluxe.
MAIN BATHROOM The Carrara marble on the vanity and feature wall is from Marble Hub. Steves Joinery installed the oak cabinetry throughout the home. Slim kit-kat matt-white wall tiles, Stone & Tile Projects.
To counteract the heavy black steel, Dianne chose organic materials – limestone for the walls and light European oak for the floors. She had wanted polished concrete floors, but the cost would have put them over budget. “I’m really happy that decision was forced on us,” she says. “Now I can’t believe we ever considered something other than wood.” Even the kitchen bench is designed to have an organic feel, with specially made flutes cladding the island. “It’s really tactile – people are always running their hands over it.”
Although Dianne’s vision was clear, there was one major issue throughout the build: the pandemic meant that she couldn’t visit showrooms to see and choose materials in person. “I spent a lot of time online, organising samples – then they’d turn up and they were tiny, so I couldn’t really tell what they were like. I ended up with a lot of the same materials I’d used when we renovated our previous house, simply because it was easy and I knew what I was getting.”
MAIN BATHROOM Roden ‘Perla’ floor tiles, Earp Bros. Kado ‘Lussi’ thin-edge bath, Reece. Elysian Minimal tapware in Brushed Nickel, ABI Interiors.
MAIN BEDROOM Dulux Lexicon Quarter is the wall colour. The bedhead and rug were purchased through Bowerbird Interiors. Bedside tables from GlobeWest. Middle Of Nowhere ‘Flynn’ curve leaner mirror, Life Interiors. Bedding, cushions, artwork and vase, Kristin Rawson Interior Design.
Whatever the limitations during the build, it certainly doesn’t show. “We love being here now,” says Dianne. “It’s quiet, and there’s room for all of us to move around and have our own space when we need it. We’re not in drought any more and the views are beautiful – seeing greenery from so much of the house is very calming.”
LESSONS LEARNT
“Use a 3D modelling system such as Sketchup,” says Dianne Bremer, homeowner. ” To avoid mistakes or costly changes during the build, I highly recommend learning SketchUp. Not only can you walk through your house in 3D to get a feel for the space, you have the chance to make changes if something doesn’t look right. Tweaking room dimensions, door widths and window heights is easy on screen. It will also help with furniture placement, and allows you to experiment with colours and textures. It’s easy to learn, plus it becomes quite addictive. My course was done through The Little Design Corner.”
The house was designed by Martin O’Toole Architects at martinotoole. com.au and built by Tasker Constructions @taskerconstructions. Landscaping by Mon Palmer at monpalmer.co
