Specialising in restorative building, Phil Daniel new exactly what he was taking on when he was asked to work on returning Yallungah House to its former glory.

He had been accompanying local land-owners David and Elizabeth Nock on their hunt for the perfect Orange heritage building for some time before Yallungah House came on the market.

“Phil has worked with us on two developments before Yallungah, so we knew that he was a person who has infinite patience and skill in repairing old buildings,” Mr Nock said.

Phil adds, “David had been looking for a place for years but when we left the sale of Yallungah he gave me a wink and I knew this was the one. We could tell the building was structurally sound. It had good bones and no cracks, but the roof had some water damage. The main challenge that caught our eye was getting rid of the second-rate, 1950’s additions of skillions and lowered ceilings.”

Phil started working on returning the building to its original structure soon after it was purchased, along with his building partner Bob Lewis, plasterer Geoff Clout, joiner Alan Platt and painters John Moxon and Ken Rawlings.

“Without Phil and this team of skilled craftsmen, we probably wouldn’t have considered taking on such a challenging project,” Mr Nock said. “You could tell each of them were as passionate about restoring the building and it was a pleasure to watch them work.”

The initial process of bringing the building back to its former condition took a little over a year and Phil was satisfied with the results.

“Geoff the plasterer did an amazing job replicating the original arch in another location downstairs, and painters John and Ken were just as passionate about bringing the building back to its original state.”

Using as many salvaged materials as possible, the team were determined to restore the building with its future in mind.

“We pulled things out carefully and stored it just in case we needed it,” Phil said. “A lot of the timber replaced was recovered from the back that we pulled down and we re-used it where floorboards needed to be replaced.”

“David’s wife, Liz found an old photo of the building from about 1910 and it gave us an indication of the handrails and façade that we used,” Phil said. There’s no reason the building won’t last another hundred years.”

For those who are lucky enough to stay in the Yallungah second-floor suites or dine downstairs, they are sure to appreciate the work that has gone into saving this beautiful home.

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The award winning Byng Street Boutique Hotel is the result of one family’s vision and passion for luxury accommodation in Orange NSW.

Thomas and Kristen Nock have worked in the hospitality and service industry for the entirety of their careers and have combined their skills and love of quality offerings to deliver the regions’ most illustrious boutique hotel.

Thomas has over 30 years of hospitality experience, including work and study in Switzerland, working at the prestigious Lanesborough Hotel in London.  He was part of the opening team of the Sir Stamford Kent Street.  Over 10 years at Royal Sydney Golf Club as part of the management of the House operation was a valuable work experience.

“My experience has given me a traditional approach to hospitality, but when I’ve travelled, I’ve always looked for a particular level of luxury and service with warmth and sophistication.”

Kristen’s love of hospitality was formalised at the William Blue Hotel Management School before she worked in illustrious hotels such as The Westin in Sydney, and then spent 16 years working up to the role of Senior Manager of Catering at VenuesLive, a leading provider of management and hospitality services to venues and events. Amongst other iconic stadiums, the company operates ANZ Stadium and Bankwest Stadium.  Kristen’s role focussed on managing a team that fostered strong relationships with event partners and corporate clients to ensure the successful operational delivery of all major event day and business events.

“Even though we’ve worked in some very large organisations, we’ve always loved small hotels,” Kristen said. “The idea of an intimate, boutique experience that’s welcoming with a family feel while remaining sophisticated and luxurious was our goal.”

As travelers to Orange to visit the Nock family farm, Kristen and Thomas fell in love with Orange’s vibrant landscape and heritage architecture.  They felt there was an opportunity in the accommodation sector to create a luxury, bespoke boutique hotel and fulfil the dream of creating an experience for others that they themselves would enjoy.

The Nock family purchased Byng Street’s original homestead ‘Yallungah’ in 2014. This family home built in 1896 was beautifully restored and a modern expansion was added to create a 22-room hotel that was inspired by the quirky details of the existing building, local artists, the surrounding landscape and the history of the region.

