greener pastures
How one family discovered their rural idyll in a dilapidated former rectory in East Sussex
Having been brought up in the Somerset countryside, Kate and Rob Kitchen wanted to create a similar rural idyll for their three children, Charlie, 13, Harry, 10, and Amelie, 6, so they decided it was time to leave central London for the open spaces of East Sussex. ‘ We were living in a modern flat in Chelsea’s King’s Road, with all the conveniences you’d expect nearby – fabulous cafés and restaurants, art galleries and endless shops,’ says Kate. ‘Now, things couldn’t be more different – a good cappuccino is a four-mile drive away and our only neighbours are sheep, cows and rabbits.’
This Georgian rectory was just what the couple were looking for. ‘It has original period features, a large garden, is close to the children’s schools and an easy commute to London,’ says Kate. ‘We also loved the tranquil views, and the outbuildings offered great potential for redevelopment.’ An interior designer with her own company, Reverie Interior Design, Kate was ready to take on the challenge
and had a plan from the outset. ‘I wanted a contemporary edge while still respecting the age of the house,’ she says. ‘The first thing we did was remove the wall between the library and sitting room. That’s when we found out that we had an extensive infestation of the timbereating deathwatch beetle. The floorboards on the entire ground floor and some of the joists had to be replaced.’
After re-plumbing and rewiring, work started on reconfiguring downstairs so that the kitchen would no longer be accessed through
a warren of corridors. Internal walls were knocked down, a staircase was removed, access to the cellar changed and an orangery added.
For more than a year, the family lived in the front of the house and used a Portakabin for a kitchen. ‘Being on site was helpful,’ recalls Kate, ‘as I was able to deal with building issues as they happened. But at the same time, it was also hard on us as a family, especially when it snowed. We had no heating, there was very little hot water and the cabin was freezing. We finally moved in on 25 December, even though it wasn’t quite finished or heated. My sister and her family, who live in Hong Kong, stayed with us for the holiday – their first Christmas in the UK for five years – the cold was a bit of a shock.’
After the celebrations, Kate made a start on the interiors. ‘I chose a neutral palette and introduced accent colours to create warmth,’ she explains. ‘I then added further colour and texture so that each room has its own character, but feels connected to the next.’
Kate and Rob are thrilled with the result, and are enjoying rural life. ‘The children love exploring the woods,’ says Kate, ‘and the city is only an hour away, so we really do have the best of both worlds.’