For those of you who are fans of such property programmes as Escape to the Country or Location, Location, Location you’ll be familiar with the comment, when people first walk into a house… “It’s just got the right feel.” They can’t put their finger on it, but there’s just something warm and welcoming about the place.

Aga, Leszek and Freddie’s home near Sevenoaks had exactly that ‘X-factor’ when they first came to look round the former gardener’s cottage nearly ten years ago. And it certainly had it when we came to visit – though it might also have had something to do with the fancy coffees and homemade chocolate brownies that were offered on arrival. 

The couple, who are originally from Poland, moved to Kent from Wimbledon and were smitten with the cottage – which they describe as “teeny weeny” – from the start. “It’s not the biggest place but the windows and light are quite special and make it feel that you’re in a bigger space than you are.” says Aga. 

They love the light and airiness of the place – as does Aga’s huge collection of plants. “I’m addicted to house plants,” says Aga. “I think I get some of it from my Mum, whose house was full of them – it was very green!” My eyes are drawn to the trailing tradescantia, scented geraniums and other, more exotic plants, grabbing all available light as it floods in through the pretty leaded window. 

Green is by no means the only prominent colour that appears in the house, which is dotted with brightly coloured ‘objets trouvés’ as well as flowers cut fresh from the garden. “I have lots of bits and bobs!” says Aga. “There’s only a few things that came with me from Poland – but this is really a collection that happened in England.” 
So, where did they find their eclectic collection of ceramics, furniture and artworks? “Leszek has a fantastic eye for picking things up from charity shops and car boot sales – though many of the larger items he’s acquired whilst working.” Leszek is a sought-after builder and decorator who is frequently tasked with big renovation jobs. “Clients often say they’re going to put items into the skip – or already have done – but the things are far too nice to go to waste,” says Aga. “So this house is full of other people’s stuff!”

One such item is a striking, ornate storage bench in the front room, which I immediately assume is Scandinavian. “It’s French!” calls out Leszek from the sitting room. Either way, it’s very beautiful, timeless – and perfect for a bijou family home. Above it are two shelves, artfully filled with personal items, including pictures, plants and stacks of books. The shelves are abundant without being cluttered. I ask Aga whether there is a Polish influence to their interior décor? “There must be… I grew up in very interesting times,” says Aga. “It was the end of communism, when you had a very particular aesthetic in Poland. Most of us lived in blocks of flats, big concrete blocks with hundreds of other people, and the flats were tiny so everything was very practical and utilitarian.” Although Aga’s family ended up moving to a lovely, spacious flat, overlooking woodland, coming to England was still quite an ‘eye-opener’. “In Poland we were less used to having lots of separate rooms,” she says. 

Aga credits her mother for a lot of her creative influence and her father for her love of books as well as the garden. “Dad used to collect books – he was a proper book worm. He had to get rid of his massive collection when he was downsizing and it broke his heart. So that’s one of the reasons why there are books everywhere in this house! The other is also very much linked to my passion for reading and my youth studies in Poland – I studied Polish Philology at Gdansk University.” Their colourful spines add splashes of colour and here and there, neat piles acting as pedestals for house plants.

Moving through to the living room – there are two reception rooms, one on either side of the front door – one can appreciate the different light in each of the rooms. “We tend to come in here in the evening, as it’s west-facing so the light’s best in here later in the day,” says Aga. It also looks out over the wild, romantic garden. But more of that later.
The living room, like all of the rooms in the house, has diamond-paned leaded windows. There are more fresh flowers as well as a vase of feathers, seed heads and foraged items on the mantelpiece. We discuss whether Aga curates the items in her home for others to appreciate, or purely for herself. “It’s very much for myself, or for ourselves,” she says.

“Every item in this house has a story.” It is clear that the couple are not slaves to fashion or the latest trends – and yet everything works together. “I do like a bit of kitsch though!” says Aga. “Not quite as much as my Mum, but there are some pretty kitsch items dotted around! I just can’t resist.”  
The living room, as well as the landing, feature clusters of paintings, drawings, photos and prints, from every source imaginable… “That came from my second boyfriend. This is from that old lady who used to live with us in Poland, this is by my good friend who’s now in her 70s. And that we picked up in a Sevenoaks charity shop.” In the main bedroom there is a large down-filled cushion, which was a precious item brought from Poland. Covered in earthy-coloured, textured fabric it sits next to a cushion Aga bought in Sweden. Her Mum and sister now live in Sweden, and there are hints of Swedish design here and there.

Our last stop, on a relatively short tour of the house, is the spare room or, as is now the case, Aga’s office. It looks out over a wild, woodland border. “When the rhododendron was in full bloom, it was just covered in purple flowers and it reflected the light. So, the whole room took on a glorious, purpley hue. It was amazing,” she says.
Aga’s desk and compact bookcase give a clue to her recent career change. After years working in mental health and the charity sector, Aga has embarked on a garden design career after studying horticulture with the RHS. “My neighbour had just finished the RHS level 2 course and said, ‘you’ll love it!’ And I did. I loved the learning – and everything about it.” She then started to work as a gardener before, more recently, studying Planting Design at London College of Garden Design in Kew Gardens. “It’s the only such course in Europe, and, until last year, in the world (the college has opened a branch in Australia) and, as such, it prepared me for redesigning clients’ gardens.

“My gardening clients kept on asking me for advice and suggestions and asking me to re-do their borders,” says Aga. “I like pretty gardening, playing with plants.” Now, coming to the end of her studies, she’s loved the course and is itching to get out and start creating beautiful borders. “I’ve met the most fantastic group of people on the course; architects, landscape designers, graphic designers, interior designers – people from the corporate world. They all bring something different, as well as humour, respect and mutual support.” I can’t wait to get out and explore the garden…
When I’d arrived at the cottage, I was struck by the chocolate-box scene; the tiny cottage, the slightly wild, rambling garden and the view over parkland. It seems I’m not the only one to have been struck by its picturesque appeal. In recent years the cottage appeared in ITV’s remake of HE Bates’ Darling Buds of May. “The garden was half the size – so not what you see now, but they still loved it. It was a whole day of filming with 70 people in the garden and house! It was certainly a tight squeeze.”

The garden now stretches away into the distance, with woodland on one side and open parkland on the other. “This isn’t a high-maintenance garden,” says Aga, though it’s evident that both she and Leszek enjoy shaping the naturalistic borders. “I’m a big fan of ‘chop and drop’,” says Aga. “We started off trying to control everything. But the more we gardened, and the more I read and I learned, the more I realised it’s more about chopping and working with what you’ve got.” Rather like Leszek and his salvage of furniture and other artefacts, so Aga has been very creative in her outdoor space. There’s certainly an amazing variety of shrubs, flowers and climbers, many of which have been gifts and hand-me-downs from friends.
“We collected the timber for the rose arch from the wood,” says Aga, “and the choice of roses was a little random! I didn’t know if they were ramblers or climbers at the time… but they’ve turned out ok.” Aga also used to bring lots of plants back from her cousin’s nursery in Poland. “She is a qualified horticulturist, nursery woman and a garden designer. I had to stop because of the complications with paperwork needed for bringing plants after Brexit – their plants are fully protected and passported, but unless you are a nursery, you can’t bring plants over the border.”

Hopefully, Aga’s business, which she’s currently in the process of rebranding, will continue to grow as naturally and organically as her garden. If Aga’s clients’ gardens end up anything like as beautiful as this one, they are certainly in for a treat.

Address Book:
You can get in touch with Aga about planting and garden design through her business GAYA Planting by calling 07572 601406, emailing info@gayaplanting.co.uk
and visiting gayaplanting.co.uk