Soul of Gerringong: From tired-looking farmhouse to coastal chic getaway

Perfectly positioned between Kiama and Berry on the South Coast of NSW, Gerringong, with its stunning headlands, surfing beaches and quintessential beach town is the backdrop to SOUL of Gerringong; a tired-looking farmhouse turned coastal chic getaway.

After nine months of renovating, husband-and-wife team Ben Mathews (builder) and Simone Mathews (interior designer) launched SOUL of Gerringong.

Within four weeks, the property was completely booked out and social media was going crazy for its luxe interiors which paired barefoot sophistication with beach vibes.

Less than two years later, the couple have opened The SOUL Cottage, an old butcher’s shop turned boutique getaway; SOUL Home, an information platform and online course for holiday property owners; and are currently working on the third property, The SOUL Beach House.

“We’re inspired by incredible holiday homes – ones that have some fun and break the rules,” says Simone.

“When Ben and I first met, he told me he wanted to run a caravan park, but it wasn’t until after my first trip to Byron Bay, that I started to become interested and inspired to create something of our own.”

After stumbling upon the farmhouse, the Mathews family – Simone, Ben and their four sons – made what was meant to be a “temporary” move to Gerringong from their home in Cronulla, a beachside suburb in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire.

“We were on the South Coast for a friend’s 40th birthday weekend, and I noticed one of the original Gerringong farmhouses, and it was love at first sight. I felt like I breathed out for the first time in a very long time and told Ben we had to buy it,” Simone says.

“From the first inspection, the character in the original floorboards, the panelled walls, and the property in general, had us sold.

“The size of the block, over 2000 square metres, was the other key selling point, as we knew the potential of what we could create.”

The farmhouse was completely stripped and restored, and the rear section of the house was demolished, except for the stone fireplace, the property’s signature feature.

The couple added the barn and cabana spaces by reusing the original windows, flooring and timber walls from the farmhouse, retaining the same character throughout.

The second build, The SOUL Cottage, was one of the original barns in town and once a local butcher’s shop, and it too was restored as much as possible to the building’s original charm.

As for the styling across both properties, Simone used her 70/20/10 ratio rule; 70 per cent coastal, 20 per cent classic, and 10 per cent bohemian.

“This is my key to creating properties with feeling,” she says.

“My vision was to pay homage to the original 1800s farmhouse while adding my touches – inspired by my love of Byron and Bali. I had a lot of fun working on this project, with many rules broken, but it’s what makes it so special.”

In November 2017, the couple opened the SOUL of Gerringong to an audience who had been following their renovation journey on social media.

The duo posted not only about the Gerringong lifestyle but how the build and styling came together, which in 2018 went on to include the build of The SOUL Cottage.

“We create properties that are unique to the area, we understand who our target market is, and most importantly, we make some noise about what we are creating,” says Simone.

“We didn’t create a holiday property and then wait for our potential guests to find it. I shared the journey on social media, ultimately selling the holiday feeling, so by launch time we had a following that wanted to experience SOUL for themselves.”

As for what’s next on the SOUL journey, “our family of six love Gerringong and the relaxed way of life. Currently, we’re on the search for our ‘forever home’ in a location right beside the ocean.”