Made in Hastings

Having completely remodelled their 1970s home on the edge of Hastings, Kate Richards and her partner Steve set about finding the perfect interior designer to help them transform their new interior. Cue Sam Grigg – who has ensured their colour...

Good Fortune

With a rich and fascinating history, Laura Walford’s elegant Surrey home doubles as the perfect exhibition space for the artists she represents through Belgravia Gallery Every house has a story to tell. A history woven within its walls, by those...

Creative Heart

Artist and fitness instructor Corinne Corbett-Thompsonhas had quite the 70th birthday year – from cycling 700 miles and planting 70 trees to going on 70 wild swims and circumnavigating the Isle of Wight on foot. Here, she tells Hilary Wilce...

Luxury Interior Design Duo

:: SPONSORED CONTENT :: Cobham Based, Luxury Interior Design Duo Rosemary Ridgway and Charlotte, Small, From Studio April Hamilton, Reveal Their Top Interior Design and Refurbishment Tips With a studio based in Cobham, Elmbridge is a much sought after property hot spot, with neighbourhood...

Inspired by Modern European Design

:: SPONSORED CONTENT :: Inspired by Modern European Design, Nôsa is the Home of Effortless Lifestyle Luxury, Featuring the Finest Materials and Guaranteed Quality Craftsmanship.  Nôsa promises to be a premier destination for bathrooms and kitchen homeware including exquisite stone baths, luxury vanities, kitchen...

Interior collective

Leigh Courtnage’s fascinating barn is packed with treasures she’s collected throughout her career and travels. From unique furniture to an extensive collection of artworks, her home offers the perfect canvas to show them off to best effect Friends and colleagues...

Happy Home

Through pops of colour plus plenty of pattern and texture, Vicky Kieldsen has applied everything she loves about interior design to her own Tunbridge Wells home For the uninitiated among us, starting a house renovation project and deciding to maintain...

Out of the blue

Tricia Trend’s Goudhurst home is the perfect base from which to explore the beautiful countryside and forests that surround it – and what better place to stay than in a traditional Kentish oast! How many times have you stayed in...

In the clouds

In a central, yet completely private, location in Tenterden, a creative couple have lavished their Grade II listed maisonette with colour and personality We mortals are but dust and shadows,’ said the poet Horace, reminding us from long ago of...

The ultimate family getaway

Down a quiet country lane, enveloped by stunning countryside, Crabtree Farm has provided Andrew Jenkinson and his family with the space they needed to breathe, after many years spent in London. Following extensive renovation work, the farm is now ready...

Reaching new heights

Stripping an Edwardian property back to its bare bones has paid dividends for seasoned house developers Angela and Paul, who, after tracking down the perfect builders for the project, ensured that this huge renovation was completed in a staggeringly speedy...

Custodians of History

Inspired by her family home’s centuries of history, and her lifelong interest in property, Claire Whisker has drawn on the skills she has learned during the ups and downs of her seven-year-long house renovation to create a successful new business...

Two become one

When Emma Spencer moved into her sixteenth century home, its unusual layout was a dead giveaway that it had originally been two separate cottages. With a complete interior remodel, Emma has respectfully updated this characterful building, adjusting its layout to...

Change it up

Neil and Sharon Maidment’s reconfigured family home is the result of a very successful partnership with OPEN architecture, who opened their eyes to a new layout they never imagined was possible Words: Fiona Patrick Photographs: David Merewether The green modular...

Building Connections

After nearly a decade of planning, Dominic and Eve were finally given permission to convert a pair of derelict barns, linking them together to create one very beautiful dwelling Words: Jo Arnell Photographs: David Merewether The story arc of an...

Cut to Fit

Deborah Harrison downsized to a three bedroom house, which she renovated and reconfigured, reinstating the original Victorian features and editing family heirlooms to suit her new home and lifestyle “As William Morris says, ‘Everything has to be beautiful or useful,’”...

In praise of maximalism

Sarah Jane Morris is not afraid of pattern, colour, doing it herself – or anything really – as can be seen in her St Leonards house which sings as joyously as she does In one of the rooms in Sarah...

Small house,big ideas

Architect Sophie and civil engineer Sarah certainly brought their work home with them when they took on the tricky extension of their own Victorian end-of-terrace. Making use of every centimetre of space possible, they designed side and rear extensions which...

Joined Up Thinking

Not shy of a serious challenge, Emma and Terry Hazelwood undertook a complicated listed barn conversion, successfully blending old and new to create a stunning family home House renovation, like many other adventures, is not for the faint-hearted, requiring not...

A Place in the Country

A true labour of love, Ian and Penny Ledger have tirelessly renovated their idyllic farmstead in Mayfield to be able share a slice of their beautiful, rural seclusion with groups who hire their multi-award winning retreat venue Tucked away in...

All is Calm

Architect-trained interior designer Hannah Benton’s relocation from London to Deal has opened up lots of new opportunities for her and her young family, including the chance to combine expertise with her interior designer mum, Belinda, to rebrand Evernden Interiors as...

A house, transformed

Following her appearance on Season 4 of Interior Design Masters, Charlotte Fisher’s interior design confidence has rocketed. Here, she guides us round her own home, a complete renovation project that she’s tackled over the past five years with her husband,...

A house well travelled

Alec and Heidy’s very unusual oast house is a delightful cultural melting pot of styles from all over the world Human resources leader Alec and his Mexican wife Heidy didn’t set out to become interior designers. However, having now renovated...

