Artist and researcher Lucy Hersey and husband Nathan seem to have found the perfect balance of city living and weekend escape, in this tiny nook of a cabin in regional Victoria. Three years ago the couple built their miniature getaway, despite admitting to lacking any real construction know how! Lucy describes how the pair ‘had to learn how to do everything for the first time on site’. Between Youtube clips and phone calls to tradie mates, the pair cobbled together the skills required to build this cosy cabin. And it’s such beauty!
Lucy explains that the ‘style’ of the home emerged organically, as the cabin is ‘just filled with things we love.’ There’s a touch of 1970’s Australian craft movement about the place, with an emphasis on raw timber and ceramic details, and mostly second-hand furniture. The couple loves recycling for ethical reasons, but also cherish the experience of fossicking through the op-shops and occasionally striking gold!
Despite the limited footprint, the space is fully adorned with lovingly selected artworks, ceramics, and cosy details – we especially love the hand-crocheted blanket (a bedroom destined for the pages of Frankie ‘SPACES’, surely!?). Lucy’s own stunning earthy toned artworks are hung on the walls, alongside those of her friends Candice McGaw, Andy Murray and Sarah Dingwall. ‘I try to buy pieces from artists I have a relationship with already. Buying work from people you know and love adds that extra dimension to a special piece,’ Lucy describes.
‘I love waking up in the morning and drinking a coffee in the loft bed, looking out at the view, and snuggling down by the fire in winter after being out in the cold and wind all day’ Lucy enthuses. The tiny kitchen is a favourite spot, where she can peer out of the cabin window to watch the cows grazing, and in summer the couple love to entertain friends on the deck.
If this all sounds a little TOO idyllic, Lucy is upfront about the realities of the property! The cabin has no bathroom, and electricity is occasionally powered by a generator, but Lucy makes these limitations seem romantic – ‘we live by candlelight and battery lights most of the time. It is nice to be forced to slow down, collect firewood, be thoughtful about your use of resources and feel self-sufficient.’ There are plans for a permaculture garden, olive grove and native flower plantation – has a low-energy-and-impact lifestyle ever looked so good?!
