Hundreds of thousands follow stylish Australian stylist Steve Cordony on Instagram, drooling over his picture perfect country property Rosedale Farm (I’ll admit I’m one of them and I’ve also been lucky enough to visit in person). And now, after years of hard work and renovation by Steve and partner Michael Booth, it can finally be a reality to stay there, as it lists on Airbnb. And it’ll only cost you $25 a night. Say what?!
Steve Cordony in one of Rosedale’s farm stays
Design lovers will have the chance to enjoy the ultimate Easter holiday in style, with an exclusive Airbnb stay at the idyllic estate in Orange, NSW. Steve is inviting residents of Australia to his historic Rosedale Farm property for a four-night stay from Thursday 6 April to Monday 10 April, for just $25 AUD* per night as part of a special promotion.
Dating back to 1877, Rosedale Farm is a restored estate located just seven kilometres from Orange in the central tablelands of New South Wales. A country stay to be remembered, Rosedale Farm’s main homestead features six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a formal dining room, lounge, library and kitchen. The homestead and two farm stays are positioned amongst the estate’s lavish, lushly landscaped gardens.
Every guest room has been individually designed by Steve in his signature contemporary European style, layered with an Italian farmhouse sensibility, creating a uniquely luxurious accommodation in the heart of the countryside.
As one of Australia’s leading interior and lifestyle stylists, Steve is passionate about design as a means of bringing people together to create memories with loved ones. His renovation journey of Rosedale Farm amassed a significant following, with many Aussies inspired by the impeccable attention to detail, subtle nods to the property’s heritage, and mix of both contemporary and antique furnishings.
“I created Rosedale Farm with the goal of turning this incredible historic property into a one-of-a-kind destination for guests to connect and create memories in. I love the unique and personalised experiences Airbnb hosts offer their guests, whether it be fresh flowers throughout the home or a bottle of champagne to kick off the celebrations, and Rosedale Farm is filled with special touches. I am thrilled to partner with Airbnb on hosting an unforgettable four-night stay this Easter.”
Over the past two years, many Australians found comfort in exploring their own backyards and discovering the natural beauty found across Australia. Regional bookings now make up almost 30% of nights booked on Airbnb in Australia, and when comparing the second quarter of 2022 with the pre-pandemic second quarter of 2019, regional bookings are up about 60% in Australia.
With Orange a must-visit NSW destination, this Easter season is the perfect time to explore the region and the many attractions that make it so special including the wine and produce on offer and support local hosts while injecting much needed tourism dollars to help support small businesses and local economies.
Inside one of the farm stays at Rosedale Farm
Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb’s country manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are excited to partner with Steve to create something truly special at Rosedale Farm and highlight the benefits of rural tourism.”
The unforgettable Steve Cordony four-night Easter country getaway is open for bookings on 27 February at 9am AEDT from airbnb.com.au/stevecordony and can be booked on a first come first serve basis. Set a reminder now!
The two Rosedale farm stays will be available to book ongoing from airbnb.com.au/stevecordony from 27 February, 2023. We anticipate it will cost a lot more than $25 a night!
*Exclusive of fees including booking and service fees.
Time has flown since our minibreak to Orange, somewhere Damian and I had wanted to visit for years. Everyone we told either said they had been meaning to go too, or that they’d already been and loved it! We’d hyped it up in our heads so much, I was a little worried it wouldn’t live up to our preconceived ideas but oh my goodness it did, and more! We already can’t wait to go back!
Alfred on Keppel in Bathurst
It’s almost a four-hour drive from our side of Sydney, so we decided to stop en route and have a night in Bathurst, which was just under three hours. It was a good call because not only did we stay in the most gorgeous rental home, but it turns out Bathurst has loads to offer for young kids, and when your five-year-old is racing car obsessed, the chance to drive around Mount Panomara (in a decidedly underpowered family SUV) multiple times, is not one to pass up. He still talks about it now. Often!
Mount Panorama, Bathurst
One of the greatest days of Seb’s life so far!
Alfred on Keppel is a beautifully restored and stylishly furnished heritage terrace house in the heart of town. We had a really comfortable stay here with special mention to the balcony off one of the bedrooms and the gorgeous backyard (although it was a little too chilly to use it!).
Alfred on Keppel’s beautiful back yard
The next day we had great takeout coffee (definitely as good as any in Sydney!) at a cool shipping container conversion right over the road called Doppio Espresso which obviously has a loyal customer base of locals. The service was super friendly. It’s part of the Tremain’s Mill complex. We also took a stroll around the town which is really lovely and full of heritage buildings (did I mention how much I love old buildings?!).
