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Mittagong House

A Considered Country Retreat

Set within the Southern Highlands, this thoughtfully designed family retreat balances architectural scale with warmth and liveability. A much-loved rural property for a large and busy family, the home has evolved over time, with both the house and surrounding outbuildings carefully renovated to support relaxation as well as entertaining.

Natural stone plays a defining role across the project, with Ocean Grey Granite selected for the outdoor environments, while Santa Fe Limestone brings warmth and softness to the interior spaces. Together, the palette creates a cohesive material language that responds to how each part of the home is lived in.

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Project by Suzanne Green Interior Architecture and Design
Photography Bolt Media
Place Mittagong
Project Type Residential
Category Residential

Pool House & Surrounds

Ocean Grey Granite in a flamed finish was selected for its performance in wet environments. The textured surface provides natural slip resistance underfoot, making it particularly well suited to pool surrounds and outdoor entertaining areas, while its subtle tonal variation introduces depth and movement across the space.

As Suzanne Green notes, “as soon as I was shown the Ocean Grey Granite I knew that was it — the subtle blue, grey and olive colouring felt like the ideal match to the bushland setting, and the slightly textured surface perfect for bare feet poolside.”

Santa Fe Limestone Bathrooms

Santa Fe Limestone in a honed finish introduces a softer, more tactile quality throughout the bathrooms. Its warm tones and gentle variation create a relaxed interior atmosphere, while the smooth matte surface enhances the natural character of the limestone and contributes to the home’s calm, understated aesthetic.

The material was selected to create a timeless and restrained interior, with Suzanne describing the approach as “keeping the finishes palette very minimal, allowing the stone to bring all the visual detail while maintaining a quiet, elegant mood.”

By relying on the natural texture and tonal variation of Santa Fe Limestone, the bathrooms achieve a sense of warmth and refinement that complements the broader material palette used throughout this Mittagong residential project.

 

Natural Stone Selection Throughout the Home

Rather than applying a single material throughout, this Mittagong residential project takes a considered approach, selecting materials in response to how each space is used. Ocean Grey Granite was specified for outdoor environments where durability and slip resistance were important, while Santa Fe Limestone introduces warmth and comfort within the interior spaces.

This approach allows the home to balance practicality with liveability, while maintaining a cohesive natural stone palette that connects architecture, landscape and everyday family living.

 

Outcome

The result is a refined country home designed for relaxed family living, where materiality, architecture and landscape work together to create a calm and enduring environment. Carefully selected natural stone enhances both the functionality and atmosphere of the home, supporting spaces designed for gathering, entertaining and everyday living.

By combining Ocean Grey Granite in the pool house and outdoor environments with Santa Fe Limestone throughout the bathrooms, the project achieves a balanced material palette that responds to the unique requirements of each space while maintaining a strong sense of cohesion. The considered use of texture, tone and natural variation creates a home that feels both timeless and deeply connected to its Southern Highlands setting.

The result is a residence that balances comfort with sophistication, allowing architecture, landscape and natural stone to exist in quiet harmony while continuing to evolve beautifully over time. For a deeper look at the design and material selection, read the full project story here.

 

 

Project Highlights

Natural Stone Pool Surrounds and Interiors In Mittagong

Located in the Southern Highlands, this residential project showcases how natural stone can be used to create a cohesive connection between indoor and outdoor living spaces. Ocean Grey Granite was selected for the pool house and surrounding outdoor areas, where its flamed finish provides durability, slip resistance and a natural connection to the bushland setting.

Within the bathrooms, Santa Fe Limestone introduces warmth, texture and a softer visual character. Together, these carefully selected materials establish a refined natural stone palette that balances practicality, comfort and timeless design throughout the home.

Sareen Stone supplies natural stone pool surrounds, limestone flooring, paving and architectural stone products for residential and commercial projects across Sydney, the Southern Highlands and Australia.

Products Used

Ocean Grey Granite tiles, pavers and coping for indoor and outdoor spaces

Ocean Grey Granite

Santa Fe Limestone Tiles – premium natural stone for indoor and outdoor use

Santa Fe Limestone

Other Projects

Sophisticated Beecroft Project

Dover Heights Residence, Sydney

Manly Pacific

Marrickville Oasis

House Burch Byron Bay

FAQs

What natural stone products were used in the Mittagong House project?

The project features Ocean Grey Granite in the pool house and outdoor areas, along with Santa Fe Limestone throughout the bathrooms and selected interior spaces.

