Deb Bibby first encountered this family home as a neighbour, as she used to live next door! At the time, she explains ‘it was an ugly duckling covered in plastic mock bricks.’
The property was built in 1926 by Sir Arthur Alfred Clements Cocks, and has only had four owners – clearly once people move in, they don’t want to leave. This is certainly true for Deb, who describes ‘we walked in and fell in love. Kaboom!’
While Deb immediately removed those ‘ugly duckling’ bricks to reveal Jarrah boards wrapped around the entire home – further renovations to the house took a little longer. She explains ‘an architect friend told me to live it a year before renovating… we ended up living in it for 20 years before we renovated!’
After well-and-truly getting to know the feel of the home and appreciate its rich history, the house underwent a major overhaul four years ago. Deb explains ‘the house was lifted completely intact (with all of its furniture) 1.2 metres into the air, and we built a bedroom and bathroom underneath!
In addition to this elevating experience, a garage was rebuilt in the original 1926 location, and a studio was designed to match the materials and craftsmanship of the historic home. Deb describes ‘the new studio connects to the house via the deck, which now creates a beautiful courtyard feel.’
Inside, the home has a timeless sensibility, styled with a delightful mish-mash of eclectic artwork, antiques and classic design pieces, collected over a lifetime. The palette here is muted and primarily neutral, with tiny pops of green, dirty pink and orange adding moments of intrigue to a backdrop of Dulux Natural White. For Deb, favourite pieces include artwork and objects collected on her travels – such as the small green landscape painting by Jessica Falstein above the master bed, which was the first piece of art Deb purchased when visiting New York in her 20s.
This divine family home provides an inspiring and stimulating environment for Deb and her equally creative son, Jack. She enthuses ‘I swear being here makes you creative, I think it’s the light and being up in the trees – nature literally blows into the living room, and the birds are deafening.’
