Country Style - May 2008

to access a built-in pantry, and antique blue tiles were chosen “because they reminded me of Holland”. On the new suspended deck, a balustrade was cleverly fashioned from recycled electrical wires.

“As long as something is functional I hold on to it,” Sacha says. “The ‘functional’ is the Dutch bit in me — if I can find a use for something, it stays. I really prefer if something has character or a unique aspect. Whether it’s an old, battered armchair or a funny decorative object, it has to evoke a feeling within me.”

And indeed there are plenty of unusual, one-of-a-kind pieces here. The house is a wonderland that combines bohemian funkiness with colourful country kitsch.

“Out here, I’ve created my own fantasy — for me the house is like a giant playhouse where I can be free to create what I want. None of it was intentional or designed: absolutely everything in it came by way of collecting or as gifts. It’s a look that has slowly evolved. You either love it or you hate it…”

Not only is the interior quirky and unique but so, too, are little details throughout the property. A Buddha statue festooned with a garland of plastic flowers sits on the highest point of the corrugated iron roof above the front entrance, while an old toll bell tower that once stood by the Parramatta River reaches towards the sky. Birds — notably kookaburras, kingfishers and wonga pigeons — nest in the surrounding bush while water dragons can be found down by the creek.

“Even though I’ve lived here for 20 years, I’m still in wonderment,” Sacha enthuses. “In Holland birds are grey — here they are primary colours!”

Sacha, who is planning to sell the property soon, is glad that Roma could grow up in these wide-open spaces. “Everything moves on,” she says. “But for now I feel lucky, privileged and happy to live here.

“It’s more work living in the country than in the city. But it’s such a relief to return home to the tranquil peacefulness, where you can really breathe and see all the stars without the city lights.” *

Backed by a giant wall map, the dining room table was a find retrieved from the Newcastle Workers’ Club. Sacha treated the second-hand chairs to a distressed paint job. FACING PAGE A handwoven African cloth brightens the master bedroom.