The Winning Combination

When searching for a small acreage on the Central Coast near their workplace proved fruitless, the creative owners of this outstanding award-winning restoration decided to widen their search on the internet and discovered a 100-year-old cottage just begging for a revamp.

Being a builder and principle of Envogue Building, Mark and his wife Crystal Knapton, an interior designer, had no hesitation to acquire the cottage, originally built as the Elrington Mine Manager’s home. It is located near to the homes once allocated to the Mine Secretary and Mine Treasurer of the day.

Once, those men and their families working in this privileged position shared the luxury of a swimming pool and tennis court, however, when the mine closed in the 60s, the properties were sold individually. Mark and Crystal are the third owners in their cottage’s long life after acquiring the property as a deceased estate.

“When we first bought the property, it probably only had one small renovation done to it in the 60s,” Crystal says. “That was just to the kitchen. Otherwise it was all original to the 1920s.”

There had been strong touches of the 60s mission brown paint throughout the timber work which dominated renovations typically of the 60s era. However, this did not deter Mark and Crystal from creating an award-winning home befitting modern living in a sympathetic way to the residence’s history.

During the build the couple had fun reading the 1920s newspapers discovered in the walls as insulation. “To read, ‘You could get a cutlery set made in ivory for £2’, was amazing,”….

Story Marilyn Collins. Photography Top Snap Photography.