“We love that the kids’ friends live in the neighbourhood.” Clockwise from above: Heart of the home: Cate Boots at the island bench. Formalities: The sitting room-cum-library. Tom’s room: Work and play space. Georgia’s room: Bedhead by The House With The Red Door.
“We still laugh at the havoc created when my girlfriend decided we could not spend one night in the house with the old lace curtains,” says Cate. Caught with one foot on the balustrade and one leg stretched out to the windowsill in an attempt to rip down the curtains, her friend found herself stuck and spreadeagled across the stairwell. “Fortunately her husband was tall enough to reach up and hoist her off,” says Cate, laughing.
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ainting walls and woodwork in Antique White USA laid the foundation for the makeover. Carpets were replaced with natural seagrass sisal and shutters replaced curtains. Cate was adamant the porcelain sink, located next to the main bedroom, be removed, adding “it was doing nothing to create an inviting ambience to the room”. Not content with off-the-shelf floor stains, Cate developed her own mix and had the floors stripped back and hand rubbed with a bespoke stain from Porter’s Paints. The mix contained two thirds nut brown and one third Track Namdji, a grey stain. It was then sealed with a matt finish to achieve an aged patina. The renovation – which included moving walls to open up living spaces and create more room for bedrooms, offices and playrooms – was finished two years ago. A new kitchen, internal laundry and bathrooms were also priorities; however, it is the size and scale of the open-plan living, kitchen and dining areas that Cate feels are the most successful elements. The large Belgian-linen-upholstered sofas with plumped cushions in green and taupe beckon guests to take a seat and devour Cate’s “design-book addiction”. continues » P29 APRIL 25, 2012 \ The weekly review 27