Inside a Hidden Countryside Home Designed for Peace and Tranquillity (House Tour)

Riding at Copperstone is like a big unveil. You come down the driveway through this canopy of trees. You cross Byron Creek and then the paddocks open up to two and a half kilometers of post and rail fence with the house just perched on the hill. You get out of the car and you walk down the recycled brick entry under the dappled light and you open the door. You don't know what you're going to see. The main room opens up with the sunken lounge on your left with the fire going. You step outside and you see the pool and the horses galloping. You just feel like you've arrived. So Copperstone came about in 2021. We had a reasonably tight brief on where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do and a good friend of ours had suggested that we come and have a look at this property and we drove up to this little old Queenslander and this cute couple who'd been living here for 30 something years and they showed us around the property and it was just one of those things after doing this for so long that when you see a property and a piece of land like this which is so stunning that we knew that this had to be the next home for us. Copperstone is a place that is ultimately a home. It's a beautiful generous farmhouse which was perfect horse country. So I had this idea that the stables would be a little bit Argentinian, European and just a romantic idea of what they look like. I remember thinking what I want the house to look like and how lovely it would be that there's a real integration of the stable building, you know, stabling and providing a shelter and house for the horses that directly relates to the house that we potentially will be dwelling in. Quite a romantic idea of how we would live. So coming through the entrance of Copperstone you have the arches, an antique mirror from France and an old English painting of flowers and two little Italian wall sconces. I think it sets the tone for the rest of the house which is this beautiful blend of modern meeting old. So I think what's really interesting about Copperstone is its juxtaposition between being a touch of modernism with a bit of old world class. So you'll see in here elements of found items that have got their own story to tell amongst other areas of the property that are just a little bit more modern and it's that juxtaposition that I think tells the story and makes you feel comfortable. I call it like it's your favourite pair of jeans that you just never take off. The more you use it the better it gets. It's got that element of luxe but it's so relaxed and so comfortable. As you pass into the main area there's the inside fireplace which is really a sort of pizza oven. It's a real kind of heart of the kitchen that has a real presence and then behind that is a really generous sized pantry with lots of beautiful crockery from various local shops and craftsmen. Then moving through we have a massive dining room table which is made of Australian hardwood which sort of plays a part throughout the whole house from the timber floor or the timber windows and then you come into this opening where you can see out over the property. My ethos when it comes to building really is to try and work with the natural environment, one visually but also metaphysically and physically in that if we can use materials that are from the earth whether it's beautiful timbers, clay that's from you know the renders on the wall that comes from the earth itself what a lovely way to exist in symmetry with this beautiful place that we live in. So from the living room you walk down this romantic corridor into the master and the master is like its own little oasis with a fireplace and huge ceilings and then you have a glimpse to the left and you see the ensuite and it's all this beautiful pinky orangey travertine that we bought in from Italy. So you go from the master down into the little library sitting space so it's this transition into a whole other part of the house which is the guest wing. You go up these three or four stairs through this arched dome down this beautiful corridor where there's four amazing bedrooms that feels like you've just gone to Europe. They're all ensuited, they've got timber beams, they're all a little different little quirky. There's little niches and little things to see and spot everywhere you look and it's your little oasis for your holiday. You step outside and there's the walled garden another place to go and have a beautiful lunch under the persimmon tree and then on the way up to the tennis court for that afternoon gin and tonic when the sun sets and you look back over the property as the horses are running and you never will again. Part of the creation of this was a place where we could bring our family and our children and it was a place that we could all be together and being able to offer it as a house that people can come to and enjoy with their families is actually really lovely to share it and know that other people are appreciating it. I think you can't go wrong in creating a place that is a true home. So Copperstone really is a project of the heart because everything we've done here we reflected back to what those values are and you know that is family, that is consideration for the environment, that is choosing elements that are natural and sustainable and so really all of those elements make it a real project of the heart.