Surrey Homes | SH97 | February 2023 | Education Supplement inside

Clockwise from top: The contractors had
to dig into the hill to support the larger
structure of the new house, which resulted
in some unplanned underground spaces
– one of which is now a home cinema.
A guest bedroom opens straight out into
parkland that slopes down into a valley
alongside a beautiful ash dining table.
Hanging blown glass pendant lights by
UK company Rothschild & Bickers float
overhead offering both colour and texture.
The exquisite carpentry by Simon Shaw
(who Camilla found on Instagram) divides
up the space into perfectly functioning
areas. The partitions are painted in rich
colours of Farrow & Ball Downpipe
and Zoffany Aubusson accessorised with
textural Buster & Punch handles.
Around the opposite side of the
partition is the sitting area which is filled
with rich coloured upholstered sofas and
midcentury modern chairs in charcoals
and mustards. “Kate Malone Interiors in
Tunbridge Wells helped us hugely with
all the curtains, which add another level
of texture and warmth,” says Camilla.
“The curtain fabrics are from Italian brand
Casamance and they really work perfectly,
being luxurious but also modern and
unfussy.” Around the house individual
pieces of considered furniture and lighting
sit perfectly, sourced in the large part by
Willem from Dutch supplier De Jong
Interieur, who Camilla met at Ardingly.
On the landing a series of huge and
very striking portraits by South Africanbased
artist Solomon Omogboye, who
the family had discovered on a holiday,
takes you to Camilla’s cosy office/den
which sits atop an elegant powder-coated
steel staircase that pierces the impressive
double height atrium below. Camilla
and Garry’s bedroom suite sits just to
the bottom of the stairs, whilst a long
corridor lined with discreet-yet-endless
storage, is home to the kids’ bedrooms
(all ensuite) and the guest bedroom
suite. “We really based the bedrooms
on our perfect hotel – big enough for
a good size bed and built-in cupboards
and generous ensuite bathrooms with
walk-in showers. “Each of the kids picked
their own bathroom tiles so they got to
take ownership of their room, not that
it helps them to tidy up!” quips Garry.
The guest bedroom also has a very
cunning indoor/outdoor wall that joins
“To be honest, I always thought home cinemas
were a bit OTT,” says Garry, “but now we
have one, it’s the best, as is the home gym.
We use them all the time and they really do
make this house completely lockdown proof!”
the interior of the house to its exterior.
This sense of conversation between the
interior and exterior of the house has
also been achieved through the extensive
glazing throughout both the lower and
upper levels of the house, each window
revealing yet more views to the outside.
On the lower level, as construction
had to dig into the hill to support the
larger structure of the new house, the
family ended up with some unplanned
underground spaces. “To be honest, I
always thought home cinemas were a bit
OTT,” says Garry, “but now we have one,
it’s the best, as is the home gym. We use
them all the time and they really do make
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