View Finder

Photographer Mel Smith has combined his work and home requirements to create the ultimate welcoming studio – a homely and stylish space to work from where his creative approach to reuse and recycle takes centre stage It is a rare...

Pattern & Purpose

Interior designer Justine Hodgson-Barker was tasked with creating a rural retreat for a couple who divide their time between town and country, taking into account their love of fabrics, texture and colour Down a leafy lane, in the picturesque middle...

Natural Blend

Recipe developer and cookery teacher Charlotte Butterworth’s house is centred around her spacious Neptune kitchen, where she has created a new heart for this impressively proportioned family home Sometimes, when buying a house, it’s all about a feeling. You’ve only...

Creative Influence

Nicki Cox’s sublimely curated home is a real showcase of her talent for combining artwork and texture in her interesting interiors “I instinctively knew how I was going to decorate this house,” says interior designer Nicki Cox, the owner of...

Through the looking glass

A magical lodge nestles amid ancient woodland, creating a perfect haven – with minimal impact on the precious environment In the many years I’ve been writing about lovely houses for this magazine, there has been one constant: the outside is...

In the Frame

An art-filled house overlooking Alexandra Park in Hastings has provided the perfect living space for a couple who split their time between two properties in this creative town Camilla Ruiz Ramirez is a textile designer who was previously based in...

Interior with real identity

Justine Hodgson-Barker’s personality-led approach to interior design has ensured the success of her interiors business. Here she shows us inside her own home which epitomises her love of combining different eras and styles to great effect On the day I...

An Artists’ Retreat

Creative couple Alexa and Robin Easterby have escaped the city to turn their lockdown relocation into a thriving artists’ community that continues to flourish The serious desire to change their lives and focus on new creative endeavours was one of...

Up A Level

Fancy a trip to the seaside? The redesign of a much-loved family holiday home near Dungeness has resulted in a coastal escape with all the mod cons you could hope for Simon Tyler is a person who, ‘enjoys a project’....

Two Pocketfuls of Rye

Sisters Cherry and Heather formed the perfect partnership to revamp a pair of historic cottages in Rye’s picturesque Citadel Rye Citadel, sitting up on the hill above Romney Marsh, is a medieval high point in a sheep-speckled landscape that was...

Camber Caper

Step inside Dixie Daydream, a caravan with an interior that’s a riot of colour and pattern, a stone’s throw from the beach Something about the British seaside encourages us to let our hair down, throw caution to the wind and...

Style Council

Angie Bunyan has lavished a terraced cottage in the heart of Rye with her signature look that has cemented her success as an interior designer  Style can come in all shapes and sizes. To be a great designer it’s often...

Cool-on-sea

A Rye-based couple have succeeded in turning an aesthetically challenged 1980s bungalow into the coolest beach house The outside of this building is so unprepossessing, you’d hardly notice it, strolling along the sandy track that leads from the main road...

It’s a Colourful Life

Bedroom designer Evelyn M Lindley describes her journey to realise her creative passion, sharing how she incorporates playful colour into her dark-toned interiors I did something quite exciting recently, well I thought it was exciting. I did my first ever...

Something Blue

Amanda Lafontant, senior designer at Aston Matthews, explains how she transformed this family bathroom into an elegant retreat Creating a family bathroom in a period property is always a challenge. The bathroom needs to function, but there are also architectural...

Boys Own Adventure

A Kentish lass and her husband have restored a historic house near Ashford to create a magical dream of a hotel  Well, this was a new experience. All the houses I’ve had the pleasure to visit for this magazine are...

New Tricks

We explore the Canham family’s kitchen, a barn conversion transformation that mixes traditional touches with modern a twist to make a truly timeless space The Canham’s kitchen was once a cow shed and haybarn, but it’s now a bright, modern...

The house on the hill

With the help of a practice of skilled architects, the Elms have succeeded in creating a stunning multi-functional family space that works in perfect harmony with both their professional and home lives Garry and Camilla Elms had first glimpsed the...

Finding the light

Alex Jørgensen guides us around his Edwardian townhouse, a renovation project that he’s managed to complete in just one year It was a Monday in November and despite some unseasonably good weather recently, the rain had settled in today. Nevertheless...

The best laid plans

The Surrey Homes house writer shows us round her own home – which didn’t turn out as she expected, but better The whole reason we were moving was to get a ‘social kitchen’ like all the lovely ones I’ve seen...

Escape to the Country

The refurbishment of an elegant Georgian farmhouse has been a labour of love for talented interior designer Jessica Bax The solution was to build a new side entrance connected to a spacious central corridor, linking the smaller rooms either side...

Welcome to the Fun House

Justin and Imogen open the doors to their fabulously cool renovation project, tucked away behind the shops in Rye High Street It takes a brave man, or woman, to leave the buzz of East London for a quiet coastal town...

Take me to church

Jane Robinson has worked with the unusual fabric of a former church to create a comfortable and stylish family home   Church conversions can be tricky. The windows – although beautiful and large – are a peculiar shape and size,...

Living Over The Shop

A creative couple found the perfect spot for their home – and their boutique – in the very centre of Hastings In a first for all the many (lovely) houses I have written about for this magazine, my visit to...

’Twas Brillig

A family home over a shop in St Leonards is as otherworldly as its Lewis Carroll-inspired name The first time I noticed the name painted over the windows of a new shop in St Leonards’ London Road, (right by my...