At the time when Peter and Abigail first bought ‘Clair House’ it was a typical early 1900’s farm house that over the years has been altered and renovated by several previous owners and whilst most of the changes worked, there were some that were clearly specific to the owner of the day! However it had a certain charm that Peter and Abigail felt that they could work with and so they set out to transform the house into the Grand Manor, that Clair House is today. The theme for the huge renovations was to create an old style Australian Manor House of the type you would see on large Stations.

The Grand Manor comprises 5 large bedrooms, four bathroom/ensuites, powder room, huge award winning kitchen, walk-in butlers pantry, family room, separate lounge, formal dining room and a large drawing room that can be utilised as an office, theatre or billiards room. Add to this loads of storage space, including attic access via stairs, two person spa, four person Swedish sauna, 3m decorative ceilings and cornices and life becomes very grand indeed.

The following will take you on a journey through the 60sq’s of living space, which is surrounded on all sides by 3m wide verandas, making a total under roof area of approximately 90sq’s. With that size,10mm of rain delivers 9,000litres of drinking water!

Front Entrance and Hall

Of course in the country friendly neighbours generally will come to your back door to see if you are home but a grand manor still needs a grand front entrance. To keep within the theme Peter and Abigail wanted to retain the grand heritage look and therefore commissioned a Ballarat based artist to create the imposing front entrance from recycled timber. The entrance leads into the imposing front hall which was designed to complete the ‘wow’ factor for new guests. The colours for the house were chosen on an Australian theme and the dusk yellow in the entrance hall represents the broad sandy dunes.

Formal Dining

Off to the right of the front entrance is the formal dining room. The  location was chosen to enable dinner guests to  access the dining  room  via the front entrance without needing to be ‘walked’ through  the  everyday living areas. As will be shown later, there is a guest  bathroom  and a large drawing room/library/office also adjacent to the  dining room  so that guests can be formally entertained before and  after dinner and  have ease of access for a comfort break. The deep  colour was chosen  to represent the red interiors of Australia invoking  warmth on those cool  winter nights. The expansive bay window looks  out over the formal front gardens and the setting sun often provides a  wonderful back drop to the meal.

Drawing Room, Office/Library

To the left of the front entrance is a large ‘Drawing Room’ that was formally the lounge/dining area of the original homestead, though the dining section was added on in more recent times. The area is currently used as an Office/Library but could be easily also used as a billiards/games room, theatre or guest lounge. Certainly  the fire place though creates a very nice ambiance for listening to soothing music or reading a book in the quite winter months. The soft light tan colours of walls complement the rich red plus carpet and the stained timber sealings to create the old drawing room feel.

Gallery Hall

Off to the right of the front entrance hall is a long and wide hallway which leads to the guest bathroom, two bedrooms and the main bedroom suite. The hallway was designed for hanging the various paintings and locating some of the antiques that Peter and Abigail have collected along the way. The width was to allow these to be appreciated from a distance. The locals though refer to this part of the house as ‘the bowling alley’! The colour chosen is an extension of the entrance hall and reflects natural light onto the paintings etc. Included are automatic floor height wall lights that illuminate as soon as someone enters the hall, thus allowing guests to avoid fumbling in the dark! At one end of the hall is an expansive hall cupboard, keeping up the theme that Clair House does not lack storage space!

Master Suite

At the end of the Gallery  Hall and through double  doors is the Master  Suite. Certainly of  generous size, the 6m x  6m room provides plenty  of  space and ambiance.  Double french doors lead  out to the veranda and  provide a perfect vista to  the west, whilst the windows each side of the  king size bed look out to the north over the formal gardens. A separate walk in wardrobe complete with its own chandelier provides plenty of hanging space as well as sliding, shoe, tie and jewelry draws. The huge en-suite encompasses double showers, twin basins, two person spa  bath (under the bay window), four person Swedish sauna and still has room for gym equipment! A separate external door is provided to enable access for guests to use the spa and sauna without the need to enter via the Master Bedroom. All drainage water is captured and pumped automatically onto the garden.

First Guest Bedroom

 The first guest bedroom is located off the Grand Hall and has separate  lockable access to the Guest Bathroom, thus turning it into a full ensuite if required. The colour chosen for the bedrooms at this end of the house are a light green which reflects the cooler, more temperate climates within Australia and create a peaceful ambiance perfect for a restful night.

Guest Bathroom

The guest bathroom is accessed off the Gallery Hall but also has separate access to one of the guest bedrooms thus can double as a private ensuite. The bathroom was designed on a federation style theme and features a claw foot bath, pedestal basin and large shower. The water from the bath and shower drain into a separate tank which is then automatically pumped onto the surround gardens.

Second Bedroom – Well….actually the Craft Room

Amongst many things, Abigail is a keen quilter and sewer, so the second bedroom in this wing of the house has been set up to enable her creative side to flourish. Easy access to all of associated materials was paramount hence the no doors look! The room is accessed off the Grand Hall and looks across the rear of the property to the Apple Orchard to the south east. It also oversees the back access for prompt warning if one of the neighbours happen to arrive. Access to the attic is also provided in this room.

 

Award winning Kitchen

Walking in from the front entry and walking straight on will take you into the award winning kitchen and family room area. Given the special nature of the kitchen, we have had to dedicate a separate page on this site to do it justice. So you can navigate to it via the menu bar above..

 Formal Lounge

Flowing on from the family room is the spacious formal lounge. Its now hard to imagine that when Peter and Abigail first bought the property that this area was where the kitchen/meals/mudroom/main bathroom were located! Naturally a lot of remodelling has taken place to turn all these facets into a single room. With its stunning mantle/fire place imported carpets and custom curtains, this room is ideal for entertaining guests or snuggled up watching a movie on those cooler winter nights.

 

Guest Wing

Beyond the formal lounge is the guest wing, comprising two large  bedrooms, each with their own en-suites, walk-in robes and external  french doors leading out onto the wide verandas and overlooking the  formal gardens. Internal access between the two rooms and formal  lounge is via the original central hallway. ‘Monty’s Room’ located at the  front of the house was the original master bedroom and still contains all  of the original ornate ceilings etc. ‘Clairs Room’ located at the back has  been created by combining two of the original bedrooms. The guest  wing offers itself to short term stay, where guests can come and go through the French doors or for that growing independent teenager(s) who need their own space!

Verandas

Surrounding the Grand Manor on all sides are three metre wide verandas that shade the house from the hot summer sun. These are so effective that the need for air conditioning is reduced to a few days per year. The verandas allow for the option to sit in quiet seclusion to read a book or host a BBQ for a multitude of guests. The master suite and guest bedrooms all have direct access to the verandas, allowing guests to come and go as they please. Thus the verandas provide a very stunning but also practical addition.