Provider House is the new accommodation arm of Provider Store — the Sydney-based physical and online store that specialises in sustainably sourced and slow made products.
Just like the store, the accommodation champions local makers and Japanese design influences.
Director of Provider Store and Provider House Tara Bennett explains, ‘The idea behind Provider House was to have people experience all the special pieces we sell at Provider Store in a real life setting.
‘Everything from our organic gauze bath towels, the kitchen knives, and the ceramics in the kitchen are items with a story and pieces you can then purchase.’
Tara purchased the existing property over NSW’s Covid lockdowns while she was living in Queensland and looking after her sick mother.
‘The border to Tasmania and Queensland was still open, so while up there away from my husband, dog, and business, I started daydreaming about creating an accommodation arm of Provider,’ says Tara.
‘I started looking at houses all around Australia and this one came up in Hobart. It was my dream house, so I jumped on a plane the next day and the rest is history.’
Tara was attracted to the existing home in Lenah Valley, Hobart for its timber construction — although this did pose some complications during renovations!
‘The man who owned the house had built most of it himself and a lot of walls and rooms aren’t quite straight – it feels a bit wabi-sabi and warm,’ says Tara.
‘It was only meant to take three months, but being an old house that we knew nothing about, things kept being uncovered that we needed to fix. The power wasn’t legally wired, the bathroom wasn’t waterproofed, the laundry wall rotted out, and we had to get new water tanks.’
Tara worked with architect Trias and builder Charlton Richards to create the accommodation with the vision of ‘a little piece of Japan but surrounded by Australian bushland.’
The celery top pine exterior and interior walls were all retained joined by a new bathroom, laundry, kitchen, and Tasmanian oak floors throughout.
Tara’s favourite feature is the new cedar bath inspired by a ryokan she recently stayed at in Nara, Japan. ‘I sat in their hinoki bath until I went prune-y and I wanted to create that experience in Provider House. The underfloor heating, the smell of cedar, and the view of kunanyi / Mount Wellington makes the experience very special.’
Tara’s mother sadly passed away after she purchased the property, so the accommodation is dedicated to her. ‘If it wasn’t for me being stuck in Queensland looking after her due to the border closure, I wouldn’t have purchased the house. It feels like a bit of her will live on through it.’
Provider House is a place to be in nature, relax and feel at home. The property has three bedrooms to sleep up to six guests.
