AS it's the holiday season, it seems timely to revisit some of the properties featured in Home & Garden, to check on the progress of projects and catch up with owners.
Return visits to Chisholm, Wingham, Stockton and Waratah reveal new outdoor areas and Art Deco delights, busy businesses and new friendships.
In September 2021, the owner of a colonial-inspired home at Chisholm was partway through landscaping the backyard of the 1800 square metre block, a task made tricky by the pandemic and weather. She had bought the property in 2019 and put finishing touches to the interior.
The landscaping is now complete, with the centrepiece a heated, self-cleaning Compass pool surrounded by limestone pavers and native gardens.
A swale that runs across the rear of the yard has been transformed by river rock to resemble a creek bed. The drainage system - functional and appealing, like the sandstone blocks in the retaining walls and garden beds - is bordered by variegated grasses.
"There are some really lovely spaces to enjoy outside now," the owner says. "The alfresco area is a great spot to sit and relax with a coffee and book. Pavers now link this area to the pool, which has been a great lifestyle choice and a space to socialise with family and friends."
In Stockton, dancers recently adorned the verandah of the pretty Stockton cottage owned by Andrew and Tanya Keenan, who moved from Mudgee about five years ago. It was featured in Home & Garden in December 2021 and drew a lot of attention.
The dancers were photographed before theatre production Pixie Dust was performed at St Philip's Christian College, Waratah, by Tanya's dance studio, Bella Ballerinas.
Inside the cottage, Andrew, who runs Keenan Carpentry, is working his magic, putting the finishing touches to the main bathroom. It's in Art Deco style to complement the rest of the major renovations: white mosaic floor tiles, black skirting tiles, white wall tiles and a feature tile called Sunrise, handmade by Designer Ceramics.
"Andrew is adapting an Art Deco buffet for the vanity by adding a stone top and basin. The bathroom will also feature an original Art Deco mirror and 'Empire State Building' pendant light. 2022 was a busy year for both of us but the 'Pink Palace' [nicknamed by a Stockton local] will be finished in 2023," Tanya says.
Beverley Stuart and Yves Papin are happily hosting visitors at their distinctive 1880s Waratah residence. The couple, who bought the property in 2020, live on the ground floor and have reconfigured the first floor into characterful bed and breakfast accommodation.
They launched the business just after the Herald's visit in April 2022.
"We wanted to create a beautiful, quirky destination within this gorgeous, Victorian Italianate house and people are totally enjoying it," Beverley says. "Most of our guests are from NSW, but others come from interstate and we've had return visitors from Germany and the UK."
Beverley says the front cottage garden has grown beyond expectations: "It's developed a personality of its own and passers-by continually stop to enjoy it and chat to us. It's created a sense of community, which we love."
Retirement tree changers Cheryl and Gordon Moody aim to put their new outdoor entertaining space to good use this summer. The Moodys put down roots in Wingham, near Taree, in 2019, renovating a "1970s project home" on two acres and planting food and flower gardens.
Since October 2021, they have redesigned the river flat vegetable patch for convenience, added a shed for tools and produce, and started to harvest rainwater from the roof of the house.
In an area accessed by crushed gravel paths, Gordon built a small pergola to cover a dining setting and bench seats to surround a fire pit. Wisteria will climb the structure to provide shade.
"We had a lot of fun around the fire pit during winter and now the area can be used in summer," Cheryl says.
The Herald coverage of their property and lifestyle was well received.
"We even made friends with a couple who'd just moved to the area from the Hunter - like we did - and contacted us after reading the story," Cheryl says.
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