AS soon as Karen saw the view from a property on the outskirts of Millthorpe, she knew she'd found the perfect place to build her dream home.
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Karen and her husband, Graham, built their palatial home in 2007 after making a tree-change from Sydney's Lane Cove.
"We were tired of the traffic and busyness of Sydney," Karen said.
Once they moved, it did not take long for them to settle into country life.
"Everyone was so welcoming here, it was like a breath of fresh air to have people welcome you into their homes," Karen said.
"It really was a pleasant surprise."
Even though the couple had a four-bedroom home in Sydney, their land was tiny so they relished the opportunity to "stretch out" and build a house that sat in the middle of their 100 acres of land.
Large windows take advantage of the property's magnificent views, while an outdoor dining area allows for entertaining or quite dinners.
"The house has a little bit of a European feel and I've always been attracted to that look, but I also wanted a place where you felt very comfortable to be at home," she said.
"People come and visit us and just relax, it's like a holiday retreat."
There's plenty of room to accommodate visitors with five bedrooms, including a study, three bathrooms, a games room and a cellar.
Apart from a formal lounge room and dining area, the couple spend much of their time in the open-plan living and dining section of the house.
"When I'm in the kitchen I can still be part of everything when we're entertaining," she said.
While Karen has kept the house's colour scheme fairly neutral, her love of green is evident in the living area, where she's matched light green walls with warm creams.
Karen's own artworks, inspired by nature and created using inks and water colours, form the focal points of many of the rooms and she credits her inspiration to the move.
Karen said guests can often be found sitting around their circular dining table.
It was imported from Italy and made from recycled timber and can be adjusted to seat eight or 12 diners
"I read lots of interior magazine so I didn't want to feel disappointed about what we'd done here," she said.
"They keep coming back."
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au