mission house

An inner city suburb home once owned by the ‘Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions’, this property has been admired by many for the wonderful gardening skills of the Nuns and their ‘warm’ and inviting home. On their retirement the property was sold, the gardens stripped and it was rented out. I purchased the house a year or two later and worked along with family to rejuvenate this special property and bring it back to life. I had already developed a large villa in the area using a strong base of colour – initially there was shock from some in the neighbourhood, however once completed it was met with a great response. In addition, I had just returned from a long hot holiday in Europe and in hindsight, I feel this may also have had an effect on me of trying to recreate warmth.

So with a passion for colour and texture, we decided on colours for their warmth and vitality. The same colours and theme were then also used in the grounds. The gardens were re-landscaped and restructured, fences developed and plants chosen to enhance these colours. Some existing materials were recycled, including the original picket fence, which was uplifted and placed into the new plaster fence. Local artisans were commissioned to design new features to sit sympathetically alongside the gate and stained glass windows that were manufactured in complementary colours.