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Buying this 1977 kit home among the trees was a dream come true for artist Adam Lee’s grandmother, who purchased the New Gisborne property in 1989.
Over time, the log cabin became less suitable for Adam’s gran and her husband’s needs, so they built a separate cottage on the same 10-acre property, and began renting the original home out to family.
Laurine Lee grew up in Melbourne and had no desire to live in the country, until she married Adam, who longed for the space and solitude of his upbringing in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges.
The couple agreed to move, at first temporarily, but they never looked back. ‘Within six months I was converted… but your first Macedon Ranges winter is always the coldest!’ says Laurine.
Adam and Laurine rented in town before moving to the log cabin in 2008. A planned two-year stint soon became a permanent move, and they officially purchased the property from Adam’s grandmother in 2016.
The log cabin had been haphazardly updated over the years and was now in need of extensive repairs and restoration.
The initial plan was for a new kitchen, followed by room-by-room updates, although this soon proved impossible. ‘Unfortunately we very quickly uncovered the domino effect of renovating dreams (the floor! the ceiling!) and we had to accept the fact that we would just have to wait until one day we could move out and do it all in one go,’ Laurine says.
In 2022, the family finally set out on a complete rebuild of the home. Over five months, the interior was demolished, and the original walls rebuilt.
Any changes made to the home were based on years of conversations with Laurine’s architect dad and other talented designer friends (in exchange for an Adam Lee painting!)
‘We decided that we didn’t want to change the house layout much at all, we just wanted to improve what we had and keep with the feeling of the original home,’ says Laurine. ‘Because we lived here for 14 years before we renovated, we knew the house better than anyone.’
A neutral base of slate flooring, timber ceilings, and white walls was carried throughout the new interiors, with the exception of the calming Dulux Spores green en suite.
The family’s personality shines in the selection of art, which includes many of Adam’s own incredible works, and those collected through trades with other artists.
‘We designed many of our walls with specific works in mind,’ says Laurine. ‘Everywhere you turn it’s another piece of us and our journey together as a couple and as a family.’
The furniture is just as personal to Laurine, who has inherited and commissioned many pieces to honour family members.
The new Jardan items and Mark Tuckey table are the result of many years saving, and numerous showroom visits, before arriving at the perfect pieces.
‘It was a huge investment for us but we believe in Australian design and we choose to support local wherever we can. In our case that meant living with hand me down furniture for the better part of two decades!’
The rebuilt home is a dream realised for Laurine and Adam, that continues their family legacy on the New Gisborne property.
Adam Lee’s next solo exhibition at Station opens July 20. Adam’s work can also be seen in the upcoming exhibition Old Stories New Magic at Maitland Regional Art Gallery.
