Easy being Green

Mark Sait, CEO and founder of sustainability and money-saving experts, SaveMoneyCutCarbon (SMCC) shares advice for building new homes or doing renovations in a way that will benefit the planet and your bank balance The placement of the thermostat has a...

Follow the leader

We talk to Neilson Projects, a long-established property consultant practice to find out what makes a project manager so valuable What are the benefits of hiring a project manager?   Most clients begin their focus on the intricate design of...

What’s the plan?

The experts at SJM Planning explain how a planning advisor can assist your project Why hire a planning consultant?  Anyone can make a planning application to a local planning authority, but the application process system can be very challenging and...

Meet the Trade: Managing Director of Brook Security Limited

Meet Terry Roffey, Managing Director of Brook Security Limited What do you specialise in?  Brook Security has a wealth of knowledge and experience in creating layered security solutions. We specialise in the design, installation, maintenance and monitoring of electronic security...

Case Study: Restoration

Two projects running in tandem on joined properties provided an irresistible challenge for LJ Fletcher Builders What was the project brief?   We were actually working on two joined properties at once, so we had two sets of clients, both...

Beam us up!

Many an old English home is filled with glorious characterful beams, but this also means that, for rejuvinating an old property, beam restoration is often top of the to-do list. We have spoken to A T Palmer Ltd, specialists in...

New Shores

Social worker Ashia Redhead explains how her house renovation has been the outlet for her creative energy, embellishing her passion for interiors and antiques into a warm family home with character It was the start of the hottest weekend of...

Dressed to Thrill

Artist and designer Louise Hamlin-Wright’s vibrant home is a wonderful riot of colour, pattern and craft   I drive straight past Louise and John’s house. I think I’m looking for a larger or more outlandish building. Turning around, I see that...

Kitchen Drama

Interior designer Ben Stokes’ family cottage, painted in deep, rich shades and accessorised with natural woods and sumptuous textiles, is a wonderful example of the bold transformation of a small space   There’s no introduction to this three storey cottage....

New Victorian

Driven by a love of colour and vintage, Sarah Hazebroek has stamped her signature style on a Victorian cottage, whilst her passion for interiors paid off during lockdown with the creation of her home accessories range, Huddle Collection  Situated right...

Family Comforts

We take a look inside the home of the creative founders of Maker & Son Despite the picturesque central front entrance and wonderfully rustic path, flanked on either side by some cloud pruned box trees, we are entering through the...

8 Ideas to Bring the Indoors Out

It’s a new age of garden rooms – filled with indoorsy luxuries but also seamlessly integrated into the outdoor world Lockdown left us all itching to get outside more, wishing our homes had a little more space, and desperately looking...

Windows on the World

Karen Hahnel’s grand apartment on the St Leonards seafront has views as impressive as its interior It’s always fascinating to visit someone’s home and see all the lovely things they have and find out where they got them from (that’s...

Strong Foundations

When Morgan and Jon moved from London to Tunbridge Wells, they embarked on a sizeable renovation project, breathing life back into a property’s late Victorian bones to create a beautiful family home If you want a sturdy heritage home with...

Stable Star

Interior designer Ben Stokes’ redesign of an old stables has resulted in a perfectly formed and popular airbnb rental with lashings of individuality  When we arrive at The Stables there’s a baby outside, lying happily in her pram. No crying...

Coastal Drama

Interior masters, Fred & Ginger, have taken on the renovation of an incredibly positioned seaside property, transforming it from tired care home to design spectacular Not all period properties pass gently from owner to owner, sympathetically updated and treated with...

Rooms with a View

Having decided to make Hastings their home, writer Sue Dawson and her architect husband Paul Gammon were struggling to find the right spot, until they chanced upon a tumbledown bungalow with huge potential The great charm of Hastings Old Town,...

Expanding Horizons

 “I like making spaces functional as well as good looking,” Cassie explains. “We do lots of entertaining and the space has proven to be extremely practical for families and lots of kids running around. The sofa from Graham & Green...

History in Colour

The complete refurbishment of British Army General Sir John Moore’s Hastings home provided an irresistible project for George and Charlotte Rendall A long the East Sussex and Kent coast some of the country’s greatest military landmarks make their mark, from...

A touch of Beverly Hills

An interior designer adds contemporary glamour to a Georgian family home It was the pool that did it. Out there on the pristine white non-slip flagstones, with the groovy all-weather sofa and armchairs, the dining area and the pool house,...

Case Study: Silver Screening

New Wave AV discuss a special project in East Sussex Can you run us through the project brief? “We were approached by this customer with the idea of converting an underutilised garage into a luxurious dedicated home cinema. During the...

Case Study: Space Odyssey

Audio visual specialists Philharmonic talk us through a custom Cinema Room created specially for a family home in Wandsworth First, can you tell us a little about the background of this project? “The cinema space was a key focus for...

