TV presenter Alana Lowes is bringing global travel chic to her dream home
A transformational home makeover with plenty of handy design tips.
When TV presenter Alana Lowes set out to buy a house in Brisbane 10 years ago, she knew not only the suburb she wanted to live in but also the precise street that would deliver the westerly sunset views she loves.
“When our house came up for sale, I remember sending the link through to my husband and saying ‘this is the house that we’re going to buy’,” Lowes recalls.
A food and lifestyle presenter with Channel 7, and ambassador for online removalist platform Muval, Lowes bought the same unwavering sense of certainty to the renovation of the 1926 Queenslander property.
Positioned on a large 810sq m block in the leafy suburb of Bardon, the original two-bedroom dwelling presented the perfect canvas for Lowes and her geologist husband, Rob O’Leary, to create their “forever” home – a generous light-filled five-bedroom, three-bathroom house with a warm and welcoming air.
“We needed a totally unrenovated house because we had so many different ideas that we wanted to put in there,” the former MasterChef contender says.
“We’d seen so many houses before we bought this; we really knew the kind of style that we wanted and what we wanted to achieve from the renovation – like a split-level step-down into a nice big, open kitchen and living area with high ceilings at the back of the house.
“Plus, we wanted big, open windows and bi-fold doors to create the sort of indoor-outdoor living you can have in Queensland.”
Also high on the couple’s renovation wish list was a deep rear deck to capture sunset views over Mount Coot-tha, a swimming pool, and a bespoke cellar to showcase a vintage French wine rack Lowes had given O’Leary as a gift.
Having found a pair of secondhand Art Deco doors, the couple decided their renovated property should feature only reclaimed doors and windows, apart from the rear bifolds.
The couple lived in the property for a year before beginning an 18-month renovation which transformed the home while still maintaining the intrinsic charm of a Queenslander.
“A lot of people say they can’t even tell where the old house finishes and where the new renovation starts because it’s just so seamlessly integrated,” Lowes says.
On the front verandah, an impressive antique front door sourced from a Victorian mansion now opens to reveal a grand 2.8m-wide entry hall, decorated with old French lights, reclaimed plaster ceiling roses and a mix of original and replicated fretwork and archways.
On one side of the hallway, the house has been extended to create the couple’s bedroom, with a bay window, ensuite and walk-in robe. On the other, the original kitchen has become an oversized bathroom with beautiful imported tiles, marble basins and rustic brass hardware.
Lowes’ creativity is also apparent in the bedrooms of the couple’s children – six-year-old Florence’s room features delightful Moroccan boho decor, while four-year-old Walter enjoys a whimsical jungle safari theme.
Off the hallway, a large statement glass-walled climate-controlled cellar now accommodates O’Leary’s treasured wine rack and a growing wine collection.
But without question, the highlight of the home is the open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, a magnificent 13m-wide room featuring soaring 4.2m-high ceilings decorated with a series of reclaimed pressed metal panels.
An eye-catching antique chandelier hangs in the middle of the space, which connects to the back deck.
In the kitchen, cabinetry is painted in a French-style dusty green, offset by dark granite benchtops selected by Rob. An impressive 1.5m- wide stove and oven stands as testament to Lowes’ love of entertaining.
“For me, the kitchen really is the heart of the home,” says Lowes, who nominates the open-plan area as her favourite feature.
“I wanted a place where I could be working in the kitchen and people could congregate, sitting around the island bench or outside.”
Throughout the house, French and Moroccan influences are mixed with traditional characteristics of a Queenslander, such as V-joint panelling and picture rails.
Many decorative pieces in the home were picked up during the couple’s holidays, and Lowes describes the home’s decor as having a “bit of a global travel feel”.
“It’s definitely eclectic,” she says.
Artwork includes pieces they collected in Bali and Marrakesh, as well as a colourful print of a bird by Tasmanian artist Mandy Renard. Lowes smiles as she recalls how she and O’Leary admired the Tasmanian work so much that they unwittingly bought each other a copy as a Christmas gift.
While the home delivers all the features on the couple’s wish list, Lowes is also thrilled by something completely unplanned – a set of French doors that open directly from her ensuite to the front verandah, enabling her to leave the house for early morning runs without disturbing her sleeping children.
The clever positioning of the doors was unintentional, becoming “a bonus after the fact”.
“We were like ‘wow this has been the best idea that we’ve ever had – without realising it!’,” she laughs.
