Kristen Lovett’s hubby knew he’d have to put together the sales pitch of his real estate career to get his wife to agree to the purchase of their future home. Sitting at the top of The Great Dividing Range, the 1200-acre property was in extreme drought, the primary residence was an old farmhouse riddled with white ant damage … and the viewing was in the dead of winter.

But Kristen’s a woman after our own hearts - she saw the potential in the 150-year-old homestead and rose to the challenge of a mammoth renovation. They sealed the deal in 2020 and embarked on an 18-month journey to renovate and build their new family home.

Kristen Lovett is a familiar name in our Three Birds world, having graduated from both Reno School and Styling School… and now she’s a Fourth Bird too. #triplethreat

With a busy job and a side hustle as Uber driver for her two active kids, Athlyne Homestead is Kristen’s escape… her rural retreat.

BREATHING Athlyne Homestead BACK TO LIFE

In Kristen’s words

I come from the Northern Rivers and North Coast of New South Wales and have always been attracted to coastal homes with all-white interiors, but I knew I needed to honour the house’s origins and we are located a good three hours from the coast. So the Country Coastal Farmhouse was born.

Our project involved renovating the 150-year-old homestead and an extension to create a new living, dining, kitchen, master and ensuite. When we commenced the reno, it unearthed a lot of headaches, and the white ant damage was extensive. I’m not actually sure how it was standing - we had significant challenges. In hindsight, it would have been much cheaper and quicker to knock down and rebuild, but it would not have retained the soul and aesthetics of the home, so I am glad we kept it and persisted.

We worked with an architect who gave us great insight into designing around light, sun, and heat and taking advantage of the positioning of the house. Our builders were a local team from Tenterfield who built our first home in 2008, and the rest of our trades were a balance of friends, clients and trades we had worked with before. The build took 18 months, and we finally moved in two years after our initial purchase, in October 2022.

“The homestead has only had four other owners before our family, and I am sure if the walls could talk, we would be amazed at the lives it has housed here. Since renovating it, I have had snippets of stories, but I am keen to find its history.”

WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE TRANSFORMATION. TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE SPACE:

My favourite room is the main bedroom and that incredible picture window, as well as the living area with the beautiful beams and large glass doors and glass gable.

Heating is important in Tenterfield so we have ducted air as well as two wood heaters. The original open fireplaces are more for show than practicality. When we came to renovate them, the removal of wallpaper led us to a rendered wall with nothing to work with under the render. My tile supplier located this brick cladding which is thin sheets of brick laid like tiles rather than traditional blocks. It looks like the real thing and is another feature I love.

All the planning, designing, and the hours spent perfecting a vision and then following it through to a finished product have all paid off. To be honest, there is something I love in every room, and I am so in love with our home. On completion, we now have five bedrooms, an office, two bathrooms and a powder room, two living areas and a large open kitchen and dining.

I can honestly say that the vision board process of the Three Birds’ courses is the most beneficial and vital in the whole renovation process, and reflecting on my boards today, our build stayed on course and reflects these boards perfectly. At any time when I was unsure about a selection or was changing a tile or some other detail, I would refer to my board.

KRISTEN’S COMPASS - The Vision Board for Athlyne Homestead

“It was a challenging journey, but as I sit in my beautiful home today, all of that feels like a distant and insignificant memory (a bit like the pain of childbirth - quickly forgotten!)”

WHAT MADE YOU SIGN UP FOR OUR THREE BIRDS COURSES?

I have always been drawn to Three Birds and their designs, not to mention their incredibly savvy business sense and wicked sense of humour. We’ve previously renovated a house, built a new house, and renovated two offices, but when we were getting ready to do this large reno, it made sense to touch up on my skills, project management and sass, to get this one across the line with the least amount of stress and to enjoy the process.

I began creating Pinterest boards of inspo for what I wanted in my dream and forever home. I had also followed Three Birds for some time as I loved their style and builds and decided this would be the point that I signed up for Reno School and then Styling School. I knew I would have the team around me to help in the build, but I wanted inspo and to know how to pull together all the ideas I had in my head without sounding like the mad hatter.

I also love the amazing Three Birds community. Honestly, that is what makes the course - being able to throw something into the Reno School community 'ring' and then get a flurry of responses and helpful tips and advice. It’s just gold.

Follow Kristen and see more of her gorgeous homestead: @athlyne.homestead