Wealden Times | WT197 | July 2018 | Interiors supplement inside

Above: A woodburning stove keeps the sitting room cosy.
Left: Melanie’s work space is at the other end of the room
Solutions such as a glass desk and generous shelves to
hold stock and paperwork have made the space work harder.
But for Melanie, the cottage extends beyond the walls.
“One of the things that I was most attracted by when
I first saw this house was the garden – and although I
am overlooked by eight other homes, there is a feeling
of privacy and space because of the location.”
Although the previous owner had created the garden
from scratch Melanie was keen to add her own signature
and her partner was happy to weigh in for the grunt
work. The first step was to create an area to sit and enjoy
the sun. They used galvanized metal gabion baskets they
found in the garden to create a wall between the planted
area and the patio, topping them with two large pieces of
driftwood to create a perfect pair of wooden benches.
“I didn’t want the traditional English seaside garden
with pebbles and pea shingle, but when I went to Beth
Chatto’s gardens for inspiration, I fell in love with her gravel
garden. And one of the main benefits is that you don’t
need to water it, so it’s incredibly low-maintenance!”
The rest of the garden is stuffed full of hardy
97 wealdentimes.co.uk