L

isa Burdus admits that the house on the rural property

she fell in love with in 2016 was very basic. “It was built

in the 1990s and didn’t have much character,” she says.

“But I knew I’d be able to decorate quickly so I wasn’t

worried. All I wanted was a good block of land with mature

gardens, and somewhere we could just move into and live.”

One year on, the savvy interior designer has transformed the

NSW Southern Highlands property into a true country home with

all the attendant qualities of wide green expanses and bountiful

produce. Nearby are the picture-perfect towns of Moss Vale,

Bowral and Robertson. “It’s a country place with a bit of style,”

says Sydney-based Lisa. She and her partner Toby, with their

blended family of nine children, use the property as a retreat.

Lisa’s eldest three have finished school and left home, but the

couple still share the care of her two younger children and Toby’s

four, ranging in age from 12 to 17. Rather than buy a huge home

in Sydney’s overheated property market, the couple came up

with a plan to enjoy a lifestyle that afforded the best of both

worlds: a city apartment and a country retreat for weekends and

holidays. They looked at properties of various sizes before>

Initially attracted to this established garden in the

Southern Highlands, the talented new owner then

turned her attention to the house that came with it.

Total

PACKAGE

STORYRosa Senese| STYLING Ashley Pratt| PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Warnes