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

Above: Bargains and quirky finds have come from unexpected places and at different times: The copper effect lampshade in the bedroom
is from Dunelm, some of the cushions and towels were from TK Maxx “I didn’t want to have to spend a fortune,” says Diane, “if I can find
something for a tenner that works, then that’s good enough.”
cooking area. The actual cooking space is just behind a glass
partition. “We bought the window because I liked it,” says
Diane. “We didn’t have an immediate use for it and then
Ian saw that it could be used to make the partition.” Et
voila, it has become a version of The Little Paris kitchen.
Diane hasn’t been afraid to use dark colours in this low
beamed house and has opted for a sophisticated dark grey
(Farrow and Ball’s ‘Plummet’) on the walls of the sitting
room, breaking it up with a wall of paler, striped wallpaper
by Zoffany. “There were only two rolls left, which I bought
for two pounds and there was just enough to do this space,
with nothing to spare,” she laughs. The ceilings are painted
white, beams and all, which seems to lift them and bounce
light into the rooms. It takes imagination to bring everything
together so successfully – and a strong sense of style, which
Diane possesses in vintage spades. She is not always a big
fan of some contemporary design ideas.“I see people in
these massive granite kitchens and I don’t feel so much in
love,” she says. “I think – where are your little curtains, your
pots and crockery? I’m not old fashioned but I don’t like
it when everyone’s houses look the same. I don’t want to
see that they’ve been through the Next catalogue, or when
you watch Grand Designs and there’s all that glass…”
Outside the garden is separated into two areas – a private
garden for Diane and Ian and a more formal, courtyardstyle
garden for the guests. Privacy has been ensured with
evergreen shrubs and topiary. It is very well clipped and
helps to bring a chic, but verdant intimacy to the outdoor
seating area. “The advantage of using mainly evergreens is
that I can rely on it being the same throughout the year,”
she says. “And then I can add seasonal colour in pots.” In
the winter the whole garden twinkles with fairy lights and
makes a magical space to look out into. The apartment’s
French windows open onto a little terrace, which has just
enough space for a table and two chairs. It is perfect – the
essence of a Parisian balcony, albeit on the ground floor.
69 wealdentimes.co.uk