Surrey Homes | SH74 | March 2021 | Interiors supplement inside

This page: Weathered chests and cupboards are a feature throughout the house, many of which are blue. One in particular, on the landing,
ties the whole colour scheme of the cottage together. “It was that colour when we bought it,” says Francesca. “I thought it might be a bit
much, but it works so well.”
extended by a utility/boot room in the back corner of the
house, which has all the white goods and lots of storage for
kitchen overflow.
Next to that is the ground-floor bedroom, with walls painted
a mid-green (Farrow & Ball’s Green Smoke) two thirds of the
way up, then cream, with the back wall finished with tongue
and groove panelling. Bringing it all together are Roman
blinds and a valance in classic ticking, a side table made from
an old sewing machine base and a print of a wading bird.
And so, in this one room, we have several of the elements
Francesca used to fulfil another essential aspect of Georgina
and Gareth’s design brief: a firm budget with a focus on
sustainability. “I used mainly ticking and linen, from
Merchant & Mills. Ticking valances have become one of
my trademarks. A valance really pulls a small room together,
but they are expensive to make, so using simpler fabric
allows you to have the effect and keep the costs down.”
The wall features were another clever way to give the house a
pulled-together look. “Tongue and groove gives texture to walls
and painting them in two tones up to this unexpected height is
a way of adding interest that isn’t twee, or obvious, like having
one colour up to a dado rail can be, it’s more contemporary.”
The table is an example of the sustainable theme –
antique fair furniture finds. “Only the beds and sofas are
new in the whole house – and I got the L-shaped sofas
from Made. I already knew they worked for this kind
of shared space. All the other furniture are finds from
antique fairs, ensuring the design remains eco-friendly.”
The great source was the legendary Ardingly antiques fair
at Haywards Heath, which is a vintage furniture treasure
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