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Saturday, November 9, 2024

A Magical Family Garden As Productive As It Is Pretty

Anastasia Elias renovated her home in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs at the beginning of 2019, and began planting the garden in winter of the same year, just before her young family moved into their new house. In that short time, the garden has become an abundant wonderland – sprouting with vegetable patches and self-seeded flowers that scatter the meandering front grass of their own accord.

Anastasia is a self-taught gardener, and her passion for horticulture is guided by a concept called biophilia: the belief in an intense and symbiotic affinity between humans and the natural world. This approach permeates the entire garden, from the cubby house overgrown with jasmine and violets, to the lunar calendar that she uses to plot her planting cycles.

This is a deeply holistic family garden, one that is constantly informing and framing the human lives that tend it.

Adventurous Travel for the Winter Season

Adventurous Travel for the Winter SeasonThere is something about the winter months that seems to awaken a sense of wanderlust in many people. Whether it’s the need for an escape from the bitter, drab

This New Home Looks Like A 100-Year-Old Greek Villa, In Northern NSW!

Very, very few people can successfully build a new house that has the authentic patina and character of a heritage home, but that’s exactly what Andrew and Anna Swain have achieved on their Brunswick Heads property.

Using recycled timbers, salvaged windows, and antique tiles, the couple have created a home with an authentic Mediterranean feel – making all our Greek Island villa/cottagecore dreams come true!

We visited the home just six months after completion to find out how they did it!

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A Pint-Sized Coastal Home That Does More With Less!

creative-peoplehomesA Pint-Sized Coastal Home That Does More With Less!

Many people strive to ‘do more with less’ when building their home, but author and recipe writer Harriet Birrell aka Natural Harry, and building designer Fraser West, walk the talk. Eight years ago, the couple renovated an exisiting structure into their 40 square metre house, and have happily lived here ever since. 

Living in such a small house requires a hardworking design with multipurpose features. For example, the couple’s wardrobe is also their bathroom, a stand-up desk doubles as a bookshelf, and the kitchen includes Harriet’s study. Even the bedroom is a multipurpose space, adopting a nook in the living room wall! ‘It fits a queen size bed snuggly. It is very cosy and nice to be right next to a window in the summer months,’ says Harriet. 

Harriet describes her home as warm, light, natural and comfortable. ‘The feeling is welcoming and airy, yet with a grounding earthy feel,’ she says. Dulux Stowe White has been used indoors and out to complement raw plywood and corrugated iron. ‘Because the space is so small and the ceilings quite low on one side, it has been important to use white to make the space feel bigger,’ says Harriet. ‘It has made a huge difference.’

After eight years living in this house, the couple still have no desire to extend the space or make major changes. ‘I love that we have not increased the size of the building and stuck to the existing footprint, instead altering the layout of the interior to be super clever and practical,’ Harriet says. ‘It has forced us to live more simplistically and with less.’ 

This house has also given Harriet and Fraser a greater appreciation of the space around them, including their veggie patch, and outdoor area where their dog Fred loves to roam! 

You can find out more about Harriet’s lifestyle in her brand new book, Home by Natural Harry, which is out tomorrow (just as Melbourne’s book stores reopen)!

‘I love the outlook from our bench seat under the outdoor roof,’ says Harriet. ‘The low deck is the perfect spot to sit in the sun and read.’ Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Harriet aka Natural Harry with their koolie x border collie, Fred! Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Gardening tools are always at the ready. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Harriet made the shoe racks herself. ‘This space is like out tiny version of a utilities or boot room. Most of our gardening and outdoor gear is stored here at the entrance,’ she says. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


The view from the couple’s bed. Dog bed from Hello Trader. Wedding photos printed by OnStone. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Pop & Scott sofa. Rug from Kyo. Cushions are recycled Turkish rugs. Jute artwork from The Dharma Door. The lamp was a 18th birthday gift from Harriet’s mum. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Ply draws and shelving made by Fraser and stocked with DIY products made by Harriet. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Stainless steel bench tops made by Fraser. Drying racks above the sink from Ikea. Dining table found in hard rubbish. Chairs from the Mill Markets in Geelong. Under bench curtains made by Harriet from calico dyed with avocado pits. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


The drying racks from Ikea double as more storage. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Bedding by I Love Linen. Throw from Wild Throw Co. Pop & Scott sofa. Rug from Kyo. Cushions made from recycled Turkish rugs. Jute artwork from The Dharma Door. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


The bedroom nook! A highlight window frames views of trees surrounding the home. Artwork by Camilla Walford. Bedding by I Love Linen. Throw from Wild Throw Co. Cushion made from recycled Turkish rugs. Rug from Kyo. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Op-shop vases around the record player. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


The bathroom is minimal and simple. ‘We added a long mirror to help the small space feel more open. The vanity doubles as open cabinetry for us to store towels,’ says Harriet. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


‘Fraser did the repairs on the existing footprint including freshening up the small bathroom with a new shower made from offcuts from the roof and cladding,’ says Harriet. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


In the background is Fred’s second dog bed – an old wine barrel that Fraser altered! Photo – Nikole Ramsay


The bed nook has its own openable window. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


Harriet’s new book, Home by Natural Harry! Beanbags double as comfortable outdoor seating when the weather permits.  Photo – Nikole Ramsay


The couple grow spinach, silverbeet, kale, beetroot, tomatoes, peas, thyme, parsley, sage, basil and spring onion in their veggie patch. Photo – Nikole Ramsay


The outdoor furniture was made by Fraser including a wine barrel that doubles as an umbrella holder. The fire pit was custom made. One side of the facade is painted with Dulux Stowe White, the rest is clad in corrugated iron roofing.  Photo – Nikole Ramsay

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