New zahalka houseWe've moved next door with all the usual suspects and added some special zahalkan touches- grander bedrooms with victorian high ceilings, antique french and glass panelled doors, a central hallway that one can pirouette down and keeps the beautifully appointed bedrooms separate from the living spaces, and the nook-like winter den where you can play some old records in front of the wood fire, peruse the fabulous book collection or simply escape into another world. Please feel free to byo vinyl.
Close to Convent gallery, local market, Farmers Arms Hotel and Botanical Gardens, Zahalka House is built from the old and new to create a gentle, peaceful, light- filled retreat and stylishly decorated with hand curated pieces to celebrate the classic feel of the country home while offering the ultra comfortable aspects of modern life.
You have found the perfect getaway! Soak in the old fashioned claw foot bath or deep mini spa, with fluffy white towels, dreamy white linen on king beds, antique rugs and beautiful leather lounges mixed with comfortable vintage furniture, original artwork, an exciting and eclectic mix of discs for the film buff or music lover, cool games on the shelves and exquisite books. Zahalka House is a foody, arty, sensory extravaganza! Aurora Day Spa products have been created with care and expertise using the purest extracts of botanically active ingredients, each formulation created to deliver the maximum results in well being and hydration. Our range includes shampoo, conditioner, hand cream, hand wash and body balm to relax the mind and nourish and rejuvenate the body. |
zahalka house winter den with wood heater
A cooks' kitchen for those who love to entertain: a mix of old world french and spanish cookware and modern utensils, grand Ilve stove and dishwasher and rare antique crockery. An old country feast size table that seats 10, a lovely antique german piano and a fascinating and coveted array of colorful curios and collectables from all around the world in a welcoming and centrally heated environment.
Unwind outside on the north facing articulated deck overlooking the creek with beautiful views to Cornish Hill. You are merely a short stroll to the Sunday Market, or an extravagant food platter at nearby "CLIFFY'S" deli, followed by an indulging visit from the in-house masseur or a sunset candlelit bath on the deck. Perhaps wander down for a yummy dining room experience at the Farmer's Arms Hotel or an intimate french meal at Bistro Terroir. Swim in the lake, or relax in a rejuvenating spa, indulge your inner aesthete with a walk to the convent gallery or maybe make a picnic in the the Botanical Gardens on Wombat Hill. |
We acknowledge and pay respect to the Djaara People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional custodians of the land on which Zahalka House operates and recognise their continuous connection to culture, community and Country
Zahalka History -press release 2010
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Interior Designer and Stylist Rachael Leslie was inspired to name her newly constructed and impeccably styled country retreat after a great Australian photographer. Zahalka House, hidden in a delicious stretch of Daylesford countryside, was named in homage to Sydney-based photographer ANNE ZAHALKA, whose Iconic work features throughout Australia's major galleries. Leslie’s co-stylist Jasmine Salomon was captivated by Zahalka’s imagery after viewing her major retrospective exhibition which toured nationally in 2008. She realised she had stumbled upon a namesake for the art conscious and eccentric space she was assisting Leslie to create, and the name stuck. Leslie's hand collected interior pieces and carefully considered approach to detail has resulted in the creation of a home that is warm, inspiring and offers guests the sense of magic one can only experience when staying at a lived in, culturally aware environment. This is the kind of pad you’d retreat to when creative block sets in and you needed an oasis that provided New Yorker mags to distract you or upmarket cooking and art books to inspire you. It is the home you always wished you owned, the sense of balance you wished you could create, with that lived- in feeling where everything just works. And it’s that sense of home that is so often commented upon by visitors. By late 2008, when Zahalka house was truly established and beginning to garner a name in a town where the stakes in stylish accommodation are high, Leslie and Salomon attended Anne Zahalka’s private gallery showing at Arc 1. They had the opportunity to talk with the artist about her work, and also about the property named in her honour and she was, well, honoured! A weekend at the retreat was offered to Zahalka to lend weight to the connection between her name and this space. The described experience, of a trip to beautiful countryside with long drawn baths in the evening and crisp walks into the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens in the morning, did not disappoint Zahalka. But mostly, she was impressed by the vision of this home, and by the way the slow burn approach to layout, style, function and art was so effortlessly combined. As the owner of her own fabulously eclectic bed and breakfast Australia Street Guest House in Sydney, Anne Zahalka knew good style and functionality when she hit upon the Daylesford retreat. Zahalka, Leslie and Salomon are now linked in more ways than just a name, and their friendship based on art and good times continues to bloom. Leslie has since worked with Zahalka on her latest short films and a gift to the house from the artist to the artists- the haunting print 'Kudu Hunter, 2006' is now featured at Zahalka House. Anne Zahalka is represented by ARC ONE Gallery in Melbourne https://www.portrait.gov.au/exhibitions/hall-of-mirrors-2007 https://zahalkaworld.com.au/wild-life-06/ |
