6 cosy cottages to inspire an escape to the country

With a series of thoughtful personalisations, including Weathertex Natural cladding that has weathered to a stunning silver-grey patina, and handcrafted Western Red Cedar doors and windows, this barn harmonises beautifully with its surroundings.

The Colorbond roofing in “Wallaby” complements these natural tones, while an expansive loft and a full-length verandah add extra space and functionality, inside and out.

Because Cedarspans are built using a timber-framed system, the deep wall cavities were ready from the outset to take full insulation and concealed services, an advantage single-skin sheds cannot offer.

Design features such as skylights, gable windows and bi-fold doors bring in natural light, and a verandah and pergola added to the gable ends following installation ensure this timber barn remains as practical as it is unique.

Adding a personal touch, the owners incorporated an alpine porch and an internal loft with skylight windows into the original barn design. Beautiful barn doors have been combined with traditional 10-lites to create a timeless, yet contemporary, aesthetic.

With a range of doors and windows that can be positioned to your specification, Greenspan customers can place glazing wherever the light and the view call for it, rather than working around fixed openings.

The weatherboard cladding has been painted white, complementing the warm timber tones of the doors and sidelights, while the “Shale Grey” Colorbond® roofing and white aluminium windows accompany the coastal surroundings.

With double glazing, an outdoor bath, and a design that caters to both winter and summer enjoyment, this modern barn home is a perfect example of sophisticated yet relaxed country living.

A timber staircase leading to a loft space separates the barn into defined areas; a cosy living space at one end, and a bedroom featuring a dramatic cathedral ceiling and double doors that open onto an alpine porch at the other. By setting the barn on a slab that extends under the porch, a polished concrete floor flows seamlessly from inside to out. Painting the board-and-batten cladding in green and off-white is a thoughtful nod to the rural landscape, and adds a striking design feature to the building.

Next, Cappy restored the original Tickers Hut into a luxurious bathhouse, and once complete she bridged the two buildings, connecting past and present and creating a stunning, light-filled pavilion home. What was once the exterior of the barn now serves as an interior feature wall, showcasing double barn doors and the uniquely painted cladding. The connecting structure is now an open-plan living area that fuses the historic hut with the modern-day barn, creating a pavilion home that epitomises the perfect balance of rural retreat and contemporary style.

It’s proof of the incredible results that can be achieved from humble beginnings with a simple, modular barn.

Cullenbone Cottage is just that.

This Cedarspan has been transformed into truly iconic Australian accommodation and a highly rated Airbnb. A character-loaded country cottage, the property features a defined bedroom area beneath a loft, a heritage-style bathroom, and a cosy open-plan living space that includes dining and kitchen areas set beneath its soaring cathedral ceiling.

Situated on the banks of the Cudgegong River and in the grounds of a historic Mudgee property, the cottage is perfectly in tune with its surroundings. The epitome of Australiana, it boasts cedar weatherboard cladding, handcrafted cedar colonial windows and Zincalume roofing – looking not a beat out of place in this classic Australian picture.

Claudine and Alan have generously offered a discount on a Cullenbone Cottage Airbnb stay: use the unique code ‘CEDARSPAN’ for a 10% saving. 

A dramatic beacon of colour on the Oberon landscape, St Clements Cottage mirrors David and Karen’s home; a design inspired by a lone house on a hill that the couple encountered while travelling through France many years ago.

This Cedarspan features board and batten cladding, with extra battens applied to ensure a perfect match with David and Karen’s adjacent home.

The handcrafted cedar windows have been painted white on the exterior as a striking contrast to the red of the cladding, while “Slate Grey” roofing matches the cottage door. A decked verandah has been added to the front and the posts have been painted to match the roof, tying the entire look together and ensuring a perfect re-creation of its neighbour.

Inside, the main open-plan living, dining and kitchen area celebrates the cathedral ceiling while a separate bedroom and a bathroom are privately tucked under the loft.

If you would like to experience more of St Clements, Oberon you can book a stay or follow them on Instagram.

Taking an owner-builder approach, the couple built their barn shed first, a Cedarspan 3060 fitted out with a kitchenette, bathroom, home office and wood-burning stove. This gave them a comfortable place to live on site – complete with solar and rainwater tanks – while their home took shape beside it at their own pace.

Their home is a larger Cedarspan 3090, set on an elevated pier floor system with verandahs to each side. Inside, a soaring cathedral ceiling crowns an open-plan living area, with sliding doors and panoramic windows framing the views and welcoming cooling breezes. A master suite, a second bedroom and a generous loft complete a layout designed for comfortable rural living, with Low-E double glazing, bushfire protection and generous insulation throughout.

Today the two barns sit side by side, matching yet each with its own identity. Both feature board and batten cladding, white windows and Colorbond roofing in “Surfmist”, with exteriors painted in the earthy grey of Taubmans “Foxtail” and the barn doors accented in crisp white.

What began as a flyer Michael nearly threw away became a complete country lifestyle, built one barn at a time.