An 1870s Church Turned Home in South Australia
Sarah and Adam Fairhead Hall transformed a 1870s church in South Australia into a rich and layered family home.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Marnie Hawson
Adam and Sarah Fairhead built the shelves from recycled Oregon timber and Bunnings brackets. Vintage Sebel table, still-life and bentwood bench found on Gumtree. Photo: Marnie Hawson.
The long and narrow kitchen is 9 x 3.5 metres – Sarah designed the kitchen island herself. Photo: Marnie Hawson.
The painting of the fairground (top right on the gallery wall) is by Cornish artist Michael Quirke. The tin horses were found in an antique shop in Tilba Tilba, NSW. The lady holding the teacup painting is by South Australian artist Zoe Freney. The castle on the cliff is by G. W. Hill. Green hills screenprint by Svenston Ehmen (1957). Photo: Marnie Hawson.
Sarah and Adam Fairhead Hall’s home in Willunga, South Australia has had a few incarnations. It was originally a church, then a Country Women’s Association centre, a Masonic lodge, and most recently, a yoga studio.
The 1870s church has been home to Sarah and Adam, and their two young children Story, (12) and Arlo (8), for the last five years, in which time they have lovingly restored it and made it liveable for the family.
‘The best thing about living in a church is the blank canvas of so much space, especially the ceiling height and how it forces you to be creative and inventive, because it was never designed to be a house – there are many inevitable quirks, which I find charming,’ says Sarah.
As the owner of styling and vintage furniture business Read&Hall and accomodation owner of My Sister & The Sea and Love & Mutiny, Sarah has furnished the space to adopt a rustic feel, filled with vintage signage, old cupboards, artwork and more. Everywhere you look, there is a styled cluster of beautiful finds, both locally and from around the world.
‘If I look for something specific I never find it, so all our vintage finds are accidental. I love to look but not regularly or consistently, I never aim to find a specific piece, they just catch my eye in random places. Overseas flea markets are heaven to me – I always travel with packaging items!
The interior has seen some significant additions including north-facing windows (in place of previously bricked up niches), a new kitchen, and the mezzanine built by Adam, which contains three bedrooms.
There are many things to love, but for Sarah and Adam it was the huge windows that first sold them on the space.
‘Being able to see so much of the sky, and the way they filter the light in sunbeam shafts throughout the house is an absolute joy.’
With only a few walls in place, the house retains somewhat of a studio feel, giving Sarah and Adam the freedom to regularly rearrange the spaces, ‘I love that I can move furniture around really easily and have it feel dramatically different, I've felt hemmed in by rooms in previous houses.’
For the final phase of the renovations the family hopes to expand with an addition off the kitchen, under the guidance of a state heritage appointed architect. We can't wait to see the next chapter!
The long and narrow kitchen is 9 x 3.5 metres – Sarah designed the kitchen island herself. Photo: Marnie Hawson.
The entry to the kitchen which is one of the three original arched doors in the church. Photo: Marnie Hawson.
The dining area tucked under the mezzanine. Photo: Marnie Hawson.
The painting is an altar backdrop painted by Karl Forup in 1932 for the Church of Daniel in Copenhagen Photo: Marnie Hawson.
“Our home tells our story; it’s equal parts nostalgic, vintage, eclectic, Scandinavian and constantly evolving. ”
Arlo’s bedroom with vintage windows from a factory in Amsterdam bought from Fossil Vintage. Photo: Marnie Hawson.
The vintage shop banner was purchased years ago from Scammells Auctions. Photo: Marnie Hawson.
Old windows in the bedroom are also from a factory in Amsterdam bought from Fossil Vintage. Photo: Marnie Hawson.
The exterior of the church located on the High Street of Willunga in South Australia.