Wealden Times | WT264 | May 2024 | Love Your Home Supplement inside

Previous pages & this page: Right in the centre of the
house, the spacious dining area has been painted white with
exposed oak beams, a large dining table, original brick floor
and a huge inglenook fireplace, complete with disco ball
Listed properties, protected and preserved – as they
should be – by planning laws, can make updating
complicated and time consuming, building
consent has to be applied for and changes can be hard
to make. Remarkably Emma Spencer’s sixteenth century
house in Iden Green is not listed, which has meant that
she’s been able to remodel the interior and make much
better use of the spaces, respectfully bringing it up to
date, without compromising the building’s integrity.
Keen to make a practical home for her family, Emma
set to work redesigning the layout, removing walls and
improving the interior flow. A daunting prospect you
might think, but Emma relished the project. It helps that
she has her own interiors business, Emma Spencer Design,
and that she had a clear vision of what was needed.
“It was someone’s second home when I bought it and
had a really quirky layout,” explains Emma. “It was two
cottages at one point, but that was a long time ago.
it wasn’t hard to reimagine the spaces.” Emma
So there were still two staircases, which compromised positions herself between an architect and a builder
the rooms upstairs. The kitchen was originally three – an area that would benefit from a title – perhaps
rooms with just a narrow corridor out to the garden.” a structural interior designer, because she does
She started by opening up the whole of the interior, to more than a room layout and decorating job.
let in much needed light and create an airier feel.
“Interior design is not just about putting a colour on
“I use a great builder, and as I do this for a living, a wall. My job is the step before that – and it’s good
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