BALAKLAVA

The brief required restoration and reimagining a 19 Century School house in the middle of nowhere in the mid north of South Australia. The school was abandoned in the 1950s and had been left derelict since then. The new owners, with a family connection to the school, intended to use the historic building as a weekend retreat. 

This required creation of a kitchen and bathroom as new additions and a total restoration of the remainder of the building to provide for 3 bedrooms and 1 open plan living area. 

The project was complicated by the remoteness of the property and the lack of electricity. The owners intended to retain the appealing sense of isolation by installing limited solar power and gas for hot water and cooking requirements. 

The brief for the decoration and styling of the newly renovated property specified comfortable, stylish, understated furnishings which could survive the extremes of heat and cold but always be a pleasure to experience. It was important to reference the historical bones of the property.