Sydneysiders have long been drawn to the charming NSW Southern Highlands as a weekend getaway destination. An easy 90-minute drive from Sydney, there’s a host of picturesque villages and wineries to visit and glorious country walks to enjoy. The ideal place to relax and unwind.
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In 2020, interior designer Graham Simmonds and his partner, Cody Hanish, bought this 2500-square-metre property as an investment, with the idea of eventually transforming it into an idyllic country weekender where guests could “curl up and nest”.
The house required a full “back to studs” renovation that took almost two years due to Covid-related delays. Graham, the principal and founder of Gray & Co, reworked the existing floor plan to create a sense of grandeur and open up the single-level, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home’s layout.
“We manipulated the space to open up the floor plan and create a real sense of entry, making it feel more grand,” he explains. “It’s quite a sprawling house, in terms of it all being on one level.”
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As part of the new layout, Graham added a well-stocked wine room. The answer to “a really awkward space”, it’s become an important part of the home, showcasing wines from the region. “We made the decision to make a feature out of the wine room,” he says. “I thought it would be really beautiful, considering the Southern Highlands is known for all kinds of wines, and our family really loves going to wineries. We thought it was a really nice touch.”
With the country escape plan in mind, Graham collaborated with his favourite suppliers to fulfil his vision. He combined classic style, such as board-and-batten details on the bathroom walls, with brass tapware and hardware, as well as timeless luxury in the form of marble benchtops in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry.
However, it was Graham’s stepmother’s role as a sustainability consultant that ultimately informed the overall design approach. “Sustainability is always important, which is part of the reason a lot of the furniture is vintage,” he says. “I just love buying second-hand furniture and restoring and reupholstering it to give it a new life.
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“We did buy some new things as well, but we really did want to introduce a lot of vintage so the house felt warm and characterful, like the interior had evolved over time… even though it hadn’t been. We wanted to give the property a sense of history. I think that’s part of its appeal as holiday accommodation – it feels like a family home rather than a showroom.”
Although the house was initially planned to be used primarily as an investment property, it’s so inviting that Graham’s parents are currently living in it full-time. With Graham, Cody and Mosby, their beloved Weimaraner, frequently spending weekends there too. “We love getting together and sitting by the fire,” says Graham.
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He says it’s difficult to pick a favourite space, but they tend to gravitate to the family room – also known as “the green room” – more than they expected.
“We didn’t think we would use the family room very much,” he says. “It has the only TV in the house and it’s super cosy in there. In the morning, natural light floods in from both sides and it’s just a really beautiful place to be. We’ll often set a giant cheese platter on the coffee table and sit on the carpet and just chill together as a family.”