Wealden Times | WT171 | May 2016 | Restoration & New Build supplement inside

Above left: French-style touches include this pretty armoire on the upstairs landing and, above right, a classic chaise longue in one of the guest bedrooms
mirror above that reflects back even more light.
The colours throughout are muted, but the Roman
blinds feature a provençal style print of pale grey and
lime green Linwood linen, the colours of which are
echoed in the striped and paisley patterned Ulster
Weavers cushions of assorted sizes that sit in plumped
symmetry on the sofas. Glass and ceramic urns filled
with white roses and orchids are dotted about on the
surfaces, and lanterns and candle sconces sourced from
The Vintage Home Co. in Westerham and Papillon
Living in Brighton further add to the atmosphere.
On a sideboard stands a pair of Corinthiancolumned
lamps and an unusual French antique
lantern. “They’re from Annie, an antiques dealer
at Dorking House Antiques, an antiques centre
that’s owned by David’s mother.” says Victoria.
“When we entertain, we light all the candles, and
at Christmas time, my father brings a huge piece
of timber that we fit over the top of the table, so
we can accommodate up to 16 people to eat.”
To the right of the sideboard, a discreet door leads
into a small, but perfectly formed Butler’s pantry, where
Victoria has designed a wall of drawers of varying sizes
and depths that house everything from tealights to cookie
cutters. All those items in a house that normally have no
obvious home are kept here, so there are also shelves for
vases of all shapes and sizes, hooks to keep toasting forks
safely out of children’s reach, and even plastic tubes hung
on the inside of cupboard doors to neatly house rolls of
wrapping paper. There is even a mirror, thoughtfully
hung at face height: “I put it there so I can do a quick
check when holding dinner parties – just in case I have
spinach in my teeth or something!” laughs Victoria.
Walking through the opening from the dining
area, we pass through the snug, where the original
kitchen and scullery was once housed. A large
OKA armoire keeps all the children’s toys, games
and craft materials out of sight and a pair of sofas
from OKA offer a comfortable, quiet place to sit.
As I follow Victoria along the hallway, I notice the
polished oak floor stretching ahead. “Yes, it’s the original
flooring, laid when the house was built. We didn’t
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