restoring the Past
Old and new combine seamlessly in a Kent country house
Looking at the estate agent’s details for a 16th-century house in Kent, Lucy Walker had to be persuaded to view the property by her husband Dan. ‘It was down a country lane and seemed a long way from the main road, so I started to have my doubts about the location,’ recalls Lucy, co-director and founder of Lavita Style interior designs.
‘Luckily, Dan wasn’t put off and, once we saw the house and garden, we both fell in love with it and could see ourselves living there with our two daughters Isla, 5, and Daisy, 3, forever.’
The Walkers wanted to leave busy Fulham in London to live nearer Lucy’s family, as well as to gain more space for their growing children – and a period property was top of their wish list. ‘ We love the Tudor character of the building and the fact that it has a history,’ she says. ‘ When we viewed the property, Dan spotted a photo on the wall and I was in it. It turns out that I had been at school with the owner of the house, the artist Jessica Russell Flint. It was such a coincidence and made us feel that it was meant to be our home.’
As soon as they moved in, Lucy set about reconfiguring the kitchen. ‘It was very small with a separate dining room and snug,’ she explains. ‘We wanted an open-plan kitchen-diner without losing the period features.’
With this in mind, Lucy worked with a local design company to create the kitchen cabinets using wood and natural materials. ‘I had my heart set on a concrete worktop, but the carpenter suggested a salvaged railway sleeper to complement the original ceiling beams,’ says Lucy.
‘In the end, the carpenter stripped back an old dining table and covered it in resin to create a unique counter that’s totally in keeping with the look of the house, as is the aged paint-effect on the cabinets,’ she adds.
Upstairs, in the master bedroom, the beamed ceiling dominates the room, so Lucy
chose warm but subtle blue hues and soft textures to add femininity and light. ‘My style is luxury mixed with high-street brands,’ she says, ‘and when I see something I like, I let my heart rule my head.’ Her French-style bed is a particular favourite; its contemporary design with classic influences balances the look and size of the room.
‘I also adore wallpaper,’ says Lucy. ‘Behind Isla’s bed is a wonderful design called Kyoto by a Portuguese company called Little Hands. I love it so much I could never take it down.’
Along the landing, Lucy has brightened the guest bedroom by decorating it with a neutral palette of white and cream, then adding colour in the form of florals in the Roman blinds. The botanical prints, popular in the Victorian era, are a reminder that this house has lived through several centuries, their modern mirrored frames bringing the look right up to date.
With the work finished, Lucy and Dan are now settled in the country. ‘It turns out it was worth journeying down that winding lane,’ says Lucy, ‘as we found a hidden gem that we have truly made our own.’