Wealden Times | WT183 | May 2017 | Restoration & New Build supplement inside

Above: Daughter Daisy’s room features a quilt made from squares of Guy’s shirts
special items, that work together, without appearing overly
styled. And if she can’t find them, she’ll make them.
Exploring the house is like going on a treasure hunt.
Not only is it fun trying to spot the latest Yateley Papers
products, it’s equally fun spotting things that Trudi has made
herself. After a cup of tea in the kitchen, we go through
to the dining room, which sits on the same level as the
kitchen, at the back of the house, and is reached by a short
flight of steps down from the hallway and the living room
at the front of the house. As is often the case, Trudi and
Guy opened up this downstairs space, so that the kitchencum-dining
room works with the rear courtyard garden.
Though almost open-plan to the kitchen, the dining room
still fulfils the traditional role of entertainment space – though
glitter on the table suggests that it sometimes doubles up
as a workspace: “We’re introducing crackers into our range,
so I’ve been fiddling and experimenting with glitter,” says
Trudi. The atmospheric, dusty blue walls have a sponged
appearance, though Trudi suggests this look was more just
a fortunate accident. A subtle nautical theme runs through
beach pictures and maps on the walls, while a huge round
mirror resembles a porthole: “That came from a friend.
She was getting rid of it and I thought, ‘Wow!’. I love it.”
Below and either side of the circular mirror sit two large
lamps, both of which Trudi played a part in making. One
carries a muted Yateley Papers lampshade on a sculpted metal
base while the other features one of Trudi’s signature homedecorating
tricks – a huge glass jar, decorated internally using
the technique known as ‘decoupage’. “It’s all done from the
inside, but using the good old-fashioned method, where you
cut designs out and stick them together like a collage. It’s quite
easy to do and it’s a really effective way of decorating glass.”
71 wealdentimes.co.uk