HOMES Australian Country 45of every size and form had taught them
a thing or two about renovating. They’d
transformed a neglected weatherboard
house in Los Angeles, and breathed new life
into an old stone home in a small village in
the south of France. Tackling the run-down
wooden house in Gooseberry Hill, an outer
suburb of Perth, was just another page in
their colourful journey. “The bigger the
project and challenge, the more I love it,”
Bonnie says. “We never hire decorators
or architects. Ideas come to me as I walk
through the houses that many say are
hopeless, but I see the magic returning.”
They named the home Berry House and
relied on their creativity and ingenuity to
make it their own. “All rooms were done
with salvaged original windows from
boutiques or heritage homes,” Bonnie
explains. “Stained-glass windows were
found in salvage yards, or made on the spot
by the oldest stained glass artist in Perth.”
At its heart is a bright and bold kitchen
that’s fl ooded with dappled light that fi lters
through the windows from towering gums
outside. “Bonnie picked the yellow kitchen
after our visit to Monet’s house and garden
in Giverny, where a yellow kitchen was very
avant garde for the time,” Paul says. Bonnie’s
striking art adorns the walls, and treasures
from their travels and life adventures are an
intriguing insight into two lives well lived.
“As you walk through our home the stories
unfold,” Bonnie says. “It’s a voyage through
our lives, where our favourite things have
travelled the world with us. Memories are
stored in large display cabinets, or scattered
across long tiled pieces of furniture from
India. Then there are my collections. I think ›