Wealden Times | WT224 | Nov & Dec 2020 | Christmas supplement inside

Above left: Setting the dining table at a diagonal angle makes it much easier to get around the room and adds dynamism to the space
Above right: The kitchen is still in its original place in an extension at the back of the house. Cathe and John decided to keep the old plasterwork,
where the bread oven used to be, and commissioned a new sky blue and wood contemporary kitchen with a herringbone parquet floor
“We held an open day at the house, with £1 entrance
in aid of the Hospice, with tea and homemade cake, to
help people understand that everything doesn’t have to
be new, when furnishing a home, upcyling is a fantastic
option to try as is combining furniture of different eras. We
wanted to show how you can repurpose things, save money,
save the planet – and help a very worthwhile charity.”
And it’s not just the local charity shops that provide local
sources. They bought a John Sankey chaise longue and two
armchairs as well as the dining room chairs from Hoopers, in
addition to mixing in brands from the local high street such
as Oliver Bonas, Anthropologie and Dassie Artisan to add a
contemporary flavour into their mix of homewares.
Even the piece of furniture that first struck me when
I entered the house, a very stylish set of shelves, made
from industrial piping and old scaffolding boards, is
of ultra local provenance. “It came from The Bicycle
Bakery just down on Camden Road,” says John. “Jamie
used to sell his bread off them. He was changing things
round and he sold them to us and they show how
you can build a whole room round one piece.”
Another thing to note about those shelves, is their position
in the room. In use as a TV stand, they are on the wall
opposite the fireplace. So rather than facing the chimney
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