Pip Brett launches Bon Bon: Five reimagined townhouses in Orange

Five tired brown-brick townhouse apartments offered in a single row might not have registered to most passersby, but for Pip Brett, they held a different kind of appeal. After all, she’s the founder of Jumbled, a homewares and lifestyle destination that has helped shape the creative scene in the regional NSW hub of Orange.

“They were horrible … but kind of cool,” she says. “We loved their location, right in the CBD. They were light-filled, with north-facing backyards, and I had a soft spot for their ’70s architecture.”

Rather than approaching the line of two-bedroom apartments as individual projects, Brett and her husband, builder Nick Luelf (known as “Speedy”, a nickname she jokes didn’t quite apply to this project), committed to renovating them simultaneously. A decision driven as much by practicality as ambition.

“Being married to a builder, I just knew how disruptive and messy a reno can be,” she says. “It kind of had to be all at once, so the intended guests could have the best possible experience from the beginning.”

The intention was clear: five reimagined homes, each returned to glory as short-stay accommodation, each with its own identity.

Working alongside architect Felicity Slattery of Studio Esteta – Brett’s high school friend – the core trio leaned into their respective strengths. “This was our fourth project, and the three of us work brilliantly together,” adds Brett.

While Luelf managed trades, timelines and the build itself, Brett focused on the interiors, treating each apartment as its own creative exercise, with colour becoming the anchor point.

“Each apartment has its own unique palette,” she explains.

From there, layers were built out piece by piece – tiles, stone, lighting, paint and textiles – guided by instinct and planning. To keep track, Brett developed her own system. “I had a plastic tub for each apartment’s samples … whenever I had to make the next decision, I’d pull everything out and have a play. That saved me.”

Even so, working across five homes at once inevitably led to moments of confusion and the occasional misstep.

“Probably the worst was getting apartment two and three mixed up,” she admits. After confidently directing a carpet choice over the phone while in Sydney, she returned home to find it installed in the entirely incorrect apartment.

“I had to go and see the carpet layers and ask if they could pull it up. I said, ‘couldn’t you tell that the chartreuse in the plum room did not go?’ and they said, ‘Lady, to us it all looks ugly, and none of it goes!’”

For Brett, it was oddly reassuring. “I love it when I hear that. It’s how I know I’m on the right track.”

That playful spirit runs throughout the finished spaces. Brett’s earlier project, Sona – a restored bank and bank manager’s quarters in the small town of Molong, just 25 minutes from Orange – became a key reference, with its bedrooms prompting the decision to make colour an immersive part of each apartment.

“The colour-drenched bedrooms at Sona were so successful, I wanted to do something similar, but not the same,” says Brett.

Here, kitchens and bathrooms, with their tonal tile choices, became the starting ground; bedrooms received the tactile treatment with bedhead fabrics from Bonnie and Neil; and living spaces were given the final flair, with artwork, adornment and curation guided by Brett’s keen eye.

Despite the scale of the project, there wasn’t a single defining moment when the kaleidoscope came together. Instead, confidence was clear from the outset. “I’d come down regularly after work and see the progress, and I was constantly amazed by how good it looked.”

The final stage of furnishing and styling brought a different kind of satisfaction. “I’d been using Canva to mock up each room, which helped me visualise it. But seeing it in real life, and it actually working, was the ultimate win.”

Now complete, the collection of homes, collectively known as BON BON, builds on Brett’s growing body of work and her ongoing celebration of the Central West region.

“Bon Bon has been designed to feel like a piece of home, but better, and we hope that guests feel the care that we have put into each and every detail,” Brett says. “We see them as a love letter to colour, creativity and Orange.”