Doppio Espresso
We had plenty to eat in Bathurst too, at the famous Annie’s ice cream parlour (I cannot tell you how inappropriately cold it was for ice cream!) and pizza at Church BarTremain’s Mill
We visited the new train museum with its excellent Kid’s Central space (one of the largest permanent Brio sets in the world no less), which is great for old (sorry Damian) and young train buffs alike. So while we were being stereotypically male, we had to add dinosaurs to our race cars and trains, and we paid a visit to the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum. Mummy would have liked to have spent a bit more time in the gem section because oh my WORD, I have never seen such incredible and also HUGE gemstones and crystals. Again, we’re talking world class collections. In Bathurst. Who knew?!
We packed a lot in to our Bathurst 24 hours but it was time to finally visit Orange. And it snowed. The boys’ first snow. We couldn’t have organised it better!
First stop was the Byng Street Hotel, which I was really excited about. It has quite the reputation in design circles and there’s nothing I love more than a truly unique and design-led boutique hotel. And it was just as amazing as I hoped. What Kristen and Thomas Nock have done here is so impressive. It opened a year ago following an epic modern (yet very sympathetically and cleverly done in my option) extension behind it.
Byng Street is without doubt one of (if not the) premier streets in Orange and the houses will make you want to sell up and move there immediately. Gorgeous! We drove up and down a few times (it was freezing) before parking at the hotel.
The Beech Tree Suite
Inside, the 4.5-star hotel is quirky and colourful, full of great art and beautiful, comfortable furniture. Our suite (The Beech Tree Suite) was heaven! And the lucky boys shared a comfy sofa bed in the lounge area which was a couple of steps down from the main bedroom.
Guest lounge
These pictures speak for themselves but what also stands out is the friendly and excellent service and the little touches, like coming back to your room to find there’s been a turn down service each afternoon, and there’s looseleaf tea and mini sweet treats waiting for you. And the breakfasts! There’s no buffet here, but a choice of lovely a la carte options cooked to order. And you’re welcome to start with their famous granola while you wait for it to be cooked. With my favourite stewed rhubarb!
On the subject of beautiful interiors and art, high on my hit list for visiting Orange were its homewares shops, not least Jumbled which is part of The Sonic (the old Masonic Hall building).
I’ve blogged about this wonderful space and know it by its reputation and Instagram feed, but in real life it was even better! Part homewares store, part cafe, part fashion store, part art gallery, Just wow! If this store was in Sydney you’d say it was one of the very best, so to find it in a regional town, it just feels a bit magical! Luckily us Sydneysiders can shop online from it whenever we like!
There are plenty of shopping gems in Orange. My other favourite was the gorgeous The White Place (yes, I’d like to move in please!) and Hawkes General Store is another cute little spot, with coffee!
The White Place
We had a couple of lovely, family-friendly early dinners while in Orange, at The Ophir Hotel and Avido Ristorante. Orange has many more ‘fancy’ restaurants but they’re not really suited to travelling with a two and five-year-old when you have to have a 5.30pm sitting!
Avido with its fire was great on a cold cold night!
When in Orange, another must is to try the local wine, and we headed to Heifer Station for this (via great coffee from Groundstone). It was cold and rainy but we cosied up inside the cellar door and tried amazing wine and cheese. Sadly it was too muddy to venture to the mini petting zoo on the grounds which the boys would have loved. Got to admire somewhere that caters to the wine-loving parents!
Sampling divine wine by an open fire at Heifer Station
We couldn’t go to Orange without visiting our friend Steve Cordony, the renowned Sydney interior stylist who has made the town his second home with partner Michael. They’ve been beautifully restoring Rosedale Farm (following their account on Instagram is such a lovely escape!) and it was so wonderful to see it in real life!
Image: Stevecordony.com
They have plans to open a luxury farm stay there soon. Yet another reason to return! This weekend, Steve’s opening the doors to lucky styling enthusiasts for the first time as he hosts two sold out one-day masterclasses.
Image: Stevecordony.com
There are a few gorgeous smaller country towns a stone’s throw from Orange and many venture to Millthorpe but we decided to explore the lesser known Carcoar, mainly because I wanted to visit the gorgeous Tomolly homewares store and meet its delightful owner, stylist Belinda Sattherthwaite. Neither disappointed! And Belinda’s opening a holiday rental soon so we may have to return to check that out!
Tomolly in Carcoar
The town itself is like a timewarp. In a really good way. We absolutely loved it and we left planning when we could come back and open a cafe or buy a holiday cottage too! Girl’s gotta dream…
All in all, our trip to Central NSW was refreshing, beautiful and full of things to do. It was wonderful to see snow although the cold did make it a little restrictive with the kids (one memorable time we rugged up and drove to Orange Botanic Gardens so the kids could check out the playground, parked, got out of the car then promptly got straight back in again when the icy wind hit our faces!). We will definitely go back again in warmer weather because we’d love to have been out of the car more. Would I recommend Orange? In a heartbeat. If you, like me, like wine, homewares shopping and beautiful countryside, why wouldn’t you?!
