Surrey Homes | SH33 | July 2017 | Interiors supplement inside

Above & above right: A family bathroom neatly slots into a
space under the sloping roof upstairs Right: Wide limed oak
floorboards line the staircase. “I see the staircase running through
the centre of the building like a spine,” Marta says
as if the staircase is rising up through the middle of the house, like a
monolith. “I see the staircase running through the centre of the building
like a spine,” she says, and then adds intriguingly, “I love the spaces
that other people overlook or want to hide – the awkward gaps and
places under the stairs. I expose them and use them to make interesting
spaces.” Having no need for under-stairs cupboards – or much storage
at all from what I can see, also opens up the rooms and enhances the
feeling of light and space. There is no need for storage, it would appear,
because there is not much to store. Marta travels light, which I guess, is
a necessity if you are often between two properties and renting out one
of them each time. Home is wherever she lays her laptop then. “Yes, I
keep my life in my bag,” she laughs. The key to a streamlined home,
as Marta stylishly demonstrates, is not more storage, it’s less stuff. I
suddenly feel the need to rush home and have a massive clear out.
As we move through the house, each area informs the next, anchored
by the central staircase. Exposed brickwork, concrete plinths and
the steel beam in the living area contrast with the highly finished,
sleek timber cladding and floorboards, and the clean, sharp lines of
the slightly industrial furnishings. It is this well judged juxtaposition
that makes everything in the building come together so seamlessly.
It wasn’t all smooth progress, but Marta and Pat the builder were
able to overcome most of the obstacles. Marta points to the cast
concrete plinth at the base of the stairs. It went wrong, apparently.
91 wealdentimes.co.uk