After an extensive building process, the couple are now excited to welcome guests to the Byng Street Boutique Hotel in the heart of Orange’s heritage precinct.

“As custodians to this incredible building, this has been a fulfilling project that corporate and travelling guests can now enjoy.”

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Christopher Nicholas remembers his first visit to the site of the Byng Street Boutique Hotel when it had only recently been purchased and he was greeted with a fascinating jungle of overgrown plants, untouched for years.

“When I first visited the site with owners Liz and David Nock it was to inspect the original garden to see if there were any plants that we could salvage and also repeat in the new planting,” Christopher explains. “The best plants we saved were Tree Peonies which we transported for safe keeping to the Nock’s home until the renovation is complete.”

Born in Australia before moving to England aged 10, Christopher has extensive experience transforming old, disused gardens into modern living areas having nurtured a passion for plants from a young age.

“Living in Kent in England, I remember distinctly getting out of the car from school for the summer holidays and my mother had done the pots in front of our home. I cringe with the thought but I remember lilac-coloured Lobelia catching my eye. That was 25 years ago. It’s all been about gardens since.”

Now, Christopher resides in Sydney but loves his visits to regional Australia and especially Orange to design the gardens at Byng Street Boutique Hotel.

“My focus was to plant with seasonal planting that I imagine people visiting from the City would appreciate, including autumn colour, lavender and witch hazel.”

While colour and texture were to be a focus, Christopher also wanted the garden to be easily maintained and drought tolerant.

“There are several garden beds I am hoping to make as beautiful as possible available to play with, directly in front of the new building and the garden beds around the front lawn in particular.

“I’ve taken the colour of the Copper Beech and have incorporated the other foliage to high light it, so lots of tonal colour there to play with.”

In the shady part of the garden on the western boundary, Christopher plans to plant a simple ‘Woodland, which will probably peak in Winter.

“No matter what time of year guests visit, we want them to discover a hidden sanctuary that delights and satisfies as much as the hotel itself.”

Christopher Nicholas

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The building of the Byng Street Boutique Hotel hasn’t been without its challenges but it’s been managed with professional ease thanks to the expertise of Nigel Smith (pictured left) and the team at Renascent Regional.

“This was an exceptional project, being in a heritage part of Orange and surrounded by some gorgeous homes, we think what has been achieved is a credit to owners David and Elizabeth Nock,” Nigel said. “They’ve done a beautiful job, what they’ve done with the old residence and restoring it is credit to them.

“One of the requirements the Nocks requested when commencing the project was using as many local trades where possible. Some changes were undertaken for that very reason and we used around 80% of country boys and others were brought in just where the skillset was necessary.

“The whole crew, from David Nock, his son and daughter-in-law Tom and Kris, but also Louise from OneFour Interiors and the whole crew have all been easy to work with, which has made the project that more pleasurable. A special mention has to go to Mayoh Architects,” Nigel adds. “They are the pioneers for this gorgeous building and have remained committed to liaising with the local authorities regarding issues arising.”

Nigel cites the Renascent team as one of the main reasons for the projects’ success.
“Tony Lulham (pictured right) is the site manager and, along with leading hand Greg Hayman, they put the jigsaw puzzle together,” Nigel said. “Tony’s probably lost a little bit of hair from this project and has put in a lot of hours in but he’ll be on site right to the end. He always wants to see the last jigsaw puzzle piece go into place.”

The other key members of the team were contract administrators Ivan Cowan and Paul Dickerson and estimator Ricard Meiring.

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Playful was the word that enticed interior designer Louise Spicer from onefour interiors to the Byng Street Boutique Hotel project.

Approached by the Nock family in the infancy of the development planning, Louise was an obvious choice to create a welcoming interior to a building offering contemporary luxury with a nod to tradition and a respect for the original building’s hand made beginnings.

“Louise is local, she has an impressive portfolio of work and we liked her immediately as a person,” Byng Street Boutique Hotel’s Elizabeth Nock said.

