I
tmightseemunlikely,givenhertaste
inantiquesandcuriosities,that
HeidiO’Rourkeoncelivedina modern
home.Butfindingherpossessionsandher
suburbanhousediscordantshedecided,alongwith
herhusbandJason,topursueherdreamsofleading
a morerurallifeinthewildsoftheAustralianbush.
‘I wasreadyfora moretraditionalfarmhouse-style
home,’shesays.‘I wasexcitedabout it no matter
whatproblemswemightface.’
In2008,afteronlyoneviewing,thecoupleboughta
houseonthenorth-westernoutskirtsofSydney,close
towheretheygrewup.Muchoftheproperty’sallure
camefromitslargetwo-and-a-halfacregarden.
‘Althoughwecompromisedonthesizeofthehouse,
whichis smallerthanourlastplace,thegardenis
muchbigger,’saysHeidi.Foundatthebottomof
a longandmeanderingroadthatpassesthrough
bushland,thehousesitsamidneatlytrimmedbox
hedges,whilefurtherouttoweringgumtreesleadto
themilesofbushlandandBlueMountainsbeyond.
Whenthecoupleboughtthehouseover 10 years
ago,thepropertymarkethadbeensluggishand
consequently,it hadn’tbeenlivedinfora year.‘The
gardenswerecompletelyovergrownwiththegutters
fullofweedsandthegrassshaggyandwild,’says
Heidi.‘Alotofthefenceswerebroken,too.The
housewasinrelativelygoodconditionwithonly
dustanda fewspiders’webstocontendwith.’
Despiteitstraditionallooks,thehousewasactually
builtinthemid-Nineties,thoughmanysalvagedand
reclaimedmaterialswereused,fromthebricksand
floorboardstotheFrenchcafédoors.Duringthefirst
year,thelion’sshareofthecouple’seffortswentinto
restoringthegarden.‘Thehousejustseemstositso
wellinitssurroundings,’saysHeidi.‘Wecontinue to
spendplentyoftimeoutdoors,shapingand
maintaining the land, but we’re not into anythingtoofussy.Wepreferlotsofboxhedgesandspecimen
treestogivethegardengoodstructure,’sheexplains.
ThehouseprovidedtheidealsettingforHeidi’s
antiques,curiositiesandtraditionalfurniture.‘We
knewourrusticbelongingswouldworkperfectlyhere,’
shesays.Toshowthesetotheirbestadvantage,and
togivethehousea moreexpansivefeel,Heidikeptto
mostlywhitepaintwiththeoddfeaturewall,suchas
theearthymushroombrownoftheguestroomsand
thedaringblackinthekitchen.‘I rarelybuyitemsfor
specificspots,’shesays.‘I justbuythingsI loveand
thinkaboutwheretoputthemlater.’Thebushhas
founditswayintothehousewithinthemanyplants
thatHeidichangesperiodically.‘Thebushlandis a huge
influence,’shesays.‘I bringincuttingsthatI’vefound
onwalks.’Toachievea clean,unclutteredlook,and
duetothefactthatthehouseis completelysecluded,
Heidichosenottohangcurtainsinthegroundfloor
roomsbutgavethebedroomsdelicatesheers.
Heidi’straditionalfarmhouse-stylekitchenis the
focusofthehouse,withitsrawwoodenceilingand
Shakerunitsimbuingit withrusticcharacter.Heidi
repaintedthecabinetsandinstalledanisland.Butshe
wassotroubledbythepurplewallbehindthesink,that
sheimmediatelypaintedit black,a detailthatremains
tothisday.‘I wasn’treadytopaintthewholeroom
butI justcouldn’tlivewiththecolour,’shesays.
In2009,thecouplebuiltanoutdoorroomwithan
openfireplacewheretheyspendmuchoftheirtime.
Here,thelargefleshyleavesoffiddle-leaffigtrees
blurtheboundarybetweenhouseandgarden.The
ranch-likefeelofthepropertyis atitsmostpotent
here,withtheskullofanArizonabulloverlooking
theroomfromthebarebrickchimneybreast.It’sthe
perfectplacetowhileawaythehourstransfixedby
thewideAustraliansky.‘Sittingwatchingthesunset
overtheBlueMountainsis sucha joy,’ says Heidi.
‘We feel so lucky to live here.’&INSPIRATIONHOMESANDGARDENS.COM 25