Nanima Homestead
Abe met Jennie and Carl while at the Mudgee Small Farm Field Days with Jay and the team from Kitchen and Renovation Concepts, Mudgee. Jennie and Carl had recently purchased the Nanima Homestead in Wellington, NSW. When they organised a consultation to work with us as a part of their homestead restoration, Abe was honoured to take on the challenge.
The homestead has been described as one of the most socially interesting, unusually designed and intact Edwardian rural homesteads in New South Wales.
Charles Barton (Banjo Paterson’s uncle) purchased the land in 1894 and had the homestead built out of rendered aggregate that was brought in by horse and cart from Oberon, as well as stone. At the time, Charles was living in Wellington and working as the manager of the Commercial Bank and received esteemed visitors such as Banjo Paterson and Sir Henry Parkes, according to the National Trust.
When Abe first visited the property, he noted that the kitchen hadn’t undergone an update in almost 70 years. At the time of his visit, Jennie and Carl had already commenced restoration on the front of the house and some rooms.
The renovated kitchen, while bright and fresh and modern, features elements that reflect the heritage of the homestead, such as the Hafele Antique cup and knob handles. In creating this space, we used Polytec doors in a Casino style, painted in half strength polyurethane Vanilla Ice while the benchtop is a natural granite sourced by Jennie and Carl. Appliances such as the rangehood and dishwasher were concealed or integrated to enhance the heritage feel of the space. There are also many Kessebohmer clever storage solutions hidden in drawers and cupboards, including a Le Mans unit, a Salsa Pro Spice insert and a Cuisio Cutlery insert. Loox lighting features in the pantry and is also inlaid into colour matched panels under the overhead cabinetry.
We also drew inspiration from the homestead’s original fireplace when designing the custom mantlepiece. The size, shape and location of the mantlepiece were influenced by the fireplace that was originally installed in the kitchen but was removed as part of the modernisation of the space.
David Nolan from Webster Nolan Real Estate, who sold the property to its new owners, described the homestead as being “recognised for its quality and grandeur”. We have enjoyed working alongside Jennie and Carl to bring their incredible vision to life in restoring this beautiful homestead.
You will be able to view the episode of the ABC’s Restoration Australia featuring the transformation of the homestead here from October 25.
