CHIC RETREAT
A yearning for the coast led Nick and Caroline Richards to a quiet town where they found just the place to turn into a seaside getaway
Reinstating lost period features breathed new life into a family bolthole in Kent
Living in London is all very well, but when you grew up in a small town in Wales, the call of the countryside can be strong. This was certainly the case for Nick Richards who, with his wife Caroline, decided to buy a seaside home on the Kent coast to serve as a retreat from the city for themselves and their two daughters, Olivia, 10, and Sophie, seven. ‘For me, it’s important to spend time somewhere calm, with a sense of community,’ he says. ‘Whitstable is only 50 minutes’ drive from our main home, so it was the perfect choice when we were looking for a place to spend our weekends.’
The Victorian terraced house the couple found is conveniently placed in a quiet spot just off the high street, though it looked anything but idyllic on first viewing.
‘It was in a state and I realised it was going to involve rather more than just doing a bit of painting,’ says Nick.
‘We were fortunate to discover a local interior designer, Kate Harris, who offered us great guidance throughout,’ continues Nick. ‘Caroline and I both work full-time, so finding someone who could design our house and oversee the project proved invaluable.’ Work ensued over a period of nine months, during which time several walls were removed, a damp-proof course was installed throughout and rotten floor joists were replaced. As well as turning a downstairs bathroom into a stylish shower room, the Richards also added extra storage, namely an understairs cupboard for the washing machine
and vacuum cleaner. ‘Now the downstairs areas just flow together and the space works really well,’ says Nick.
With Kate as project manager, work ran smoothly and when the build was complete attention switched to the interior details. To restore some of the house’s original character, Kate suggested reinstating period features that had long been removed, such as the banisters, tongueand-groove woodwork and skirting boards. ‘We had to rip out some unpleasant Seventies additions,’ says Nick. Even the exterior was given a facelift with the addition of wooden plantation shutters, which have the added benefit of shielding the sitting room from the gaze of passers-by.
For Nick and Caroline, making the house feel warm was a priority. They achieved this by installing a woodburner in the sitting room and using wooden elements to create a sense of cosiness. Reclaimed scaffold boards were utilised to create a feature wall in the kitchen, with timber featuring elsewhere in the form of ash dining furniture and oiled-oak floorboards.
Throughout the house, the interior feels simple and clean, especially in the master bedroom where Nick and Caroline have chosen a retro-style dressing table and chest of drawers. Economy of space is also a hallmark of the adjoining bijou bathroom, where not having a cupboard under the sink boosts the sense of space. ‘The whole house works wonderfully well for our entire family,’ says Nick. ‘We love every single room.’