Why was Ocean Grey Granite selected for the pool surrounds?

Ocean Grey Granite was chosen for its durability, natural slip resistance and subtle blend of blue, grey and olive tones, which complement the surrounding bushland landscape.

What are the benefits of Santa Fe Limestone?

Santa Fe Limestone offers warm natural tones, gentle variation and a soft underfoot feel, making it ideal for creating calm and inviting interior spaces.

Can natural stone be used in both indoor and outdoor areas?

Yes. This project demonstrates how different natural stone materials can be selected to suit specific applications, creating continuity between interior and exterior spaces while meeting different performance requirements.

Is natural stone suitable for homes in the Southern Highlands?

Yes. Natural stone performs well in the Southern Highlands climate, offering durability, longevity and timeless appeal across both indoor and outdoor environments.

How does natural stone enhance indoor-outdoor living?

Natural stone helps create a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces through complementary textures, tones and finishes, contributing to a more cohesive overall design.

TAKE US THROUGH THE INITIAL STAGES WHEN YOU WERE DESIGNING THE HOME.

We were very fortunate to work with the noted Southern Highlands Architect, Martin McGrane, on the creative design and layout of our home. Together with Martin, we created a beautiful, contemporary open plan home to enjoy with our family and friends.  This is our forever home.

Through a friend of ours, we came across an interior designer, and a beautiful outdoor material, the Cathedral Limestone, which we just fell in love with. We worked closely with Peta Daniel, Interior Designer from Daniel Baker Design, based in Sydney.  Which was wonderful, Peta just got us and what we were wanting to achieve in our home and helped us to make it a reality, in the selection of materials and finishes.

 

WERE THERE CERTAIN PEOPLE/PLACES THAT YOU TOOK INSPIRATION FROM WHEN DESIGNING/BUILDING THE HOME?

We were looking for a contemporary design, however, I didn’t want it to be too modern.  Inspired by a property in LA, that my husband came across, which we took some concepts from and added our ideas, and made it our own.

The LA contemporary look and detail leading into the house from the front door was something that we just loved.  Along with having one row of tiles that runs along the inside of the glass sliding doors leading into the living/dining room from the alfresco space was also a unique detail we wanted to include.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING PROCESS?

The build started in February 2020, and with all the delays throughout COVID, material delays, supplier issues, constant rain, mud pools, you name it, we had it!  Encountering all the possible elements, it felt like we were living in gumboots most of the time during the build.  It took 3 years to build the property, and 8 months just to get the roof on!

We had a deadline for our home to be finished by, which was our daughters’ wedding, being held in March 2023.

There were delays happening everywhere, including issues and delays with the quarry who were providing the Limestone that was to be used in all the outdoor areas surrounding the property.  We had chosen Cathedral Limestone in an alfresco finish with a lovely organic distressed finish on the edge, that we knew would complement the other natural materials we were using.  Time was of the essence, and it came to crunch time and the quarry could not provide a guaranteed time of delivery.  We thought what a disaster!

 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH SAREEN STONE.. AND HOW THE TEAM HELPED TO OVERCOME THE SUPPLY ISSUE WITH THE CATHEDRAL LIMESTONE.

Working closely with Michael Mastro, from Sareen Stone, he had been in constant contact updating me as best he could.  Then an alternative solution was presented, another Limestone of the same size and finish, with similar tones, which I hoped would work and arrive in time.  Sareen Stone had been behind the scenes working closely with another quarry, to create a new product ‘Lavarosa Anticato’, just for our project, so that we had a solution and were able to finish our home in time for our daughter’s wedding.

When the material arrived, we couldn’t have been happier.  We just loved the Lavarosa Anticato, and it worked so well with our colour palette, and love it even more than our previous selection.  We were over the moon!

 

DESIGNER COMMENTS:

Working with Kate and Eugene on this project was wonderful. They were passionate about the overall design but also the finer details and the interplay of the natural materials with the surrounding landscape.

It was very important that the natural material palette was harmonious, and that each element was both complementary and warm.

I’ve worked with Michael from Sareen Stone on a number of projects and have always been impressed with his professional advice and clear communication. The magnificent home warmly wrapped with the “Lavarosa Anticato” is simply stunning.   A beautiful project!

Peta Daniel, Daniel Baker Design

 

IN COLLABORATION WITH:

Interior Designer:  Daniel Baker Design, 0414 341 778
Architecture:  Martin McGrane Architects, 0412 242 253
Photography and short film:  Bolt Media, 0426 607 040