The Design Files: Inside the impressive country retreat of the Schiavello family

Who:  The Schiavello family (Peter and Natalie Schiavello, Anton and Bonnie Schiavello)

Where: Central Victoria

What: Grand country homestead

This 400-hectare property in Molesworth, in the upper wine region of Central Victoria, is the impressive country retreat of the Schiavello family.

Peter and Natalie Schiavello (of furniture design, construction and property group Schiavello Group) share the rural homestead with Anton Schiavello (design and marketing director of the furniture business) and Bonnie, Anton’s wife and the company’s marketing manager.

The family bought this impressive property in 2006, and undertook significant renovations in 2010. Originally designed by the office of Walter Burley Griffin and built in 1926, Peter and Natalie updated the home four years after buying, with sympathetic renovations to the kitchen, living and dining areas.

The homestead connects the past and present by allowing original interior features to inform the character of the new extension.

New windows, joinery and red brick fireplaces were treated with the same colour palette as the original building, while Tasmanian oak floorboards and ornamental wall and ceiling features were also modelled on the original homestead.

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A new extension follows the formal qualities of the existing home, with A-frame ceilings and dramatic windows drawing the eye to the rolling hills, vineyard and Mount Concord.

“The vineyard and gardens was an important feature, allowing us to feel connected with the outdoors whenever we are inside,” Bonnie says.

The original wrap-around verandah was reinstated, and continued along the extension.

An outdoor fireplace warms cool nights, and the family’s passion for great food and wine inspired the addition of an underground, naturally cooled wine cellar.

At the heart of the home sits an extendable dining table designed by Peter, made from solid oak. The table was built to seat 26 people to accommodate the generous family dinners often hosted here.

The property also includes a functioning vineyard, Gioiello Estate, which recognises the past generations of the Schiavello family who worked a property named Gioiello, or “the Jewel” in Italian. Planted between 1987 and 1996, it accounts for just under nine hectares of the property.

For second-generation custodians Anton and Bonnie, the family homestead provides respite from busy city life.

The Design Files guide to furnishing a retreat

The joy of a weekender is that it can be everything a day-to-day home is not. As a temporary retreat, it offers permission to be a little ad-hoc, and to get back to basics.

• A weekender should be designed around rest, relaxation and connection with family. Arrange seating to encourage conversation and lose the TV, if possible.
• Prioritise comfort – couches should be deep and generous in scale, hard flooring should be layered with soft rugs for comfort.
• Choose upholstery with loose, washable covers, so you can relax about pets, children and feet on the furniture.
• Food is a powerful vehicle for bringing people together – invest in a big, robust dining table.

Planning your next home update? Discover more interior design ideas here