Our Katoomba Flat, review: Renovator's delight

Retro reno ... a hint of Denmark in Our Katoomba Flat, which is close to the Three Sisters.

Lenny Ann Low finds inspiration in the clever restoration and Scandi-chic decor of a 1950s flat in Katoomba.

When home renovations are stymied by time and budget, a weekend away can sometimes soothe the frustrated soul of a DIY renovator.

This is the sensation triggered upon entering Our Katoomba Flat, a 1950s two-bedroom unit in Katoomba's suburban streets. Inside a simple light-grey fibro building with curved edges is a refurbishment that is, above all, finished.

Here are polished floorboards, light-cream walls, elegant french doors and a cast-iron bath that are not halfway to completion. Unlike the projects we have left behind, the owners have managed to finish sanding, painting and scraping off old bits of masking tape to hang art works, position rugs, match furniture and fabrics and arrange neat piles of art, design and travel books and magazines here and there.

Perhaps, my feverish paint-splattered brain wonders, renovations can have a happy end.

There's a crisp, fresh feeling throughout this cute flat. Two bedrooms, both opening off the central hall, are painted in warm cream, with roman blinds above long lengths of sash windows that stretch around a corner. Natural light floods in.

The main bedroom, with views of the front garden - where trees are festooned with spring blossoms - is spacious and uncluttered. Arranged around our comfortable bed, amply dressed in fine linen, are standing and table lamps, a wooden rack with black fluffy towels, a retro round wicker chair, a circular side table, generous built-in wardrobe space and a Danish-style rosewood tallboy with a record player on top.

A handwritten note says it is awaiting repair, which is a pity as I've already selected albums by Yello, Ella Fitzgerald and Bach from the records stored below books and DVDs in the wardrobe.

The second bedroom is smaller and furnished with a flat-screen television, a fluffy red rug and more Danish and wicker furniture.

A chest of drawers reveals a bonanza of board games. The room's only drawback is a lack of side tables and privacy when the blinds are raised. Foliage blocks views of the adjoining apartment behind but it's not enough to shield a holiday-maker's pyjama-clad self from the house across the driveway.

But we're not here to fritter about the bedrooms. Dusk is falling and, hats and scarves on, we amble into a chilly evening fog for a walk to Echo Point.

One of Our Katoomba Flat's greatest attributes is its proximity to this world-renowned spot. In less than 10 minutes, we've strolled down the hill to the Three Sisters: standing 922, 918 and 906 metres. Moodily lit in amber tones, their pointy personages look lonely in the dark surroundings, particularly as, at this time of night, the regular droves of bussed-in tourists are absent.

We can't see much of the Jamison Valley beyond but return two days later for an easy five-kilometre bushwalk beside deep and vast views across the eucalyptus trees.

Back at the flat, my beloved lights the modern vent-free open fireplace. It's a striking red box with an opening for methylated spirits or denatured ethanol. We can't stop talking about it - its lack of a flue, the amount of heat it emits, the coolness (temperature and style) of its exterior. It generates great heat and flames but we're still cold enough to turn on electric heaters in the living room and bedrooms.

With the flames flickering, the chic living room looks fab. Decorated with olive and red Danish-style couch and armchairs (snazzy to look at but, sadly, tricky to lounge on), a fluffy white rug, a tall rocket-like fabric floor-lamp and pale-green curtains, it's far from the chintzy style you might expect in the Blue Mountains.

The flat's second television rests on a circular glass stand, with DVD player, video player, iPod dock and CD player.

Lovers of luxury and high-end design might feel let-down by the kitchen, however. Its art-deco credentials are authentic - unfussy cabinets, curved handles, Formica-topped counters - and almost every kitchen necessity is provided. The cupboards are full of interesting crockery, salad and mixing bowls, roasting dishes, cooking pots, grilling trays and saucepans. There is glassware for every occasion and a bevy of basic and exotic cooking ingredients that you wouldn't always pack for a weekend away.

Luxe-lovers will struggle, though, with the sticking kitchen drawers, the unflattering fluorescent light and a gas oven that won't ignite via its clicker mechanism no matter how hard we study the instructions in the flat's guide book.

We could drive to Solitary Restaurant up the road (a 30-minute bushwalk in daylight) or have cocktails and dinner at Avalon restaurant inside the old Savoy picture theatre in Katoomba's centre. But it's cosy here and the fog looks dicey for driving. We whip up a vegetable flan and fruit platter and eat at the glass dining table, warmed by the fireplace.

After a comfortable sleep, we're up and out at dawn to drive to Bathurst to watch a certain famous race. Returning in the evening with ringing ears and nearly four hours of driving behind us, it is a simple pleasure to light the fire, eat dinner in front of the television and fall into a big, comfortable bed. I'm restored enough to believe the house awaiting our return will someday feel the same.

Weekends Away are reviewed anonymously and paid for by Traveller.

VISITORS' BOOK

Our Katoomba Flat

Address Forster Road, Katoomba.

The verdict Smart and cute art-deco-decorated flat in a quiet street, minutes from bushland and a world-famous landmark.

Price $200 a night, $1400 a week, $490 a weekend (with a minimum two-night stay).

Bookings See stayz.com.au/50466.

Getting there Katoomba is about 110 kilometres (about a 90-minute drive) west of Sydney along the Great Western Highway.

Perfect for Bushwalking, sightseeing in the Blue Mountains, self-contained family holidays.

Wheelchair access No.