Lynda Gardener has a knack for interiors, born out of her years of collecting for her former Albert Park emporium Empire Vintage, now combined with her interior decorating firm Gardener and Marks. We featured her Melbourne apartment The White Room earlier this year, and now it's time to introduce her new newest boutique getaway, The Estate at Trentham, just outside Melbourne. Prepare for a twinge of country living envy...



What prompted your foray to Trentham?
I was looking for the right 'home' to turn into accommodation for perhaps a year, when one day this house appeared while I was lying in bed flicking through the upcoming open for inspections. I turned to my partner and said, 'We have to see this one.' We made the appointment and we literally walked in the door and gave each other the 'eye' of approval. We bought it that night - I have taken longer to buy a pair of shoes! The decision was unanimous.  The town also is just post card picture perfect - it's picturesque, a very boutique town with just the right amount of stores, a gorgeous well known country restaurant, one great pub and the best kitchen store.



Did your decorating style change for a country setting? 
My decorating style did change slightly for this house but only in the sense of 'gut feeling' for the space.  When I did the White House 8 years ago in Daylesford, I wanted lots of vintage components, darker colours and a very authentic cosy space. This house is more airy, light and bright, with windows and verandahs all around the house, with big herb gardens, fruit trees and a barn. I just wanted to do a slightly more Nordic version with lighter woods, furniture, big wool rugs in browns, creams, natural linens, and greys and whites.



Did you source for this project, or draw on your existing vintage collections? 
I sourced solely for this house but I do always have a good packed storage of vintage items to access in my warehouse in the city.



How important is the garden to the project?  
The garden is as important as the house for this project.  The house is not huge but comes with such a beautiful lay out of house and surrounds (there's a map on the website). We have a gardener working part time every single week to maintain the herbs and vegetables as we want guests to enjoy picking and cooking from the garden whilst staying for a weekend or more. It's about sharing the house and gardens with guests so they too have a true getaway experience in the country side. We have an original potato pickers shed which has been turned into the third bedroom - it was used by the pickers to stay in whilst harvesting and even has an original fire place.  We turned it into one bedroom facing into the garden with its own private bathroom, and possibly it's the stand-out room of the house now.

I love that I too can enjoy the space to relax and get away from the city, sit and even have a picnic in my own backyard. To me that is pretty special.



Images by Lisa Cohen.

Find out more at www.theestatetrentham.com.au or follow on Instagram @theestatetrentham