full of charm
Vintage furniture dealers Sarah and Nigel Emmett retreated to the coast and turned a former pea-harvester’s cottage into a cosy and colourful home
A couple has restored a 17th-century cottage in Norfolk with period features and plenty of cosy, homely touches
Twenty years ago, when Sarah Emmett grew tired of being a restaurateur in Richmond and husband Nigel had enough of being a fashion retailer in Windsor, they decided to move into their weekend house on the Norfolk coast full time.
The couple settled in, with daughter Mimi, and ‘a bucket and spade mentality’ – until the chance of a shop in a prime location arose. ‘Nigel loves restoring furniture, so we took a six-week lease,’ explains Sarah. ‘We’re still there now.’
In 2004, the couple moved into their current home, positioned on the edge of a village a few miles from the sea. It also had a detached barn, ideal for Nigel’s stock. The cottage had been added to back in the 1900s, then divided in two between the wars. Latterly, the previous owner had tried to turn it back into one house. ‘Frankly, the layout was a bit of a muddle,’ says Nigel. An alteration that the family approve of, though, was the knocking through of two living areas. ‘It’s now one glorious drawing room with windows on three sides,’ says Sarah.
Beams were sandblasted and doors stripped back to natural oak. ‘Many of the period features had been hidden under paint or removed, so we reinstated cast-iron radiators and stone windowsills,’ says Sarah.
Owning a furniture shop made the decorating stage simple. ‘It was just a case of finding pieces that were the right size,’ says Sarah. Mimi added the final touches with her own cushions and accessories range.
The property’s cosy proportions meant the couple never felt as if they were rattling about when Mimi left home. ‘It has such a warm atmosphere, whether we have friends over or it’s just the two of us here,’ Sarah smiles.