Surrey Homes | SH23 | September 2016 | Education supplement inside

Previous page: The brass-framed mirrors are from
Cox & Cox. Jenna found the vintage photograph
of her home town of Chepstow, South Wales and
had it framed to match. Left above: The bath in
the ground floor master bathroom is from Patons
of Walton and the black and white towels are from
House of Fraser. The map of Australia is a piece of
wrapping paper from Willow & Stone, which Jenna
had framed. Below: The bespoke vanity unit was
built by Stonewood and is painted in Farrow & Ball
Pale Blue.
shelves also offer a contemporary perch for
recipe books and favourite bits of crockery.
Jenna’s husband Andrew also had some say:
“When designing this space, he said, ‘This is your
baby but I want bi-folds and a wine fridge!’ If
I have those things, I’m happy’.” Alongside the
wine fridge is a Neff oven with retractable door
and above it there is an induction hob. “I wanted
gas initially, but I’m sold on this now,” says Jenna.
It certainly fits the brief of sleek, modern and
practical as well as sociable: “I wanted a bright
and inclusive kitchen where I can still be a part
of the conversation with guests whilst preparing
meals and not be hidden away in a back room.”
From the kitchen there is an unbroken view
across the dining area with its limed-oak effect
dining table – from No 44 in Cobham – out
into the garden. Charlie sits playing in the living
area, while we chat and it’s easy to see why this
space works so well. Overhead are five roof
light windows and blinds, all of which can be
controlled at the touch of a button, and which at
the moment are flooding the room with light.
The light floods through the heart of the
house and down the corridor which leads to
the front of it, the hallway and the family
bedrooms. Having the bedrooms at the front
and on the ground floor, does feel different but
it works – especially when you live on such a
quiet street. The hallway is neatly furnished
with a rustic bench seat and drawers from
Willow & Stone and a complementary shelf
and coat rack from Loaf, which is based in
Falmouth. Like the rest of the house, it’s tidy
and uncluttered, but without feeling sterile.
Coming back to England certainly gave the
couple an excuse to sort out their stuff and
Jenna learnt a lot about decluttering: “Moving
countries and living out of boxes – all our stuff
was in storage for seven months – we literally
came over with two suitcases. But we didn’t
95 wealdentimes.co.uk