A World Beyond

Surrounded by countryside and forest, a beautiful country house with truly enviable gardens has been opened up for photoshoots by its owners Eight years ago when Michelle and Ian were looking to relocate from Otham, near Maidstone, they had decided...

Knock on Wood

The combination of bespoke woodwork and choice mid-century pieces creates chic sophistication in this St Leonards maisonette When it comes to the dream team of people to transform a run-down maisonette into an apartment with the kind of quiet sophistication...

Home at Dormestone

Kim Partridge’s vision for a Grade II listed farmhouse has seen its tranfsormation from a dark and gothic interior to an informal and relaxed space with a strong family vibe The dream of finding an idyllic rural retreat steeped in history and...

Haven Sent

Belinda Benton’s home is as elegantly calm and welcoming as the interiors she designs for others By the time you have wound your way along the almost impossibly beautiful country lane that leads to Belinda Benton’s house, you are already...

Life in Colour

Brimming with pattern, colour and panache, Charlotte Guercio’s Kentish oast house is an interior to remember Charlotte Guercio loves colour, she loves print and she most definitely loves interior design, which is lucky for the large Kentish oast house that...

Room at the Top

Clare’s spacious apartment in the centre of the historic town of Cranbrook is certainly more house than flat. Retaining its plentiful character and charm, she has sensitively created an interior to suit her needs whilst experimenting with her own tastes...

Artful Restoration

Utilising the skills of a hand-picked team of talented local trades, Tim and Eve have realised their dream of a home to grow old in with the carefully considered renovation of a pair of cottages with huge potential

The House That Instagram Built

Kooky, unique and oh-so-memorable, Margate Suites’ collaboration between local artists, interior designers and tradespeople has resulted in a vibrant collection of holiday apartments which provide the perfect place from which to explore this seaside town, alive with creativity

Case Study: The Time Warp

Clague Architects recall one of their favourite Kentish restoration projects, a house trapped between two eras, brought into the 21st Century Our first impression of the Parsonage was that of a 17th century home that had once been extended with...

Case Study: Vintage Outlook

Urban & Grey talk us through a fabulous project installing vintage style windows into a Surrey home

Form & Function

A classic verandah is a stylish and worthwhile feature to add to a renovation, striking a pleasant first note for all those entering a property

SCL’s 6 steps to take
before starting a new project

SCL Groundworks share advice for getting a clear idea of what it will take to get you your dream new-build or extension, before you start out sclgroundworks.co.uk 1 To prepare land for a new-build or extension, the preferred starting point...

How to: Personalise a new build

Transforming a white-walled, brand-new tabula rasa of a new-build can be a real mission! So we asked SGS Architectural Interiors for some expert advice

Karl Terry’s Top 10 tips
to revamp your roof

Renovating your roof can really transform an older property, but it’s worth making sure you get advice and work from trustworthy sources, so we asked Karl Terry for some tips kentpegs.com Check with your local conservation officer if Listed Building...

Case Study: Bringing Back the Barn

Architects Theis + Khan tell us the tale of a recent masterpiece of a barn conversion Burwash Barn was a real project right from the offset, it had enormous potential but was obviously going to require lots of work to...

Agri Culture

The carefully thought out transformation of a derelict barn has resulted in a unique and sophisticated new home for a couple who were keen to preserve its agricultural history and heritage

Story Teller

Find quirky styling and artworks aplenty at one of the most interesting and magical places to stay in the South East, The Bell in Ticehurst

The same, but different

With her eclectic vintage style Susan Chester put her own mark on a Victorian terrace house – while allowing it to keep its own character

Island Escape

With a focus on sustainability and conservation, Georgina Fulton and her husband, Gareth, ensure that Elmley Nature Reserve and its working family farm preserves the natural habitat on the Isle Of Sheppey, sharing their portion of beautiful marsh landscape with...

Pretty in pink

Treasure hunter Cat Ridley knows what she likes – and if it’s pink, glittery, neon or gold, she’s in (preferably all of them) My first glimpse of the gloriously pink, glittery, neon, petal-strewn world of Cat Ridley was when I...

The Archivist

Jules Haines set up her online business, Haines Collection, to offer leftover stocks of beautiful high-end fabrics, preventing them from ending up in landfill and providing the chance to snap them up with substantial savings. Her environmental awareness naturally extends...

9-5 In Style

If you’ve made the decision to continue to work from home, why not invest in a beautiful outdoor space that will allow you to take control of your working life, maintain work/life balance and provide a gorgeous focal point in...

Welcome to real Tunbridge Wells

A house with soul and a community with heart are the perfect combo for a move out from town

The Haven

After buying buildings they had admired for years, a couple well-versed in renovating properties have created a uniquely peaceful and welcoming home they now open as a B&B sanctuary