At home with. . . Aaron Bourne
We absolutely love a sneak peak into someone else’s home, especially when they look this stunning. In our most recent Spring newspaper, Aaron Bourne, the stylish owner of Harold's Finishing Touches, invited us into his beautiful cottage in South Toowoomba, full of plants, natural history curiosities and coffee table books – lots of coffee table books!
1-November 2022
Photography by Morgan Smith
Q. WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING FOR IN YOUR HOME?
When we were looking for a home we wanted to find a characterfilled old house with a large garden. For us it was more about the size of the block rather than the house, so space and land was the key factor. Ideally we wanted a garden full of beautiful established trees and plants, however we ended up with a completely blank slate in the garden, which turned out perfectly for us creating a whole new garden from the ground up.
Q. HOW DOES YOUR HOME'S DESIGN ENHANCE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE?
We just love the size and scale of the rooms. We didn't want a huge house; we just wanted a beautiful home that had lovely bones and proportions. The house has a lovely relaxing feel, it feels airy and light and it has a lovely flow from inside to out. We spend most of our time in the garden so all the doors are always open and we flow from inside to out.
Q. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE AESTHETIC OF YOUR HOME?
Our home is a collection of things we love. We are bower birds, so we like to collect beautiful things. Collections of beautiful natural history curiosities and sculpture and piles of inspiring books fill the shelves and tables, as well as lots of treasures from the store that I simply can't let go of! Our walls are a curation of colourful surrealist art.
Q. WHAT’S THE BEST INVESTMENT YOU’VE MADE IN YOUR HOME?
The whole garden I feel is the best investment. It’s an investment in time and lifestyle, having planted thousands of plants and lots and lots of trees the garden will continue to reward us for years to come. It has improved our lifestyle beyond measure, we spend so much time outside in the garden and tending to the garden is honestly the best ‘therapy’ you could ask for.
Internally the renovation of our ensuite was our best investment thus far; underfloor heating was an absolute game changer.
Q. WHAT ARE YOUR RENOVATION PLANS?
We have plans to do the kitchen, laundry and main bathroom next.
Q. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD?
I love our neighbourhood in South Toowoomba; it is full of character-filled homes that are being lovingly restored. Its close to everything we need, and yet feels very quiet and ‘undiscovered’.
Most importantly for us there are generous large blocks and beautiful street trees. In spring the whole neighbourhood fills with Snow Pear Blossoms and it really is a magical sight.
