This episode explores the exterior transformation of Shaynna’s Country Home along with a very special ballroom and hidden Marie-Antoinette-inspired space – perfect for Sunday tea!
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Shaynna's Design Notes
Front Exterior
While we did make some changes to Sutherland House; extending the height of the balcony roof and adding the bell tower, I was keen to ensure that the house felt like it had always been there. The barley-twist details in the master bedroom window, door knocker and the rose bush (which I guarded with my life during demolition) are the only original features from the home due to age and attrition. So, I introduced details like the hand-forged Victorian lacework, timber posts and detailing, which all lend an authentic, local, feel to the front facade. Tiny directional lights pick out the lacework at night, while up-lights spotlight the mature trees in the front yard. The quaint arbour compliments the solid entry gate (with touch-of-a-button security features) but also provides a focal point to people gazing across the croquet lawn from the ball room. What looks like an arrangement of tessellated tiles at the front door is actually a single tile; easy and economical to lay, and the chevron theming that repeats throughout the house begins here at the front door. Traveling in time momentarily, the solar array and battery are slimline and discrete, and the panels can be individually controlled and maintained. Awash, as the front facade is, with intricate detail I kept the exterior palette white which helps to streamline the many features. Screening trees, a tall picket fence and discreet cameras take care of security and privacy.Â
The Parlour
This week I ask viewers to suspend belief and indulge my love of the fantastical and theatrical! Down the rabbit hole we tumble, emerging in the parlour, a Marie Antoinette-inspired room of invisible panels, secret doors and concealed recesses. Stumble upon this special space through its artwork-adorned pivoting door and you’re instantly transported to another time and place. The mirrored panels reflect (literally and figuratively) the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, one of my all-time favourite travel experiences. The alternated panels are adorned with handmade wallpaper, another nod to the French Baroque chateau and its famed excesses (although I kept costs down by only applying this very expensive paper to every second panel and allowing the mirrors to multiply the effect). The beauty of the ceiling panel in this room brings tears to my eyes, its transformative effect elevating the grandeur of what was once a featureless and nondescript space. Secret doors conceal a kitchenette (that sits snugly beneath the staircase) while more hidden panels conceal a secret serving hatch which connects through to the ballroom next door, with a stone serving panel that can be elevated or lowered at the touch of a button. Perfect for dishing up ‘drink me’ style potions to guests in the next room.
The Ballroom
Continuing to tumble down the rabbit hole from the parlour we find ourselves in the ballroom… or should that be ‘Tudor Close’??? Those familiar with Cluedo will probably recognise the popular boardgame as the inspiration for this vast front room. I designed this space with entertainment at heart, drawing on the hedonism and intrigue that typifies the 1920s. The tartan rug draws in the colours of Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Miss Peacock and Mr Green (Professor Plum makes an appearance in the contrast cushions)! The walnut floorboards are a nod to the walnut panelling of the libraries of yesteryear, the huge gas fire in the Art Deco fireplace provides a focal point for the seating area, the luxe velvet couch adds just the right touch of decadence to the space, while elsewhere Deco-style swivel chairs are perfect for a tete a tete with a partner in crime. And speaking of crime… the library area offers connections with some of Cluedo’s ‘murder weapons’ – the metal bookshelves for the lead pipe, a hammer (rather than a wrench) alongside the ‘ciues’ in the glass cabinet, and the candlestick on the table. The mural, which I designed for Urban Road, is inspired by Kyneton’s Botanic Gardens, features the gardens’ original palm tree which dates back to the 1850s, and birds native to the Macedon Ranges, and provides a unique connection between the house, and our little town. There is so much detail in this space, and so many stories, it can’t help but put a smile on the face of everyone who enters it. And that was my goal; to make it a destination within the home, and to make it fun.Â
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