Olivia Sharpe's entry into the property market has been strategic and stylish.
Taking advantage of government assistance programs, Olivia secured a block of land subdivided from the heritage-listed Warrane property in Lorn and began building her first home in late 2020.
The house, whose design had to factor in the suburb's heritage conservation status and stately Victorian neighbour, has been cleverly configured to incorporate a one-bedroom "granny flat". This attached secondary dwelling is currently tenanted, helping with Olivia's mortgage, but can be merged with her three-bedroom, two-bathroom accommodation if desired in the future, with minimal construction fuss.
For now, Olivia - and her cats Bundy and Malibu - are content with the arrangement and it is clear why. She has fitted out and styled the property thoughtfully, resulting in a space that is pretty, calming and tied subtly to tradition.
"My home is my favourite place,'' Olivia says.
"When I sit and look around, I see the whole process behind each finish and piece. I'm very proud of it and very grateful for having such a knowledgeable team to help me through it."
The team she refers to is Mavid Construction, her family's business where she works as a junior planner after studying at Queensland's Bond University. The Sharpe family shares a love of Lorn, where the business started 10 years ago.
"Lorn is a great community and you always run into a friendly face," Olivia says.
"I grew up in Lorn, over on King Street. Mum and Dad still live there, my brother lives in Lorn Street and my sister lives next door.
"There's a lot to love about Lorn, but my favourite thing is how close I am to my family."
The family Federation residence, featured in the Herald previously, provided Olivia with inspiration for her own home.
"My style has always been a bit more traditional than most," she says.
"When picking fixtures and design items, I thought about the details of our family home that I admired.
"I knew from the start that I wanted a lot of colours. I hope other things, like the cornice, doorknobs and even the style of the doors, add a subtle hint of the traditional inspiration."
Deciding on colours was not easy. The James Hardie weatherboard cladding was painted in two different colour schemes before Olivia settled on Sorcerer blue (Haymes Paint) with butterscotch and white trims.
Internally, walls are all in quarter-strength heritage colours as tests of bolder shades made the rooms appear smaller.
"The pastel colours were a way for me to personalise my home without straying too much from the inherent character of the typical Lorn home."
Olivia's preference for colour did not go uncontested, with people trying to talk her out of the gorgeous pink tiles laid in herringbone formation for the main bathroom's feature wall. Their blue counterparts are in the kitchen splashback.
"The pink bathroom is probably my favourite room in the house. It was one of the first things I decided on. I knew I wanted a big bathtub - in fact, I made the house longer to accommodate it!
"So many people disagreed with the pink tile, but everyone will have an opinion on what looks good or not. My advice to others is: what matters is what you think. If you love it, you won't regret it."
Besides a big bath, Olivia's must-haves in her new house were a window seat, which is a feature of the master bedroom, and statement shelving for books and mementoes.
The built-in shelving in the living area shares a wall with a huge, Early Settler mirror that promotes a feeling of space.
A friend scoured Sydney lighting stores for the eye-catching Jefferson Vintage Chrome pendants suspended over the island bench.
Two mature trees in the front yard were part of the Warrane estate and the timber post and rail fence acknowledges the rural surrounds.
Though she works in the industry, Olivia found that building her home was a learning experience from a new perspective. While Olivia is settled for now, the experience may prove useful down the track.
"The plan here was for a 'right-now' home that would allow me to make bigger steps in the future," she says.
"I'd love the chance to renovate one of the older cottages in Lorn."
