The project quickly swelled from a re-jig of the ground floor into a turn-key finish across six bedrooms, a one-bed guest annexe and a pool house; spanning 11,000 square feet in total: This was no small undertaking. Helpfully, Rebecca had previously worked with the family on their home in Chelsea and forged a strong rapport. For support, she drafted in architect Jenn Jammaers of DKNJamm, and Butter Wakefield for the garden design.
Externally, the façade was given a handsome facelift by swapping out mock-tudor gable ends for a mix of club and peg terracotta tiles painstakingly handmade by Aldershaw Handmade Tiles using 150 million-year-old clay from nearby Wadhurst. To the back, a pair of lean-tos were upgraded with new orangeries and a vaulted extension. Inside, Rebecca streamlined the jumble of architectural references, exchanging fussy coving and dated fireplaces for simpler finishes.
The sideboard in the hallway was an existing piece belonging to the clients. Rebecca sourced the wall lights from Rose Uniacke and had elegant curtains made in Morris & Co.’s Chrysanthemum print.
Helen Cathcart
Tongue-and-groove panelling, liberally used downstairs, ‘gave the rooms depth and character without trying to force period features,’ says Rebecca. Then came the abundant layering of colour, pattern and soft furnishings. ‘We used every single colour – nothing was off-limits,’ she notes gleefully. Sating the client’s affection for pink saw the study and principal dressing room daubed in sugary Setting Plaster. Rebecca, who trained as an architect, revelled in the ‘prettiness’ of the design direction: ‘I loved leaning into it, the softness felt quite feminine,’ she says.
The house’s improved connection to the landscaped garden heavily influenced her choice of prints. ‘If it isn’t green, then there’s a leaf or flower motif,’ she explains of landing on Soane’s Scrolling Fern for the dining room, and Morris & Co.’s Willow Bough in the bootroom. Such busy patterns, she notes, offer practicality in masking the wear and tear with three young children in the mix. ‘We didn’t want anything to be too precious or too perfect. They hide a multitude of sins,’ she laughs. (The ripple effect of choosing UK fabric houses extended to two teams of curtain makers, Clare Langdon Interiors and Curtains Plus Interiors, who worked almost exclusively for a year to create the sheers and blackout window treatments required to temper the property’s predominantly south-facing light.)
Rebecca created a seating area in the spacious kitchen; she found the Welsh dresser on Vinterior and covered chairs from Howe in a fabric by William Yeoward.
Helen Cathcart
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