despite the orange walls and purple carpet, they resisted
starting work on it immediately. “We wanted to see what the
seasons brought, how it felt and where the sun rose and fell
in the spaces,” Danni says.
In the end, the building’s high ceilings and ‘good bones’
meant they have been able to renovate without changing
the basic footprint. Improving the insulation was a major
imperative, as was installing solar panels to improve the
energy efficiency. The kitchen was also refurbished,
with Ash adding a personal touch by making the kitchen
benchtops, plus the barn doors into the mudroom. Reflooring
meant they could say goodbye to the lurid carpet, while new
paint and decorating touches completed the transformation.
During the renovations they moved into the property’s
brick cottage and gave it a quick face lift. Over time the
pair decided they preferred it’s cosy, rustic atmosphere
so that’s where they have stayed.
The renovated farmhouse is now available for guests to
stay, forming part of Crofters Fold multi-faceted business
model, which includes selling roses to floral designers for
weddings and events, and farm-gate sales by appointment.
“We’ve also started a DIY package collaborating with
two other flower growers in the region so people can get
flowers from all of us at one spot,” Danni says. They also
grow peonies, whose flowering season ties in nicely with
the roses, and produce premium sparkling wine from the
vineyard, which they offer to local restaurants.
A small mob of Suffolk sheep and four docile Highland
cattle also manicure the property’s pastures, and Danni
and Ash love to visit them in the paddocks with their
two kelpies, Magoo and Mudgee, at their sides.
While using livestock as lawnmowers and wrangling roses
may not have been the traditional farming activity Danni
grew up with, she still has a strong affinity with those rural
roots. “Growing roses feels like a farming activity as it is very
much linked to the soil and rain, so I feel like our language is
what I’ve heard all my life,” she says. “The connection feels
like second nature, it just happens to be roses.”
Crofters Fold Farmhouse Lodge is on Airbnb. ther
information, visit croftersfold.com.au