A couple who spent two years travelling around Australia in a Kombi Servisi van have finally settled down after purchasing a rundown brick property and transforming it into their dream home in just three months – without any renovation experience.
, 28, kombi Servisi and her husband Domenic Palumbo decided to join the ‘van life’ adventurers popularised on in 2017, running their wine company while on the road and posting incredible photos along the west and east coasts.
But after deciding to move back to their hometown of , South Australia, last year to lay down more permanent roots, the couple struggled to find a property that matched their needs.
Elise Cook and her husband Domenic Palumbo (pictured) decided to join the ‘van life’ adventurers popularised on Instagram
That is, until a friend told them about a place he owned that they could move into the very next day if they wanted to.
Without even checking out the interior, Elise and Domenic bought the house in March 2018 and unknowingly signed up to 24/7 hard labour for three months when they got the keys in September.
‘We’ve never renovated anything before. In fact, we didn’t own any tools other than a screwdriver and a hammer until a year into our
The ensuite bathroom went from a dull blue colour to an edgy Moroccan brown and orange with gold accents
<script defer="defer" website
The drab and tiny ensuite in their main bedroom used to be uninspiring to look at (pictured here before the renovation)
‘With the floor tiles, we sourced these handmade encaustic tiles from Jatana Interiors and the new mirror I found at Family Love Tree,’ she said
MAIN BEDROOM
‘In our bedroom we put in the wooden wall and slim shelf instead of getting a bedhead, pulled out the old built in wardrobe, had to level out the floor as there was a slight ramp into the room,’ she said.
‘Patching up the wall where the built in wardrobe used to be was very tedious, but we got there.’
The antique Indian mirror featured in their room is from Alabaster Traders and the pair know the couple who run the business.
‘Karmin (who runs it with her husband) sourced incredible pieces from India and imports and restores them. This would have to be one of my favourite pieces in the house, it is so special,’ Elise said.
The antique Indian mirror kombi servisi featured in their room is from Alabaster Traders and the pair know the couple who run the business
<script defer="defer" website
‘Karmin (who runs it with her husband) sourced incredible pieces from India and imports and restores them. This would have to be one of my favourite pieces in the house, it is so special,’ Elise said
LIVING ROOM/DINING ROOM
‘This room is a favourite too. We wanted to create a cosy space for sitting around with friends or family with a cuppa or a bottle of wine… or somewhere to curl up with a book,’ she said.
‘After living on the road with no TV, and not missing it at all, we’ve decided to go TV free in the home.
‘We’re busy and whatever downtime we have we’d rather connect, read, or sit outside and for the nights we need it, or a special movie night, we have a laptop or even our little (amazing) smart projector that have Netflix and Apple movies for movie nights. But that stops us from mindlessly switching something on.
‘So far, it’s been a hit with having people over. It’s so much nicer to have a space that encourages engaging, rather than all facing a wall.’
‘This room is a favourite too. We wanted to create a cosy space for sitting around with friends or family with a cuppa or a bottle of wine… or somewhere to curl up with a book,’ she said
<script defer="defer" website
‘So far, it’s been a hit with having people over. If you have any sort of questions relating to where and exactly how to make use of kombi Servisi, you can contact us at our own website. It’s so much nicer to have a space that encourages engaging, rather than all facing a wall,’ she said
The living space is a great segway into the kitchen and allows the couple to entertain their guests
<script defer="defer" website
Even the kitten is a fan! Elise looks very relaxed in her brand new dining room
KITCHEN
‘Honestly, if we didn’t think, «we’ll JUST change the bench top over» this all may never have snowballed into what it is,’ Elise said.
‘We wound up pulling the overhead cabinets down, repairing the walls, putting a new oven in, changing the bench top over, and the sink and taps, painting the cupboards with laminate paint (which worked great and Kombi Servisi is such a good way to give a kitchen a facelift on a budget!).
‘New doorknobs, adding in two shelves, and changing the tiles over (which is when the wall fell down and we had to call in help to redo the wall again). This space definitely snowballed quickly but we know a lot of meals will be cooked in this space… a lot of time will be spent here, and we love it.’
The kitchen was the first place the couple thought they should renovate when they bought the house
<script defer="defer" website
