Luke Mortimer is a bit of an enigma, he’s been a constant visitor to the yard since we first opened, has a canny way of turning firewood into the fabulous, always offers the best advice, and has a great self deprecating manner! We did recognise early on, his serious work ethic… he kept ‘nailing’ projects really quickly, and returning for materials for the next one… I got curious!
Oh, and has a fantastic weekend DIY wardrobe that is a combination of his dad’s hand me downs paired with something from his high flying job in fashion (creative manager at MIMCO).
He and his partner Steve have created a space on their land in Chewton that they share with paying tenants a couple of weekends a month… and it is such a beautiful project, that I wanted to share… with Luke’s blessing of course!
Grey Gardens in set on the creek flats in Chewton, has been no shortage of hard work and great vision… as a gardener, I was really taken by the spaces that merge really seamlessly into each other, the pragmatic and beautiful use of plants (for a really harsh frost/hot prone site), restrained but great variety of textural foliage, which I love, and existing trees… the WORKING glass house (brimming with cuttings) and his investment in ‘good things’… ie, their brand new/second hand ‘caravan shelter’… which the Salvage Yard may or may not have had anything to do with!! And all through the house, a really clever combination of recycled timbers, found objects and beautiful hand made items from his family and friends (note his grandmothers’ embroidery that he salvaged from her garage sale some years ago above the bed!!).
If I wished to come to Castlemaine for a weekend away, I would most certainly seek out this accommodation for availability FIRST!! And you can as well…
https://www.beautifulaccommodation.com/properties/grey-gardens/84588
Thanks Luke for letting me snap off some fairly ordinary pics on my very professional iphone!!