Wealden Times | WT184 | June 2017 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

There’s something rather Famous
Five about walking out of one front
door, scuttling up the stairs – past
the wonderful ‘steam trawler’ sign
Susie bought in an antique shop in
Norman Road – and in through the
front door of another flat
Left: The final bedroom upstairs is very
much a child’s sanctuary, featuring a
dolls’ house made for Jen’s daughter
Caroline from an antiques centre equivalent to
Susie’s spot in Crystal Place, in her north London
’hood, while the magnificent brass curtain
rail and hooks are from Susie’s shed stash.
Other furnishings in this room reflect their
use of local businesses. The fern wallpaper is
from Vintage Bird in Hastings Old Town and
while the curtains are from Next, they had
them lengthened to reach the floor by getting
the needleworkers at Little Sew and Sew in
St Leonards, just five minutes walk along the
road, to add some green fabric at the bottom.
This ultra local sourcing continues, in the
bathroom just across the hallway, with vinyl from
what is literally the very nearest flooring shop.
It’s an excellent way to shop, if you don’t want
to spend precious free time schlepping about
and even though they bought all the bathroom
fittings from a bathroom supply shop in London
– it’s one Susie’s used for every bathroom she’s
renovated. Local and/or loyal is the mantra here.
“We wanted an Edwardian look for the
bathroom,” explains Caroline, “in keeping
with the period of the building, not a modern
bathroom. But we did want a bigger shower,
because that’s nice when you’ve come from the
beach, so we put in a smaller bath to accommodate
it. The key thing is people still have the choice.”
The mood of the upstairs flat is pleasingly the
same – but different. The tongue and groove
panelling which runs hip height along both
hallways up here is painted a sunny bright
yellow, downstairs it’s a sophisticated mulberry.
The set up of a lovely wooden dining table
with chairs on one side and a bench seat on the
other, with a splendid painting hanging above
it, is like a mirror image of downstairs, except
these pieces are antiques, which Susie bought in
situ from Andy and Christine of Eras of Style.
That amazing captain’s window
wealdentimes.co.uk