Many of us who have read or watched My Family and Other Animals will have wished that we could be transported to the magical, if slightly chaotic, home of the Durrells. The Durrell family home was on the Greek Island of Corfu, which is part of the attraction – but only a part. The menagerie of furry and feathered friends, and their interaction with the family, is uniquely special. And so is the home of Sarah, Maxim, their three children – and a mix of gorgeous creatures.

On its own little island of countryside, near to the village of Frittenden, Sarah and Max’s home is surrounded by a sea of bluebells in springtime and ancient woodland in all directions. Sarah lived in Rome for several years and never imagined she would move back to England, let alone Kent. In fact, neither she nor her husband had Kent on their radar when they decided to move out of London. “I was scrolling through Rightmove and there was a photo of the bluebell woods. It looked heavenly… So we ended up contacting the agent.” 

The house is down a long country lane, then a long drive, and is perched in the middle of sloping lawns, surrounded by fields and woodland. “The outside is why we bought it,” says Sarah. “We saw various other houses which were perfect but they didn’t have the land we wanted.” The house is rather wonderful too, though, as I arrived on my bicycle, I was distracted by the gang of poultry strutting around me in the yard. A huge cockerel, who I learn later is called Bob, as well as guinea fowl, chickens and bantams.  

Our conversation starts at the old refectory table in Sarah’s country kitchen, with a proper cup of coffee. As fellow Rome residents, we share a love of a decent coffee it seems. “Is it ok if I let the dogs out?” asks Sarah. Could my morning get any better? Out of the boot room bound two cocker spaniels, Chilli & Vespa. “You’ll notice there are animals everywhere!” says Sarah. Almost on cue, the younger of the two dogs starts sparring with Gator the kitten who is sitting on one of the kitchen chairs.
I could happily stay here all day…

The kitchen is filled with light and, alongside the glorious animals, the place has a lovely feel to it. “I love it here,” says Sarah. “I don’t want to ever move…”. Despite taking a bit of persuading to view the property, once she and Max came to have a look round, it was a done deal. “We both thought it was amazing. You just feel really cosy and safe and I think that’s what I’d always wanted; somewhere secure. We instantly fell in love with the place,” says Sarah. It’s easy to see why. 

The only sound you can hear is birdsong, plus the babbling of the poultry outside on the brick terrace. “In the summer all the jackdaws fly over the house. They spend the day at the dairy farm next door then fly back into the woods – making this amazing noise,” says Sarah. “Would you like to have a look round?’ she adds. It’s clear that to get a feel for the place, we need to go outside, meet some more animals and take a look at Sarah’s new project: Stable Cottage. 

Each room uses this formula, with carefully sourced items – antique or vintage – adding personality to rooms furnished with more standard pieces. We head into the dining room which, incidentally, also has windows which open directly onto the cobbled stable yard. “I bought this old cupboard, which is French, so that the room has a bit of a vibe. I don’t want the rooms to feel soulless. I like things that are knobbly and bumpy.” By contrast, the cool, hammered plates on the wall are from Dunelm. 

“It’s important not to have IKEA everywhere,” says Sarah, despite its popular aesthetic. “I get masses of stuff from Bentley’s Auction House in Cranbrook,” she continues, “and also Gorringe’s. If not an auction house, flea markets are also a great place to look,” she says. The antique, country-themed, illustrations and prints on the walls have come from grandparents. 

In the sitting room, two dusky pink sofas – a gift from Sarah’s mum – are focused around a log burner. “It’s super-cosy in autumn and winter,” says Sarah, “in fact it’s much warmer than our house!” IKAT patterned cushions and the occasional throw add interest and cosiness to the room – completed by rush-matting carpets over bare-board floors.  
French doors lead out into the enclosed garden, allowing lots of light in but also giving the impression that this is a lovely space in summer too, with direct access out onto the lawn. “I bring masses of flowers in during the summer months when people are staying,” says Sarah. “I do the arrangements myself, with seasonal blooms from the garden.” 

Looking into one of the bedrooms, it’s hard to sum up the aesthetic. I ask her about the IKAT cushions that feature in the bedrooms too. “I really like kilim fabrics… and I love geometric patterns. Anything with diamonds, triangles – I’m obsessed with it,” says Sarah. The cushion, it turns out is from H&M, not Turkey, or Dubai, where Sarah lived for a while, working with camels. (There really are animals involved at every stage of Sarah’s life). Carefully curated cushions, throws and fabrics all add to the cottage’s cosiness and overall ‘vibe’ as Sarah calls it.

It’s a whistle-stop tour, and I am dying to meet the horses before our time is up… Sarah has also promised me a dash around her own home, to get the ‘essence’ of her décor. We wend our way across to the field gate to meet Flynn (Mr Flynnders), who’s almost black and his little field companions Bella the Bucker and Peter Pan – who came from Kent Horse Rescue. “I have a lot of rescue animals,” says Sarah. Not all of the chickens have names but I meet Sophie the brown hen and also get to stroke Bob the Barnevelder cockerel, who is happy to be picked up by Sarah – but chases the children. 
Back in the house, we dash along the downstairs corridor, past the boot-room, laundry and full-height hallway and round into Sarah’s dark purple living room. Purple is Sarah’s favourite colour, but I can see why she played it safe in Stable Cottage. Here, in a family room full of squidgy sofas, old board floors and vast inglenook fireplace, the dark purple works a treat. In spring, it is set off by the wisteria which hangs romantically over the windows…

Walking back along the kitchen, Sarah shows me the hatch to the cellar. The hatch is wooden, with a glass panel so that you can see down into the space below. “We used to have a pointer, Hula. One day, I went down into the cellar to grab a bottle of wine and the dog knocked the piece of wood that was holding the hatch open,” says Sarah. “She then sat and looked at me through the glass panel, wondering what on earth I was doing down there. Even worse, I didn’t have a bottle opener!” Reminded of My Family and Other Animals, I think it may be time for a sequel, but this time set in Kent… I know just the family, and animals, who should feature. 

Address Book:
You can book a stay at Stable Cottage through holidaycottages.co.uk/cottage/oc-32773-stable-cottage-staplehurst