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

This page: Steps from the dining room lead through a snug
and into a guest suite and office area. Emma sourced the
leather and wood chair from Duck & Dog in Cranbrook
to get involved at an early stage, so that decisions can
be made with the end result in mind.” Frustratingly
this is often not the case, as clients tend to see the
two processes as separate, rather than as a part of the
whole. “Architects will be focusing on a different side
of the project, and might not be prioritising the aspects
that become key once you are living in the space.”
Emma had firm ideas about the style of her own
interior too and was quick to move on from the house’s
existing country aesthetic. “I wanted to strip it from the
farmhouse look,” she says. “The kitchen was old wooden
units that were nice, but dated. I wanted it lighter and
brighter, so the chintzy curtains all came down.”
A key factor in keeping things calm and uncluttered is
the very useful utility room tucked behind the kitchen that
“had to be tanked because we’re on a slope.” The slope of
the land means that the kitchen is much lower than the rest
of the house, but is an important area and needed careful
thought. “We put in a new staircase down to the kitchen
and approached the room in two sections,” Emma explains.
“The base units went in first. The worktop is Corian and
it’s nice in here at night too, as it’s lit under the cabinets. I
like things to feel streamlined. You can add in colour with
accessories – details like plug sockets are really important.
You can install a more reasonably priced kitchen, but
include more expensive taps and sink and accessories.”
The kitchen now has a sleek, pared-back Scandi feel,
but nevertheless it has a warm atmosphere and the
resin floor has underfloor heating. The slope has
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