"I want people to come in and feel like they're part of our home, that it's not pretentious."

Since April 2011, Penny's been living in her two-bedroom one-bathroom home, with husband Troy and their two pups, Toby and Tootsie.

(It's technically a three-bedroom, but one room became Troy's giant closet.)

Troy is a pilot for the port and Penny is a nurse. The pair met in the Northern Territory when Penny was working at Ayers Rock Resort and Troy was a scenic helicopter pilot. He's originally from the UK and she's from Ballarat.

The two fell in love, moved around and travelled. They eventually arrived in Newcastle.

This is the second house they've owned. Previously they had a home in Queensland.

They lived in Mayfield at first and decided to move to Dudley after Penny went for a flight with Troy over the area and became intrigued with the location.

They visited the area and found it neither too urban nor suburban with everything at their fingertips. They love the Awabakal Nature Reserve, the fantastic beach, the pub across the road and the coffee shop.

"One of the most telling things was how quiet and how dark it was compared to when we were living in Mayfield, at first the contrast was stark," Troy says.

"We're very lucky," Penny says

They bought the house and started making changes. Penny and Troy think the house was built in the 1950s and, when they bought it, its exterior colour was mustard.

The porch was falling down. Inside it had gray slate tiles and pink carpet with aluminium windows. The light blue walls were made with horsehair plasterboard.

They reinstated the fireplace.

"It had good bones, it needed to bring that old cottage-y feel back," Penny says.

"It still has the old traditional cornicing and the high ceilings."

Their builder was Geordie Toohey.

"He helped us bring our vision. He had a lot of good ideas. In the guest bedroom he did the cupboards. I had the vision and he could execute it," Penny says.

"The original owner came past a few years after we moved in. Our immediate neighbour knew her quite well. They were so pleased with what we've done," Troy says.

Troy has a green thumb and does the garden and landscaping.

The couple turned their carport into a deck. They took off the garage door, lined the interior and laid sandstone pavers. A barbecue, bar fridge and sheet metal wall art with lights was installed. Now they use the space more than ever.

They are deliberate with what they buy and why. Less is more.

"The important thing is, if you have space you want to use it," Troy says.

"We had a table in here and we weren't using it. We took the legs off it, put it in the utility and brought the lounge outside.

"What's the point of having the space if you aren't going to use it?"

Lighting and warmth is a big thing for Penny.

She mentions the Danish and Norwegian word "hygge", which describes a mood of coziness and comfort. It inspires her approach to the home.

"It's about layering and big rugs, but it's also about a little bit of quirkiness and art," she says.

They joke that if they lived separately they'd have two vastly different homes.

"Troy has slowly made his way over to me in terms of style," she says.

"I like what Penny likes but Penny hates what I like, so happy wife, happy life," Troy jokes.

They work a lot, so they enjoy spending time at home when they can. When the pandemic hit and they had to stay home more, they weren't fussed. They don't see the point of renovating if you don't love spending time in the space you've created.

This is their forever home and they don't plan on moving.

Penny, Troy, Toby and Tootsie are staying cozy and warm for many winters to come in Dudley.