The brief for the hotel surprised even the younger generation of Nocks when Elizabeth and David stated they wanted a playful hotel that was bespoke and high end, considered but not taking itself too seriously.

“Liz and the team have been amazing to work with,” Louise said. “After our first meeting, David and Liz expressed that they wanted to create a unique, hi end hotel that would be sympathetic to the original Yallungah home whilst adding a contemporary new build with architectural interest.
Liz and David are well travelled and were excited at the opportunity to take on such a unique project- and to be able to provide their own stamp of design aesthetic to country nsw’

“The interiors are contemporary and considered, with colour blocking for interest and layered hi end finishes and furniture selections. With our clients we wanted to create our own take on a contemporary Australian boutique hotel. Colour and pattern play a key theme throughout the hotel to create its own identity and help create a cohesive connection from old home through to the new hotel.

The story of the original building is considered throughout the space.

“A big element for us was handmade,” Louise said. “William Lamrock was a builder and would use materials that were left over from other projects to construct his family home at 62 Byng Street. The Nocks see themselves as the new custodians of the space and want to pay homage to the past and for things to feel hand made. We have been conscious and lucky enough to engage local artists to create our own modern day bespoke feeling within the hotel’

Originally from Orange, Louise studied in Sydney and spent 15 years working with some of the worlds leading high-end design and architecture firms in Sydney and London. She then returned to Orange to establish her business before moving to Sydney where she now works from Annandale office and resides with her husband.

“I come up to see clients in Orange on a regular bases working out of our Orange Studio and its great to still be part of the community. I love the country lifestyle and the relaxed nature of our clients in the country. Creatively it’s great to be able to get the best of both worlds’

Specialising in high-end interior design for residential and commercial clients, the onefour interiors aesthetic is beautiful, edgy and impressively stylish and this comes across in Louise’s choices of colour and materials in the Byng Street Boutique Hotel.

“We didn’t think there was any point in not being courageous,” Tom Nock says. “This is a bold building with a strong personality and we want our guests to know they’re part of something truly unique.”

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Founded on tradition, designed for the future. The tag line at Mayoh Architects fits perfectly with the philosophy of the Byng Street Boutique Hotel and has encouraged the team to strive for perfection during the development of this unique building.

Byng Street, Orange is known for its beautiful homes and striking architecture so when it came time to appoint an architect to develop the historic Yallungah at 62 Byng Street into a boutique hotel, Peter Mayoh was eager to get started.

“We’re used to working on heritage buildings and tackling the challenges that come with this,” Mr Mayoh said. “We take directions from the old, but the additions aren’t supposed to mimic the old, they are a bold statement, celebrating the new lease of life given to the building.”

Mayoh Architects is a versatile multi-disciplinary design practice carrying out a wide range of projects throughout Australia.

“We’re committed to achieving projects of excellence through a personalised approach,” Mr Mayoh said. “The core of our ideals is the belief that each project, client and site holds unique opportunities which can be united into an outcome that exceeds the project’s objectives and makes a contribution to its context, is of its time, and is environmentally responsible.”

Mr Mayoh has led the growth of his practice from small domestic dwellings to university buildings and large educational projects and it was his 45 years of professional experience and approach to design that enticed 62 Byng Street owners David and Lizzie Nock to employ the Mayoh team.

“Peter is a dynamic, ‘hands-on’ director who has taken an active and personal role in all aspects of the project delivery,” says Mr Nock. “He has been with us every step of the way and was as emotionally invested as we were during the development application process.”

Mr Mayoh has always had an affinity for the Central West having grown up on a five generation farm in Crookwell.

“One foot has always been firmly planted in the bush,” Mr Mayoh said. “I understand the importance of developing job opportunities to people living in regional areas.

“I am truly excited about this project,” said Mr Mayoh. “It has been wonderful to watch Orange grow into a healthy, vibrant and diverse community with tourism businesses offering significant cash flow in the district. This development will contribute significantly to the security of hospitality and management opportunities as well as ensure the historic building is maintained and here for everyone to enjoy for generations to come.”

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