We're Ann and Rob, and for as long as we can remember, we've been making places feel like home. Over the years, we've renovated many homes, transformed dirt-pitch gardens into green oases, created beautiful spaces, and taken on more projects than we could possibly count. We've always loved seeing the potential in a place - whether it's breathing life into a run down cottage or nurturing beautiful gardens into existence, this is what we love doing.
Rob has worked in food and agriculture for his entire career. He brings decades of experience developing and delivering practical training programs across many areas of agriculture. Throughout his career, he has combined hands-on knowledge of growing plants, developing gardens and working with the land with a strong ability to share that knowledge in an approachable and practical way. He has also developed and run school engagement programs, working with students and teachers to rear and prepare livestock for agricultural shows at both the regional level and the Sydney Royal Easter Show. His teaching style is grounded in real world experience - sharing skills and knowledge gained through a lifetime of working with his hands in the soil.
Ann has a background in hospitality, and community as well as a strong creative eye and a natural instinct for bringing all the elements of a space together. She loves the details that turn a house into a home and a garden into somewhere people want to linger.
Together, we've run a five-star boutique hotel in Mudgee, an airB&B on the south coast with Superhost status, and a fine cheese business in Sydney in the early 2000. Creating something special and then sharing it with other people has been a thread through much of our life together.
Our Blue Mountains cottage and garden is our favourite place to be. It's not a show garden, created overnight. It has evolved from years of experimentation and learning. We're big advocates of reusing materials and sustainability.
After all these years, we realised we have quite a lot of knowledge and experience to share; and that's really why we decided to create this experience.
We'd love to welcome you into our Blue Mountains garden, share some of what we know and have learned along the way, as well as enjoy some morning tea with Ann's homemade scones (a family recipe), and finish with a simple hands-on project for you to make and take home.
For us, this is a chance to share a little of what we've learned over a lifetime of gardens, homes, making, and hosting - and hopefully send you home with a few ideas and some inspiration of your own.