It is exciting to share with you this amazing makeover, but first to fully appreciate the heart and soul that went into it, make sure you check out my previous post with the before photos here >

 

Saturday morning the perfect day for taking the 1 hour drive to the Barossa Valley from Adelaide. I woke up early eager to hit the road, as I was doubly excited to finally meet the lady behind this gorge property, and of course seeing it in the real!

Fiona has done an incredible job of creating space and light while retaining the original vibe of this 1950s abode. I think my photos pretty much tell the story - but basically there were lots of oooohhhs and aaaaahhhhhhs as I was shown around this amazing home.

So enjoy this little behind the scenes capture. (More photos can be found here too.) Also, rumor has it that Fiona is planning to rent the home out as a super stylie weekender. Yes please!!

Front stair detail

Eames rocker and le klint lamp in the entrance

New hardwood floors throughout the home

The open plan dining area featuring an original George Nelson Light pendant

Eames Chair and Nelson Bench from Living Edge.

Open plan living with amazing outlook to private courtyard with pool

Feature fireplace dividing the dining and sitting areas.

Looking through the fireplace / feature stone wall. Chairs by Jamie Durie for BigW.

Pool recliners from Bunnings!

Rear elevation from the terraced garden.

Before

When Denis and I moved to South Australia three years ago we were based in the Barossa Valley. Soon after arriving I quickly spotted this adorable 1950s home on the hill in Angaston. I said to Denis, if ever that house is on the market WE MUST BUY IT!

Then one day when doing a drive by the home I noticed a bit of renovation activity going on. I thought to myself, I didn't see that advertised!! What's going on...Sad face! Having said that, I was pleased to see that the new owner was embracing this 1950s home and had obviously put alot of thought into its make over. Finally, it was being treated to the retro love it deserved!

After!

Adelaide being a small city, it wasn't long before Fiona the owner and I crossed paths, and since then we have discovered we are kindred spirits sharing our love or all things retro. I was so thrilled when Fiona invited me to visit her to have a V.I.P. tour of what she refers to "her own little version of Palm Springs in the Barossa!"

So I am ecstatic to share with you this amazing makeover, but first to fully appreciate the heart and soul Fiona has put into it you must see some before photos!

Front elevation

Original entrance / lounge

Kitchen

Small dining room

I never saw the house for sale, tell us a bit about the purchasing process.
I'm from Sydney and had very little history with the Barossa, but fell in love with this vanilla brick nugget on the hill. The house was never for sale, it was a door knock/handshake deal. 

Structurally my engineer-mate gave it the thumbs-up. But knowing I am a style Nazi thought I was certifiably mad! There was a lot of work to do!

What was your vision for the home when you bought it?
I have always loved Palm Springs architecture, and this is unapologetically my amateur attempt at it. The plan was to ensure every room has a view, and there is light everywhere. Which it does. It was all designed around the existing house bones and its very unique relationship with the landscape around it.
 
I designed the floor-plan and recruited a draftsman and overall it has been a hell of a journey. Most people suggested I knock it down, and all the tradesmen thought I was mad. It was so pokey, which it doesn't look like at all from the outside.

I didn't live in it while it was being renovated and extended – it was at least 18 months. That wasn't the original plan, but the Barossa and this house kept me going back for more! I had one builder and it all evolved very organically. We have worked together on it - the two of us on a crazy journey over two and a half years.

The landscaping was always important to me too. Lots of propagating succulents in the dark of night (with plenty of scars to show for it.) I have a dear friend who has always inspired me with desert landscapes - Will Dangar – he's brilliant.

Original back garden, basically a hill. A lot of dirt (and rock) to move to make room for the extension and pool!

Have you retained any of the original features?
Simple answer: walls, roof and land. With that, most walls were removed, the roof was replaced and 213 truckloads of earth was excavated and removed. Heaps of fun! Why I didn't realise that buying a house down the road from a rock quarry meant the block was actually "rock" is something I simply put down to being blonde.

So sorry to say no original features, other than the most precious skillion roof (which I was also advised to lose).

Excavation begins...

It Begins

The jaws go straight in...

No mercy...

Dreams turned to rubble.

The sun was shinning, but there seemed to be a grey cloud hovering over my street today. Sadly the house 2 doors down from us was demolished. I walked past a couple of times to take the photos above, and felt an overwhelming sense of sadness coming from the remains of this home.

It is amazing to think that this lovely home was once someone's life dream, would have probably taken months to build, and yet within a few short hours the only thing remaining is a pile of rubble.

I was disappointed to know that the owners and demo company in charge did not salvage anything from the building. I don't understand why, there were beautiful floor boards, windows, solid wood internal doors, and the original 1950s bathroom with pink tiles and blue bath! Oh yeah, did I mention all of the original hardwood and stone that would have been useful for other building projects. WHAT A WASTE!

On the weekend I went through the house. The blinds and light fittings were still all in place and there was a cute little sewing room with 1950s cupboards and laminate bench. I was imagining the previous owner sitting at the little bench sewing up a storm.

Sorry, no inside photos as it was getting dark when I was sneaking through. The house was crying out to me for help and I felt absolutely helpless - after all, I was kind of trespassing and there was little I could do. I did manage to salvage a couple of things but will talk more about that in a future post.

This land is now the future dream of a new couple with plans to build a brand new home.

2/4/2011 the day we bought our dream Retro Abode at Auction. A nail biting experience, but in the end it was meant to be.

We were happy and lucky to meet the previous owner Cyril who has now started a new chapter in his life in an old folks home. An absolute sweetheart... I just wanted to give him heaps of cuddles but thought that may seem weird!

He was happy to meet us too, knowing our plans and love for his home of 50 years.

Might have to frame this one to pop up on the wall when we move in!

So the fun begins... as we start renovations I will post images and details of the transformation! The photo collection will be stored here >

Denis and I are currently looking at a property to buy in Largs North South Australia 200m from the beach! Built in 1960, this property has been owned by the same family for over 50 years!

Today we found out that our home loan was approved, so the next step is to have the property inspected by a builder on Monday. I am trying not to get too excited about the whole prospect of this property being ours, but I have already drawn up modifications to the floor plan - I just couldn't help myself! Such a flexible floor plan and big enough to accommodate both my business Messagemark and Denis Smith Photography! Also, it has a decent size yard so we can get stuck into the vege patch!

This property is just waiting for us to make it sparkle again and bring it back to it's former 1960s glory. If we are fortunate to be the new owners, I have decided that I will regularly post photos of the transformation as we slowly renovate and enhance the original retro features.

Fingers crossed it works out... will keep you posted! More photos here...