Wealden Times | WT188 | October 2017 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

“We decided we would decorate the
house in period, because it’s what
we like and it’s also possible to do,
because the furniture is still readily
available. We focused on the 1880s
and 90s period, but it’s pretty eclectic,
because lots of the world had been
discovered by then and more exotic
styles adopted,” says Paul
balanced on the top sides of each mirror.
Sitting back in one of the red damask-covered
sofas and taking it all in, my eyes skipping from
ginger jar, to ornate clock, Chinese figurines, pot
pourri bowls, carved mirrors, religious statuary,
marquetry boxes, porcelain vases and much more,
in clumps, clusters and serried rows on every surface
in the room – many of them apparently created
for the purpose, such as the decorative shelf over
the door – one word comes into my mind: dust.
Paul smiles. “There is a lot of upkeep. When
the house was built there would have been a
live-in cook/ housekeeper, a housemaid and
probably a gardener. Downstairs is a room
which would have been the housekeeper’s
room. We do it ourselves, but it’s worth it.
“We decided we would decorate the house
in period, because it’s what we like and it’s
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