Wealden Times | WT168 | February 2016 | Wedding supplement inside

Above and left: An armchair that originally came from Claridge’s and a lamp
that was retrieved from a skip, complete the look in an upstairs bedroom
Other sources of furniture include
boot sales, a doctors’ surgery and even a
skip: “A lamp upstairs was on its way
to the tip, before I rescued it,” says
Jilly. The furniture just seems to fit –
rather like Jilly’s many happy guests
sometimes three in a room – and gorgeous inviting beds,
with a sensible number of cushions and cosy throws:
“Despite setting up on a budget, the things I would
not compromise on were mattresses and bed linen.”
Jilly also added simple, modern en suites to every
room. Filling these five double rooms has never been a
problem, despite a challenging start. “At the beginning,
I was so short of money I didn’t have a business card,
couldn’t afford advertising and didn’t even have a sign!”
says Jilly. Fortunately, in her first week, a TV crew came
to stay, and word spread: “In my third week, the BBC
booked the place for six weeks solid.” So, as well as having
a house full, she’s had some pretty special guests.
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