Regardless of its relative proximity to the bustling metropolis of Sydney, the Southern Highlands of Australia conjures the ambiance of the English countryside, with its rolling hills and charming villages. Right here, nestled between the idyllic village of Bundanoon and Morton Nationwide Park, sits Osborn Home: a decadent nineteenth century property, former health middle, and considered one of Australia’s most beguiling new resorts.
London-based designer Linda Boronkay partnered with Sydney-based inside architect Alan Mc Mahon of Mac Design Studio to revive the heritage-listed property, in-built 1892 by householders George and Dinah Osborn as a visitor home for city-dwelling buddies on vacation. The three-story, 27,000-square-foot manor sits upon 8.5 acres of undulated gardens surrounded by a forest of radiata pines, full with a lap pool, spa, and bushwalking trails.
“The area actually emulates a countryside escape,” says Boronkay. The previous Soho Home design director and world-renowned posh tastemaker approached this challenge by an emotive, cinematic lens, working with Mc Mahon to honor the manor’s historic legacy, whereas creating one thing comfy and genuine.
“The temporary was to create a whimsical retreat,” says Mc Mahon, “A slice of Europe within the Southern Highlands.” To manifest this imaginative and prescient, the designers painstakingly restored as a lot of the unique architectural element as attainable, refurbishing inside partitions and doorways to their Victorian-era grandeur. A double-facing hearth, found throughout renovations, is now a shocking focus between the lodge’s reception space and library.
“We wished the interiors to be an eccentric interpretation of the constructing’s previous,” says Boronkay, who envisioned a extremely residential vibe, full with tactile materials, patterns, and crowd pleasing shade combos. Certainly, the lodge’s superb gallimaufry of classic and modern items, sourced from European flea markets and Australian artisans, evokes an eclectic, sensorial surroundings. Osborn Home’s harmonic interiors transport visitors to a different world—a world that seems like house.
The 22-room luxurious lodge doesn’t skimp on particulars. Bespoke, ornate lights and regal furnishings harken to the property’s early days, whereas energetic linens and rattan chairs add fashionable components to the tableau. Impartial Moroccan rugs anchor quirky wallpaper harking back to botanical graffiti within the visitor rooms, and a classic chandelier sourced from Amsterdam highlights customized, Venetian lighting fixtures within the formal eating room.
Because the challenge occurred in the course of the pandemic, Boronkay was unable to go to antiques retailers firsthand, as she usually would for a hospitality design endeavor. Remarkably, the design crew relied on WhatsApp to attach with retailers, curating a stunning assortment of classic items with out leaving their house base.
Whereas imbuing the property with English attraction, Boronkay embraced its Australian setting, utilizing a soothing palette of inexperienced and blue hues to blur the road between the inside and exterior façade. The verdant tones articulated within the Osborn Home design language all through thematically distinct areas.
Capitalizing on the property’s indoor-outdoor aesthetic, the designers punctuated the sprawling grounds with seven non-public cabins, every with a modern but heat inside palette of limewashed joinery, furnishings swathed in burnt orange materials and light-weight blue accents. The main points are totally deliberate and executed, right down to the loos. The suites have sculptural, marble vanities and Carrera marble tile flooring, whereas the cabin loos function brilliant tiles and concrete vanities, consistent with the country vibe.
As Boronkay explains, “The mix of reclaimed supplies paired with wealthy and tactile materials, curated objects from round Europe and private touches within the completely different areas will make you’re feeling like you’re being embraced by an attention-grabbing particular person.”
