SITCHU MAGAZINE Some properties are so special it’s impossible to let them go. The Bliss family home, nestled on five glorious acres on NSW’s North Coast, is one such place. Originally constructed in 1989 by Matt and Catherine Bliss as a place for their four children to grow up, the home grew with the family, eventually becoming a haven for multiple generations to gather. “Over the past 15 years, we’ve all lived here with our own families at different stages, so it’s really nice to now watch our kids making the same memories we did growing up”, shares Kain, one of the four Bliss siblings. With weddings, family holidays and special events taking place over the years, and more and more memories planted, when it came time to part, no one in the Bliss family was willing to let the property go. Thus, the idea to create a space where others could make the same golden memories was born. Jenn and Kain, two of the Bliss children, and their sister-in-law Lauren, led the project with their experience in building, architecture and design. On the project, Jenn shares, “That’s what makes it so special. Even through the renovation, there was a real intention from us all to honour that feeling of home, not replace it.” The project revolved around making the space low-maintenance and grounding, something that would function well as an event space for a variety of occasions, whilst being easy to clean and turn over for guest after guest. The brief? “To create a holiday home that felt grounding. A place where people could immediately slow down and connect. It needed to function seamlessly for families while still feeling elevated. Rather than leaning into trends, the aim was to create a space that feels calm, timeless and deeply focused on how it’s lived in”, elaborates Jenn. “Throughout the design process, we constantly imagined how guests would use the space: morning light in the kitchen, afternoons in the sunken lounge, evenings gathering around the table. Every zone was designed with use in mind, not just aesthetics.” — Jenn Bliss 03
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