When searching for a place to call home on the Mid North Coast, Andrew and Toni Farrell’s wish list included a central location for their children and grandchildren. They were delighted to find this and so much more at Sovereign Hills. We caught up with the former Queenslanders in their new abode.
What inspired you to build your beautiful new home in The Heritage precinct at Sovereign Hills?
We had been researching available land on the Mid North Coast after falling in love with the area after a visit to our beautiful friend and her family in Lake Cathie. We saw the development and loved the way it was set out with walking trails, areas for families to play and surrounded by a band of trees. The images showed an amazing and vibrant community with a lovely shopping centre and plans for the future.
We had the opportunity to view the area briefly and loved the ambience of the place. Sitting in the open-air seating under the palms at Sovereign Place Town Centre, having a coffee and watching the happy people going by; we knew this was going to be our forever home. This was emphasised further when we returned to start looking for a builder when we called into the gift store and the amazing assistant remembered us by name.
How did you find the building journey with G.J. Gardner Homes?
When we were doing our research and looking for our builder we checked through all the homes on display. While many of the designs were beautiful, we wanted a very Coastal Hamptons style with quality finishes. We also wanted to work with a builder we could make a connection with and who would listen to our needs. We had a vision for our forever home as this was our fourth build together. We had the great fortune of meeting a delightful lady at the show home and she listened to the vision we were trying to describe. We later returned for another walk through and found the owner (Drewe Timewell) working in the display home that day with his youngest son in the office. He was easy to connect with and listened to our ideas. It was great to work with such a proud, family man.
We wanted to include a pool in our project and G.J. Gardner made the process easy. Drewe was also very accommodating as we wished to supply our own appliances and fittings. He was great to communicate with to make sure they were all made available on time for a seamless installation.
How would you describe your home style?
We had a vision of a very low maintenance Coastal Hamptons style and although it may not suit everyone, it has turned out to be true to our goal. We wanted a home that we would want to come home to and not have to spend all our downtime maintaining. We opted for some additional extras during construction but knew the end result would fit our dream. It is such a beautiful feeling to walk in through the door and to feel the wave of tranquility wash over you and know that yes, I am home.
Do you both have a favourite room in your home?
Our favourite room would have to be its heart - the kitchen. This is where we made some bold choices in our colour selection and supplied our own tapware, fittings and appliances, but it all came together beautifully. From the blue herringbone splashbacks to the stone bench tops and antique style tapware and fittings; it all looks amazing.
Everything works seamlessly with the cooking spices and trays located right next to the oven, the under-bench bins located right under the chopping board. We had a plan in mind and the finish was delivered to our expectation. Our other favourite space is our bedroom retreat, where we can sit back, relax and watch the water ripple on the pool.
So many of the homes finishing touches were the result of your handiwork, even the landscaping. That must feel really rewarding…
Toni is the one who really deserves the credit. She is a powerhouse who does not stop. While we were in our rental waiting for the land to be released and then for the build to finish, Toni was hard at work selecting the plants she wanted for our future home and repurposing our furniture to match her vision.
All the finishing touches have been carefully selected from local shops, op shops or brought with us after being carefully restored to match the new decor. Toni had to make our own sheer curtains and Roman blinds from scratch, we spent time together carefully making the board and batten panelling for the entry hall and bedroom retreat.
We wanted a home where we can relax after a hard day, to jump in the pool when we feel like it, to eat out on the alfresco or simply watch the world go by sipping a coffee on the front porch.
Our new favourite saying is that we are both "happier than happy" with the results.
Can you shed more light on why you chose to build your home at Sovereign Hills?
Although we did love the brochures which promised a master planned development, it is not until you actually spend some time here that you realise Sovereign Hills is well on the way to achieving just that. Sitting down in one of the many quality eateries, having a coffee and watching the smiles on the faces as the people go by makes you want to call this place home. We love the friendly nature of the people we have met and we would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.
What do you enjoy most about living at Sovereign Hills?
We love being able to go for an evening walk or just sit on our porch and chat with the lovely locals. We have already made a number of great friends simply by saying ‘hi’ and giving a smile as they pass by. We think it’s the range of people here that make our community what it is.
