EMBRACING THE SHEEN & SHADE
An eclectic mix of antiques and contemporary classics plays up the contrast between light and dark in this timeless Tudor hall
A mix of antique and contemporary styles plays up the contrast between light and dark in this timeless Tudor hall
Old buildings can have such a reassuring solidity, a sense that they have always been there and always will be. And it’s that timeless quality that has helped to blend two contrasting decorating styles in the home of Roberta Ashley and Zefa Mongan. While Roberta has a passion for antiques fairs and the whimsical, historical and kitsch, Zefa is a modernist, with a penchant for mid-century furniture and the pared-back approach. Roberta owns the online vintage treasure trove Hunt the Pearl, while Zefa is an interior architect. Like many couples, starting a family really made them consider where they lived and how. “We were working and living in London, but knew we wanted to raise our child in the fresh air of the countryside,” Roberta explains. “So we started our search in Kent as it’s a straightforward commute and it’s also where my family live.”
It was Zefa who found this Wealden hall property (a medieval timber-framed house) in a pretty village, close to the church and pub, and overlooking the green. “We were after something unusual and inspiring, and had looked at a few houses from the Tudor era, but most were dark with lots of small rooms,” Roberta says. “What’s different about a Wealden hall is the open double-height space at its heart, with two rooms either side on the lower and upper floors. The design is specific to the Weald – the area that runs between the South and North Downs, through Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire – and this house grabbed us straightaway because that openness works so well for modern life.”
The house dates from around 1475 and is Grade II* listed, but it was generally sound thanks to some careful repair and restoration carried out during the 1950s and 60s. The owners at the time had bought the hall as two cottages and converted them back into a
“The house has dictated a lot of the colour choices”
single dwelling. “We really are reaping the benefits of their work,” Roberta says. “They installed all the beautiful wood panelling that had been salvaged from a pub, they laid the flooring and restored the oak windows. And it was all done to such a high standard that it still looks great today, nearly 60 years on.”
Roberta and Zefa moved in at the end of 2017, just weeks before their son Rudi was born, and quickly set to work updating key areas and addressing the lack of heating. “I practically lived in the kitchen beside the Aga: I just couldn’t manage a new baby and stoking fires in the three stoves,” Roberta explains.
The existing decoration influenced many of their design decisions in the beginning: they simply painted the cabinets in the farmhouse-style kitchen a darker shade to match the Fired Earth tiles; elsewhere, the dated mint-green bathroom was repainted in deep, rich hues and the existing bath re-enamelled. “The house has dictated a lot of the colour choices,” Roberta
says. “I see people renovating Victorian or Edwardian properties on Instagram and they really are blank canvases – you can paint them any colour you want. But you can’t do that with this house. Not many shades work in between beams, and these areas tend to be white or fairly light because the house is so dark. You can embrace the darkness to a point but you do need to see where you’re going,” she adds. “The wood panelling is a limitation and a joy in itself.”
Deliberate contrasting of light and shade is especially evident in the generous living room. Roberta and Zefa have arranged it so the sofa is next to the inglenook fireplace, with the dining area at the opposite end. “We love that you can sit on the sofa and look through the garden room out onto the garden – that view was so important to us,” Roberta says. “And we have the French doors, too. I love living spaces where you can just walk out into the garden. In summer, the doors are open all the time.”
The room is a glorious mix of their personalities: designer furniture from Zefa’s collection with layers of detail and surprising vignettes from Roberta’s favourite pieces, which highlight the nooks and crannies. In one corner, cupboard-like doors reveal a winding staircase up to a first floor and the couple’s bedroom, which extends right up into the eaves. What was an awkward adjoining bedroom is now a dressing room, leading to the bathroom, and there is great play here with light and dark, with a white floor holding the bold contrasts together. Also on the
“The wood panelling is a limitation and a joy in itself”
upper level is a shower room and Rudi’s bedroom, complete with his own fireplace. At this time of year, Roberta likes to bring nature inside, so spruce boughs and pine cones mingle with twinkly lights. “We don’t go over the top – we’re quite understated really,” she says. And, happily, many of their perennial decorative pieces – the religious icons, plentiful plants and coloured glassware – are a good fit, too.
“When we started our house search, Zefa said the only thing he didn’t want was a house full of dark beams and low ceilings. And that’s exactly what we’ve got,” Roberta laughs. But it has turned out to be the perfect backdrop for the things they both love, and every bit the inspiring home they’d hoped for.
FOR MORE INFORMATION about Roberta’s company Hunt the Pearl, visit huntthepearl.com.