But it’s an Art Deco building nearby, with a spectacular curved corner entrance, that has caught my eye. I walk down the hill and knock on the side door, flanked by barley twist columns, and Pip Brett opens it.
The founder of Orange’s Jumbled store and the woman behind the town’s well-known event, The Huddle, is staying in Molong with her builder husband, Nick “Speedy” Luelf, and their boys Digby, 12, and Barnaby, 10, for a few days. Their mission? To test out Sona, their beautiful new accommodation in an old bank they are just about to open.
“I wanted to make sure it is perfect for our guests. I’ve cooked every night so I know we are not missing the right frying pan or something like that even though my boys want us to go out to the pub for dinner,” she explains with a wry smile as we walk down the art-lined hallway. “But the kids are loving it here. They can walk to the shops and play footy across the road. It’s the perfect holiday for us.”
Once the town’s Commonwealth Bank — motto ‘building a brighter future for all’ — the building was designed by architect E. Henderson and built in 1930. “It’s very solid,” Pip says. “Everything was beautifully done, every ceiling is pressed metal and the floorboards are so thick — they really wanted to look after the bank manager.”
Pip and Speedy worked on Sona with architect Felicity Slattery of Studio Esteta. Felicity, who Pip calls “Flea”, is a much-loved friend from boarding-school days. They had already worked together on The Sonic, the former Masonic hall that is now Jumbled’s headquarters in Orange, and Pip and Speedy’s own home. Their dream house, sited on a 24-hectare block above Spring Hill Dam on the outskirts of Orange, was only recently finished when the couple saw the bank was for sale.
“We were out for dinner one night, without the kids, talking about what we should do next and decided to put in an offer on it,” explains Pip. Speedy, who grew up in Rankin Springs, over 300 kilometres west of Orange, was originally an agronomist. He did a mature-age apprenticeship around the time they became parents and his new skills have proved to be very handy.
“I feel like the three of us are a good team,” Pip says. “We worked particularly well together on this one. I love working with Flea, she’s so good, and having Speedy knowing what’s possible, and how to build in the most cost-effective way, is very helpful. It can be annoying when he’s being Captain Sensible, but he does keep us on budget.”
Jumbled’s Pip Brett talks to Graziher’s Life on the Land about her love of colour. Article continues below.