Blissful Sandy Bay Airbnb is the perfect spot to relax and reset
A stay at this luxurious, gorgeous Sandy Bay Airbnb with its sunny dining nook, cosy lounge and cast-iron claw-foot bath offers guests a cocoon-like oasis and makes the perfect place to unwind
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If Sandy Bay Airbnb owner Julie Willis only had one word to describe the feeling that she hopes her guests will experience while staying in her apartment, The Binney, it would be “cocooned”.
Thanks to a major renovation – which has taken full advantage of the apartment’s northern sunny outlook, peaceful river and mountain views – as well as a classy and meticulous styling edit, that’s exactly what she’s achieved.
From the sun-filled dining nook with its rendered, lime-washed walls to the toasty gas fire, warm black paint scheme and soft, modern light fittings in the lounge, the entire apartment exudes warmth.
However, Julie – a homewares, retailer and interiors stylist – says it wasn’t always that way, as when she and her husband Craig first purchased the property as a way to help their son Jackson get into the Hobart property market, the place was unrecognisable.
She says after finding the two-bedroom apartment, she took her husband and son along for an inspection of the flat – which is one of four in a 1950s-built red brick block – to see what they thought.
“The boys walked in and I could just tell by the looks on their faces that they thought I was crazy to even suggest buying it. It was a complete mess. It hadn’t been touched since it was first built in the 1950s, and it had the dodgiest looking rooms!” she says.
“It was so ugly but it was in such a beautiful position and I could see it had potential. It had that sun factor. And I thought ‘if I could just knock out a wall here and there’, and turn what was once a pokey little bedroom into an extended kitchen with a sunlit dining nook that makes the most of the natural light and view, I could transform this place into something really special.”
Fortunately Julie’s boys trusted her vision and how she was able to see beyond the old-fashioned paint scheme, faded curtains, beige carpet and the bathroom’s dated pink pedestal wash basin, daggy lino and chipped tiles.
“It really was a labour of love. But once we’d rendered the walls, knocked out a wall between one of the bedrooms and really opened the place up to let the light flood in and then gave it its first coat of new paint, the whole place was transformed,” Julie explains.
We stayed at The Binney in late September, in the middle of the week for a couple of nights when the warm spring weather had turned back to winter for a few days and Hobart was in the grip of an unseasonal cold snap.
Even though we don’t live that far from town ourselves, my husband and I planned to use our mini-break at the city bolthole to explore the area with some walks through the streets of Sandy Bay.
However, on the first night of our stay, once we got inside the apartment and settled down on the couches, it was so warm and comfy we didn’t want to leave. Once the gas fire had been ignited, the beautiful cotton pendant lights were all aglow and I had a glass of complimentary wine in hand, the rooms were so toasty and snug and I didn’t want to go anywhere. So we didn’t.
The gas fire, which Julie tells me took three attempts to lift into the apartment by crane – due to the height of the room – ended up being quite an expensive part of the reno, but once it was in place she knew she’d made the right choice.
“There are lots of gas fires out there which look quite artificial but this one looks real and throws off a really nice heat,” she says.
And I can attest to that, as during our stay the toasty fire was the perfect spot to back up to and escape the cold Hobart night air.
The beautifully styled and comfortable lounge and dining areas are also set apart by their soft, organic linen furnishings as well as several key pieces of furniture such as the vintage sideboard, leather armchair and French bistro table, which were all sourced from Tasmanian antique stores such as the Drill Hall Emporium, in New Norfolk, and the Jardin Room, in Oatlands.
Julie says she gathered many of The Binney’s other unique pieces – such as the authentic bentwood chairs which are perfect for sitting around the French bistro table – from her personal collections, which she has sourced over many years.
She has also decorated the apartment with loads of furnishings, including the eclectic gold Indian pots, cotton pendant light shades and rugs, from the range she stocks in her stylish Sandy Bay homewares store Wesley & Willis.
Natural touches such as the dried wreath above the fireplace and dried hydrangeas, in vases dotted around the pad, are also sourced from her Gregory St store.
The apartment’s two bedrooms are also great spots for resting up and relaxing.
The master bedroom has a super comfortable large bed fitted out with soft, organic European linens, and the walls are adorned with charcoal-coloured pressed tin. While the antique, freestanding cast-iron, claw-foot bath is a really special touch.
The second bedroom has an equally comfy bed but has the added bonus of a cute custom-made daybed complete with a stunning view down to the river and over Wrest Point, that is a great cosy spot for reading.
The Binney is the perfect place for couples to head to for a romantic escape to relax, unwind and reset, or it could be equally as good for singles, or two couples to base themselves while exploring the city.
The Binney is close to town, a 10-minute drive from the heart of the city and about a 20-minute walk to Salamanca Market in one direction, or a half-an-hour walk to Lower Sandy Bay for a coffee or walk in the pretty parklands surrounding Nutgrove Beach.
That is if you want to leave the apartment at all, as after you step inside and discover the cocoon-like oasis that this lovely little spot offers, I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t.
The author was a guest of The Binney.
MAKE A NOTE
The Binney is located in Sandy Bay, about a 5-10 minute drive from the heart of Hobart.
The two-bedroom apartment, which can accommodate up to four guests, starts from $360 per night.
There is a minimum two-night stay.
To book or for further information search for Sandy Bay Holiday Rentals & Homes on Airbnb or follow @the_binney and @wesleyandwillis on Instagram.
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