Restoration drama
A labour of love is an apt description of the restoration of this beautiful 15th century, five bedroom Wealden manor farmhouse, originally a hall house. The house hadn’t been touched since the 1920s when various unsympathetic alterations, such as the addition of a service wing at the rear, had been undertaken. Architect Ptolemy Dean, an authority on the conservation and restoration of historic buildings, was brought in to restore it in a traditional way and make it appropriate for modern living, while Sarah Vanrenen Ltd was commissioned to work on the interiors. ‘The client’s wish was for a collaborative experience to introduce colour and make the house more fitting,’ says Sarah, founder of Sarah Vanrenen.
Because the house has so many beams and is so old the client wanted to make it a comfortable and colourful interior with the juxtaposition of the dark beams. Comfort and colour is probably our forte, so we set about finding the perfect schemes for each room. Key to the project was replacing the service wing with a new extension sympathetic to the age of the house. Ptolemy took his inspiration from the late medieval oak arches in the house, designing a timber framed extension where a line of new oak arches forms a partition between the dining area and the kitchen.
The timber framed extension comprises a large kitchen dining area on the ground floor and bedrooms upstairs. Because it is a family home where there are dogs, a practical yet beautiful flooring was required. ‘The client had originally considered a stone floor, but we thought that that would be not so fitting,’ says Sarah. ‘We envisioned a lovely brick flooring. Our first port of call was Ca' Pietra because there is such a wonderful array of suitable flooring for kitchens, and our absolute favourite and warmest option was the handmade Marlborough Terracotta Parquet tile. We did a lot of trials with the client and some was laid as a trial. It’s forgiving so you can’t see dirty marks, and it’s got a warmer, softer feel to it than stone does. It felt more appropriate somehow with the beams and the traditional way the house was built. There were also some original brick pavers around the house so it seemed natural to bring it inside as well. Although there was lots of light in the kitchen, it really needed to have that warmth.’
Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue was chosen for the island and cabinets. ‘The dark blue and brick red were perfect together,’ says Sarah. ‘The juxtaposition of the smart blue joinery and cabinetry with the more rustic feel of the kitchen floor really seemed to work perfectly together. The earthy brick flooring is continued through into the dining area, where it marries beautifully with the woodwork, the bold red of the lacquered Hans J Wegner ‘Wishbone’ chairs and the eye-catching rug that Sarah designed, which softens the scheme.
