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Interior Designer: Kate Nixon

Construction: iBuild

Associated: Sow Good Gardens

Photography: Maree Homer

Kate Nixon has beautifully reimagined a 1940s Harold Smith-designed cottage, drawing inspiration from its panoramic vistas and secret gardens to create a refined yet inviting family home. With a design brief focused on reconfiguration, refreshment, and sustainability, Kate Nixon has seamlessly integrated modern comforts while preserving the home’s charm, ensuring another twenty years of effortless living.

The transformation embraces the surrounding landscape, with arches strategically introduced to frame sweeping views of Middle Harbour and Sugarloaf Nature Reserve. A reclaimed timber gate and stone-clad privacy wall set the stage for a ‘Secret Garden’ experience, leading to a redesigned foyer featuring rendered arches, timber beams, and decorative lighting. Throughout the home, natural materials such as charred timber, burnished porcelain, and sawcut limestone complement the lush setting.

Central to the redesign is a thoughtfully expanded kitchen, tailored for a family passionate about cooking and entertaining. It now boasts an island bench, substantial storage, a separate larder, and a laundry. A decorative tiled arch connects the formal and family living areas, while a climate-controlled cellar was cleverly integrated into a reconfigured hallway. The lower-ground study received a sophisticated upgrade with moody timber veneer and burnished porcelain joinery, while the first-floor master suite now features a generous walk-in robe and an elegant double vanity ensuite.

Kate Nixon has prioritized sustainability through the use of reclaimed materials, strategic placement of skylights and windows for natural ventilation, and custom-designed heirloom furniture. The result is a home that not only enhances daily life but also fosters wellbeing, seamlessly blending luxury with environmental consciousness.