LINKS
Other places we didn’t get to but were highly recommended:
I often assume everyone else is following the same Instagram GOLD that I am, but I’ve realised that’s not always the case. I don’t want you to miss out, so I’m going to start sharing five of my faves each month. I hope you love them, and find them as inspiring and enjoyable as I do!
Abigail Ahern is a fellow Pom and an interior designer with a really brave, authentic, interesting style. She makes no apologies for following her own rules, and I absolutely love her regular Instagram TVs where she talks through what she has done in certain rooms in her amazing London home, giving great tips and showing you how you can make your own interiors more exciting, in a really easy to follow and inspiring way. I also love the fact that her super cute dogs often jump into shot too, with hilarious results.
She’ll teach you how to be brave with darker paint colours (including the ceiling!), that you can fit more lamps than you thought possible into one room and it’ll look amazing, and how it’s all about adding drama and friction. I love it! While my aesthetic and hers aren’t obviously similar, I love everything she does and I take a lot of tips from her videos and implement them at home.
If you love what you see, Abigail runs an online styling masterclass which you could easily jump into, even from all the way over here in Australia! Speaking of which, Abigail loves Oz, and was due back here for Decor + Design until it was sadly postponed. Hopefully we will see her on our shores again soon!
Steve Cordony is one of Australia’s most talented stylists and my love of his work (and him, because he also happens to be a delightful and genuine person) is nothing new, but lately his Instagram Stories are some of my favourites. The poor guy (that’s sarcasm) is in lockdown at the ridiculously beautiful farm he has been renovating with partner Mike in Orange and he has been sharing styling tips, his favourite things and glimpses of his home and ever-growing menagerie!
As a bonus suggestion, you’d better follow his Rosedale Farm account too. Steve’s recently announced October styling masterclasses at the farm sold out super quickly, but stay tuned as I hear he may announced new dates soon!
Bondi Kitchens is a relatively new follow for me, but I have to say, I’ve not seen so many gorgeous kitchens in one feed for a long time! Everything they do seems to be so modern and fresh, but at the same time quite classic.
ZouBuild This husband and wife team’s feed is before & after gold, and you all know how much I love a good before & after. The Brisbane pair transform some of the most ordinary houses into spectacular homes through clever renovation and extension. Chris and Christal’s (I know, cute!) projects are always popular when we feature them on the blog.
Tiny Homes Australia I’ll level with you: I don’t think I could ever live in a tiny house (maybe if I ditched the husband and kids, but can’t see that happening any time soon!) but I love seeing how other people do it. The whole concept fascinates me and this account is great for inspiration and a nosey inside people’s little homes!
I hope you’ve discovered at least one new must-follow among these! I’d love to know who your favourites are too?
We love finding new accounts to follow on Instagram, for inspiration and even just enjoyment and fun! Each month, Jen shares her favourite from right here in Australia and across the globe.
Lindsay Emery is a ceramicist in North Carolina with the mission to make mealtimes beautiful! Her feed is full of stunning handmade pieces and there’s plenty of my favourite colour combo: navy, deep pink and gold. Swoon! Good news is, she ships worldwide! I don’t think I can resist much longer… I mean, can you have too many gilded bowls?! She also designs a commerically produced range for Anthropologie and Nordstrom.
You probably know Australian interior and events stylist extraordinaire Steve Cordony BUT did you know he and his partner Michael are renovating the most stunning farmhouse in Orange , NSW? Recently featured in Harpers Bazaar, this place is serious interior-inspo. I mean, they have peacocks, ostriches and Shire horses, come on?! I can’t get enough of this feed and it makes me want to move to the country, stat! It’s photoshoot heaven and I’ve no doubt it will be the location for many of them in the coming years! You can tell just how much passion and hard work has been poured into this place.
Two Lovely Gays are a couple, Jordan and Russell, who also work together in their interior design studio of the same name. The former actors love period features and playful colour and I find their feed provides a kind of aesthetic Australia just doesn’t really do!
A new account by the owners of much photographed holiday accommodation Soul of Gerringong on the NSW South Coast, Soul Home is about achieving that holiday feeling in your own home, or indeed holiday accommodation. There’s generous advice, tips and product suggestions from owner and interior designer Simone Mathews. Want a quick fix, buy-the-whole-look type solution? Check out the photos of her popup accommodation Soul Cottage (we recently stayed and it’s perfection!) on the website, where there are links to almost everything featured. If anyone knows about creating #holidayhousegoals, it’s her!
The Travelling Bar is Sydney’s hottest mobile bar, a cute baby blue vintage caravan serving cocktails at weddings, parties and corporate events across NSW. It’s run by mother-daughter duo Meredith and Lydia (who also happens to be our amazing nanny!). They also do grazing tables and have a pop up (non-caravan) bar too.
