Moving into a home more than 100 years old does not come without its challenges or tests. Paying homage to the past while respecting its history is crucial, but a functional home, fit for 21st century living - not just a time capsule - is equally as important. Blending the two, while removing any out of context additions from previous owners is the name of the game. Alpine Lodge in Healesville is finally ready for its big reveal.
Good things take time and grand old homes take a little bit longer - just ask Alpine Lodge’s owner Megan Ruedegger. Most of us are familiar with Grand Designs, taking in the show with equal doses of schadenfreude and joy. We watch as ambitious owners risk it all for the home of their dreams, as months turn into rainy winters and then years, spirits are buoyed by incremental successes and (hopefully) a satisfying final reveal. It’s a rollercoaster for the viewer, let alone the owners and builders.
“I was really excited by the potential, but she was in state of disrepair and needed a lot of TLC,” says Megan, “I was actually quite daunted by what needed to be done and the scope of works ahead, but I love Grand Designs and this was one of those projects for me!”
Alpine Lodge sits atop a hill in Healesville. Sweeping views of the nearby mountains and a magnificent north-east aspect are a gentle reminder of the importance of having your home positioned high on a country hill 110 years ago. Beautiful morning light is only matched by the continued sunshine that arcs its way over the property throughout the day. For better or worse, time is what this home was given, with renovations beginning in 2016.
“Like any good Grand Designs episode, it has taken us 7 years to get to the kitchen,” laughs Megan - a good sense of humour and an ability to see the forest for the trees has been a strong ally in the years that have passed.
What time has provided, however, was the ability to live in the house, watch the sun, ponder movement, lifestyle and functionality. Materiality, colour and texture would follow and along with colleague, friend and Interior Designer, Sean Oldfield of Westwood Designs, Alpine Lodge would come together with a wonderful, considered, thematic palette that pays homage to the era and landscape.
In the kitchen, the design duo began by establishing their materials and colours, looking to set the correct historical tone. Laminex and Surround by Laminex profiled products were finished in Dulux Serpent, the Dulux Colour Match for Laminex Possum. A muted green-brown, Serpent's warm undertones provide the perfect link to the surrounding scenery, while complementing the floorboards and amazing Calacatta Matarazzo benchtop and splashbacks, from Victoria Stone Gallery, that would complete the kitchen in so many ways.
“It’s quite dramatic, but I love the way it plays with the tone and colours of the boards,” says Megan of her choice of stone.
Surround by Laminex has been used extensively throughout the home, taking the Classic VJ 100 profile to soften large expanses and give stunningly subtle interest where appropriate - particularly effective in rooms with high ceilings such as this. Laminex Profiled Cabinetry Sheets using the Classic VJ 100 profile were used on the central fridge-freezer-pantry stack, along with the rangehood and island back. It’s a modern-classic aesthetic that does so well to bridge the origins of the home and its current life without ever feeling out of context or a design idea too far.
Cabinetry (all by LJL Cabinetry) in the kitchen uses Laminex White in AbsoluteMatte to bring a little 21st century tech into the home. Stain and fingerprint resistant - perfect for any big family - its non-reflective qualities in a bright part of the house make it the choice par excellence.
“It was the scale of it,” remembers Sean, “and we were playing with different heights and pattern, and getting things like the profiled cabinetry, sheet profiles and the Surround to all work together and make a hero of them, but at the same time, having that beautiful stone in there to really bring the whole space to life. Everything had to be on a larger scale just to fit the proportions of the property. I think the ceiling is over three meters tall, so there’s just more of everything.”
Megan and Sean honoured the history of Alpine Lodge as much as possible, and to walk the rooms and the space, you be hard-pressed to fault that claim, but floorplans just aren’t what they were 100 years ago. The kitchen wasn’t the centre of the home as it is today - Megan talks of how she, her husband Marc and their four kids can all be sharing different parts of the room: two helping out with the cooking while two finish homework at the island. Once hidden away, it now looks out over the Alpine landscape, bringing the outside in, bringing an old gem back into the light.
“We reinstated the original architraves and the cornices, re-stained and repaired the floors. In projects like this, you’re more like a custodian, the next chapter in the story,” explains Sean.
There’s no doubt that 7 years sounds like a long time - even Kevin McCloud would agree with that - but with dedication comes rewards and Megan, and her family, are now living proof of that commitment. Alpine Lodge is a living, breathing testament to the historical property Megan sought and the stubbornness, drive and sense of humour it takes to get you there.
“We began in 2016 with the most urgent - the two bathrooms - and it spiralled from there!” laughs Megan. “We finished the kitchen last year,” before sheepishly adding, “but, we’re still tinkering.”
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Credits:
Design: Design: Megan Ruedegger (Homeowner) and Sean Oldfield (Westwood Designs)
Photographer: James Geer
Cabinetry: LJL Cabinetry
Interior Stylist: Natalie James
Stonemasonry: The Benchtop Factory
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