Surrey Homes | SH107 | December 2023 | Christmas Supplement inside

This page: A reclaimed rectory table sits in the centre
of the dining room. Hannah’s joiner curved the edges,
sanded it back and used a seal of white Danish oil to
give it a contemporary feel. Applying the advice she
gives to clients to her own house, Hannah has bought
and re-imagined vintage pieces throughout. “You have
to have an environmental conscience in any business.
It also means that you can achieve a unique look. It
can be much more enjoyable and clients end up with
something that’s really special or a vintage piece imbued
with stories,” she says, adding: “It can be hard – and
sometimes expensive to replicate that with new.”
There are two large fireplaces in the ground floor
rooms that needed some serious renovation. “In the
sitting room there was a 1970s bulky gas number,”
she says, “we opened up the original fireplace and
sourced a reclaimed surround.” They decided against
an open fire and, for practicality and ease, put in a
wood burner. “The fireplace in the dining room has
a bulkier surround – in an ideal world we would
have changed that too, but instead we went for a
period style insert. It’s all about creating a cohesive
and cosy Georgian feeling within the backdrop.”
Deciding on the look of the interior appears to
have been fairly straightforward for architect-trained
interior designer Hannah. Unsurprisingly she was
craving a calm, streamlined effect. “We wanted
the house to feel grounded,” she says. The neutral
backdrop she has created is a harmonious foil, setting
off the characterful pieces of furniture and artwork
that the couple are starting to collect. “We’d been
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