cleverly crafted
Ben Stokes and Sophie Charlesworth knew that making this modest apartment work was all about reinterpreting the layout and adding plenty of character
How hard graft and creativity brought character and charm into a diminutive Kent apartment
When furniture maker Ben Stokes and his partner, Sophie Charlesworth, realised how much work they had done on their rented cottage, they decided it was time to buy their own place. Their cottage was on Tenterden’s High Street and they loved the location, so when an apartment above a nearby shop came up for sale, they were quick to view it. However, the property was small and far from inviting. ‘A builder had fitted the laminate floor badly, so it was comically bowed,’ says Ben. ‘The bathroom had a dividing wall down the middle and a leaking water tank in one half. And in the sitting room, a straw hat was tied to a naked bulb as a lampshade.’ Nevertheless, this did not put the pair off buying the place.
Ben made a sketch of the changes he wanted to make to the interior and sent it to the property’s freeholder. ‘Then a friend did a scale drawing to submit to the planning authorities as I wanted to take down the wall that divided the bathroom,’ he says. With permissions granted, Ben worked alongside a builder. ‘I took up all the flooring, renovated the sub-floor and laid new oak in the dining area, kitchen and bathroom,’ he says. ‘I wanted a characterful floor so I only laid boards that had knots.’ Ben also took out the doors and architraves between the rooms along the back of the apartment to give a greater sense of space. ‘Even taking a few centimetres from each opening makes a difference,’ he says.
The construction of a metal-framed glass balustrade that separates the stairs from the dining area was a testing moment. Neither the builder nor the glazier thought it was achievable. But Ben devised a method of securing the panels into the sub-floor and worked with a welder on the metal framework to contain the glass, so it went together perfectly. The result is a bright and light-filled stairwell and dining area.
Two themes run side by side in the furnishing and decoration of the apartment. Ben chose upholstery in greys and creams for an elegant look and, as a bold counterpoint, made the dining table, console and coffee table in his signature blend of modern rustic with industrial style, skilfully creating harmony between the two. This same look has brought success to Ben’s interiors shop, Kagu (meaning ‘ furniture’ in Japanese), which he opened in Tenterden last year.
Ben’s design decisions are both practical – from the handy prep area near the kitchen hob to the shelf above the bed that utilises wasted wall space – and undoubtedly stylish. ‘ We’ve turned an unattractive property into a home with personality,’ he says.