Australian House & Garden — June 2017

<the home from the main living area, in what was once the

Sunday school, is the kitchen, main bedroom and bathroom.

Diane is one of the country’s best-known interior designers,

as well as the founder of Melbourne’s Mercer School of Interior

Design, so kitting out the house was easy. Her decorating

philosophy is mixing ‘high’ and ‘low’. “If something is amazing

and worth the money, fine, but if something

else is practical and just as good, I’m not

opposed to a bargain,” she says. Thus,

antiques and vintage pieces sourced from

the US during her regular work trips mix

with inexpensive accessories, bric-a-brac,

artworks and books found at fleamarkets,

stores such as Ikea and Pottery Barn, and on Etsy and eBay.

It’s a great house for entertaining, says Diane. “I love to cook.

The kitchen is laid out perfectly for serious cooking and there’s

a beautiful view out to the dam and a paddock with sheep.” She

opted for a traditional French treatment for the kitchen cabinets;

instead of cupboards, linen skirts hide the contents of the shelves.

White subway tiles were used for the splashback, a timeless

choice. One of Diane’s favourite features is perhaps one of the

smallest: the Dash & Albert indoor/outdoor rug on the kitchen

floor. “It’s synthetic but feels just like a flatweave cotton rug

and can be taken outside and simply hosed down,” she says.

Building a deck was one of the final stages

in creating an inviting second home. Diane

and Peter have left the hardwearing treated-

pine deck surface raw, painting only the sides;

the aim is for it to grey off and develop a

weathered, New England-style finish.

In the early years, the whole family would

visit most weekends, but these days it’s often just Diane and Peter.

Wonderful to know that, when the kids are off doing their own

thing, there’s a place for all seasons you can retreat to. #

Diane Bergeron,Collingwood, Victoria; (03) 9015 7227 or

http://www.dianebergeron.com.

DECKDiane’s favourite spot for entertaining is the spacious deck. In the terracotta planters from Bunnings are English box plants, which will mature intoa
low hedge. Outdoor furniture, eBay.LIVINGopposite, top left and bottom leftThe sofa came from Connecticut via a now-closed store in Armadale. Cushions
covered in Les Indiennes fabrics. Throw from Bali. American Flamingo giclée print by John James Audubon. Vintage lamps from the US. The bookshelf is
another of Diane’s prized pieces; its elephant bookends are ceramic. Curtain (at left) made from an inexpensive linen.MAIN BEDROOMA simple drape of
Les Indiennes Colette fabric transforms the four-poster bed from Ikea into something far grander. Diane customised the white bedlinen with grosgrain ribbon
trims.ENTRANCE/MUDROOMThis little room connects the old church with the former Sunday school. The striped vinyl wallpaper came from eBay.
On the wall are framed reproduction prints of sweet-looking crabs. The old croquet set at the door is still in use.For Where to Buy, see page 188.

FEATURE PLANTS

TREES

Monterey cypress

(Cupressus

macrocarpa)

Camellia

ORNAMENTAL

English box

(Buxus sempervirens)

Olive(Olea europaea)

HOUSES HG

AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN| 113

DIANE MIXES ‘HIGH’ AND

‘LOW’ TO GREAT EFFECT.

VINTAGE PIECES MINGLE

WITH MARKET GEMS, IKEA

BEDS AND EBAY FINDS.