Wealden Times | WT244 | September 2022 | Winter Interiors Supplement inside

This page: In each room accent colours work well against dark backgrounds, the bright
tones of teal and pink, combined with natural tones, lighten the mood
Large ferns, hardy palms and bamboo give the garden
a distinctly tropical feel, and were planted to provide a
secluded and soothing escape – and make another ideal
space for entertaining. The original estate agent’s details
for the property show what an amazing transformation
this couple have achieved out here. “It was completely
open,” Jen explains, “with really low walls and no plants
at all, just a patch of grass. We felt very exposed. The
first thing Calum did was to build the pergola at the
end.” Jen’s father helped Calum to make an outdoor
kitchen too, resourcefully up-cycled from leftover wood.
Suitably jungly and hardwearing teak root bar stools
by Coach House Surrey add to the exotic feel.
The extension, once the shop’s uninspiring storeroom and
toilet area, has been up-cycled – first into a gym and now
into an atmospheric garden room, complete with bifold
doors opening out into a small courtyard. Surrounded by
bamboo screening this brings instant height and acts as a
barrier from the road beyond. “I like the sound it makes,
it’s very calming,” says Jen. The jungle feel continues inside
with a mural by Avalana Design. “It came in four pieces
of wallpaper that had to line up exactly,” Jen grimaces, as I
search in vain for any seams. The other walls and the ceiling
are painted in chalky finish Rust-Oleum paint, layered on,
first with a roller and then with a brush, to give a textured
finish – the effect is rustic, like that of brushed concrete or
rough plaster, creating a weathered outdoorsy look. With the
doors opened to their full extent, this is an inside-out space,
inspired by their honeymoon in Costa Rica, where “there
are no doors or walls, it’s all outside,” Jen says wistfully.
What was once the old shop toilet is now a smart shower
and laundry room, the washing machine and dryer are cleverly
concealed behind rattan panels. “These were a headboard
for a bed from H&M,” she says adding, “we used a
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