Hannah Benton has been busy. Since deciding to leave her London life and relocate with her partner Jack to the pretty coastal town of Deal, she’s joined forces with her mother Belinda and formed interiors company Studio Benton, and renovated her new house. In the middle of this – and not long after Studio Benton was born – so was son Jasper.

“I was in London working in an interior design company,” says Hannah, and, as for so many people around that time, Covid inspired a ‘what next’ question. “There was always going to be a move to the country, but I guess this accelerated the process. Jack and I made the decision to relocate to Deal and that precipitated the business move. Geographically it made sense – it was hard to square with me being in London, so it was an obvious solution, and an ideal opportunity.”

Studio Benton (which started off as Evernden Interiors in Cranbrook) have moved to Deal – to a beautiful period studio and showroom. The studio is just a short 20 minute walk away at the other end of the high street, a civilised step back for Hannah from the bustling pavements of West London.

Hannah and Jack moved to their Georgian terraced town house between lockdowns starting work straight away. “The house hadn’t been lived in for a number of years. It was very dated, but luckily no structural work needed to be done. However, it needed completely new plumbing, heating and electrics. We had to totally strip it out and bring it up to date.”

Layouts in old houses are not always ideal for modern living, but Hannah and Jack have managed to reorganise the ground floor and put a bathroom in upstairs. “Lots of Deal houses that are listed Georgian buildings have a single storey extension at the back,” she explains. “We also re-sized the opening between reception rooms, making it more spacious.”

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.”

“We decided to go with cork in the kitchen – and went light on sealant, as I loved the texture. We should have done a thicker layer of varnish, but it makes it much darker,” she adds, “but it’s easy to clean – like wood you can sand it, so periodically you can do this and get it back as good as new.” This is the great thing about using good quality natural materials – they are forgiving and restorable.

The large Georgian sash windows are single glazed and painted the same colour as the walls, but in eggshell. “The windows are of such good proportions,” says Hannah, “and the front of the house faces east, while the back is to the west, so the light bounces around the house in the morning and the afternoon. It’s really light and bright.” Hannah has used simple window treatments to enhance this airy brightness.

A reclaimed rectory table sits in the centre of the dining room. “It had years and years of built up stains on it,” Hannah explains, “it’s beautifully solid, but a bit trad and heavy. Our joiner curved the edges, sanded it back and used a seal of white Danish oil, which gives it a contemporary feel – and being in the middle of the house we’re operating around it. It’s amazing that it became so light. Old oak quality is so much better – there’s a beautiful grain, but uncovering it can be an unpredictable process.” This is something that Hannah is more than aware of when helping clients to source furniture and architectural objects. “It’s nice to have a one-off piece,” she says, “buying and re-imagining vintage pieces – reusing them again – is important. You have to have an environmental conscience in any business. It also means that, especially when working with tighter budgets, 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.”

Upstairs in the main bedroom – a pared back, serene room – the walls are Portland Stone Light and are a great background for the full length curtains, which are the focal point of the room, like a golden waterfall. There is an understated feel in here – it is calm, bright and uncluttered. At the front of the house, this restful room faces east, so the morning light, even if the sun isn’t shining, is aptly framed with gold.

Somehow Hannah and Jack have managed to squeeze a shower room in between the two bedrooms, so that there’s a bathroom on the first floor. “It’s bijou,” says Hannah, “but feels more spacious due to the painted tongue-and-groove panelling. There’s room for an enclosed tiled shower, basin and loo.”