If history repeats, it could be another white Christmas at Hayley Priest’s striking black barn-style house in the NSW Southern Highlands. On Christmas Day last year, mist blanketed the property.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Hayley says. “At the first little hint of cold, it mists up here. It got so cold, we had to light the fire. It was magical.” Hayley, 39, a creative freelancer and designer, and her partner, a baker, chose a two-hectare property at Fitzroy Falls, surrounded by pine trees, on which to build her dream home, which she named The Highlands Black Barn.
“It was always going to be black,” she says, with a laugh. “Everyone who knows me knew that. I’ve always loved the statement that black makes. I still wear far too much black.”
THE HIGHLANDS BLACK BARN SALE
Hayley sold her stunning, modern take on a barn-style home in 2022 after deciding it was time for a change.
“It was a very tough decision, the barn is everything I have ever wanted in home,” says Hayley, who hinted that a home restoration might be on the cards in the near future. “I have always said that I could replicate this barn anywhere, but the picturesque pines & surrounding farmland are a one in a million setting. The Southern Highlands is a magical place.”
You can also follow Hayley’s Instagram at @mindovermanor
Hayley and her beautiful quarter horse, Arnie. Christmas wreath by Rebecca Syphers, owner of florist Porter & Hudson.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)
Harold’s Saddle by Calico Pony’s Katie Mendl, with a frame by Good Deeds hangs above well-worn Akubras and work boots.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)
A collection of R.Ms and work boots lines the base of this hall table.
(Photography: Abbie Melle)And it was always going to be a barn of some kind.
“We’re influenced by Nordic history, and love Norwegian summer houses and New Zealand barn architecture,” Hayley explains.
She knew exactly what she wanted and got a draftsman to draw up the plans, then had the barn constructed next to an “amazingly beautiful, big old pine tree”, which was the feature of the vacant block of land.
A vintage French galvanised trunk sits beside the saddle chair by Coco Republic, while the festive wreath is from Porter & Hudson.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)
The Cheminees Philippe fireplace, with custom steel plinth and firewood storage, is the “talking piece” of the living room.
(Photography: Abbie Melle)Brought up in the historic town of Camden, south of Sydney, Hayley went to school in Sydney and Hong Kong.
She then worked in hospitality, real estate and telecommunications, in Sydney’s CBD, before opening her homewares store, Mind over Manor, back in Camden.
Five years later, Hayley closed the shop after she and her partner moved to the Southern Highlands – and it’s now trading in one of the outlets at vintage and antiques market Dirty Janes, in Canberra.
Natural light saturates the kitchen, which features bar stools by Coco Republic.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)With its imposing gable roof, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom barn was finished in time for Christmas 2020.
The roof is Colorbond standing seam cladding in Night Sky, while the house exterior is painted with Dulux Blackwood Bay. Inside, the colour scheme ranges from black and grey, to tan and white. The black concrete floor has a burnished matt coating.
The dining table is by Coco Republic, while the chairs were sourced at Barbara’s Storehouse in Bowral (Hayley sprayed them black).
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)
The table is set with Lisa Peri ceramic plates and topped with Cultiver napkins. The leather napkin tie is by Mind over Manor.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)The pièce de résistance in the home – which is 100 per cent off the grid – is the Cheminées Philippe French wood fireplace in the living room.
“The house is centred around it,” Hayley says. “It’s the first item I purchased for the barn. You can enjoy a fire with the glass encasing open or closed, so it’s the best of both worlds.”
In the bedroom, a custom steel bed frame is topped with Cultiver linen.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)Custom-made steel fabrication features throughout the house, including the island and benchtops in the kitchen, where the cabinetry is in a chic dark grey shade called Cinder. Pride of place in the kitchen is the La Marzocco coffee machine.
“I prefer my own coffee,” says Hayley, a reluctant trained barista. She chose raw brass tapware with an antique finish for both bathrooms and the kitchen.
Style and function combine in the bathroom with a storage basket by The Dharma Door, an Armadillo rug, CB Ideal brass tapware, an Imprint house pendant, and a vintage concrete basin with a custom base.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)
The second bathroom, lighter in palette, is decked out with a modern concrete sink and plenty of plantlife.
(Photography: Abbie Melle)Hayley loves the freedom of working as a creative freelancer and designer.
It means she has more time to enjoy the barn house and their beautiful property, which is now also home to pets Max the black cavoodle, Turkish the cat, Henry the peacock and two horses – a quarter horse named Arnie and a Welsh pony named Butterfly.
Fresh fruit from a farm at nearby Kangaloon.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)Hayley enjoys sharing her extensive buying and retail experience with her clients. As well as purchasing merchandise for retail stores, she organises and styles photo shoots, and does window and store displays.
She also sources both new and vintage furniture, from entrance tables to chesterfield sofas to wingback armchairs. She recently tracked down a vintage sled for a client, and is on the lookout for a vintage French hall table for another.
Sustainability is important to Hayley, who tasked Living Power Renewable Energy Specialists with adding all-black solar panels on the roof of the barn. Tanks collect rainwater for household use, and a septic system takes care of waste water. “We’re independent of town facilities – power, water, waste water – except for natural gas,” Hayley says. She also installed a chicken coop and a vegie garden.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)
Quarter horse Arnie poses for a snap.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)“It’s really nice to find something that the customer can’t locate themselves and isn’t readily available or mass produced,” Hayley says. “I’m generally able to find what they’re looking for.”
A keen traveller, she is now looking forward to spreading her wings and heading overseas again – this time to study perfumery in France. “I own about 100 perfumes; I collect them,” she explains. Her latest favourite is Slumber Oil by Mimosa Botanicals.
The vintage bench is the ideal spot for reading or relaxing, while the Horgans table and La Maison chairs provide comfort and countryside views.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)Until Australia’s international borders reopen, Hayley is busy planning Christmas 2021.
“We have an open-door policy for family and neighbours,” she says. “There’s always a spot for somebody. Christmas isn’t always a celebration for some, so we understand the importance of gathering together.”
Henry the peacock is one of many pets.
(Photography: Brigid Arnott)
Arnie and Butterfly meet Hayley for a chat, while Max stands loyally at her feet.
(Photography: Abbie Melle)On the menu this year will be traditional glazed ham and turkey, plus a dessert bar of French-style treats.
Meanwhile, presents will be distributed from the vintage galvanised iron tub that usually holds firewood.
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