KENT NEW BUILD
Moving from a period house to a new build presented Molly with a challenge – how to add character to a modern space. And she triumphed…
A contemporary space now pops with colour and character
After renovating and living in six period properties, Molly Mills and her husband James decided they needed a less disruptive way of life. So when a friend’s new build house came on the market, they leapt at it. ‘During previous renovations there were times when the whole family had to sleep in one room while work was being carried out,’ says Molly. ‘As the children were growing up, an easy-to-maintain, modern home became much more appealing. For me, the challenge was to fill a modern space with character and interest.’
The family moved here from a 19th-century coach house and had to leave behind the shepherd’s hut James was using as an office. So, one of the first things Molly did was source a new structure for him to work in. ‘I found a fantastic company that could make a cabin in the style of the fisherman’s huts we pass when walking on Dungeness Beach, with a sliding barn door and glazed windows. We placed it in the front garden and built a path to it from the main door. It also doubles as a den and sleepover space for the children.’
No major structural changes were needed in the main house. ‘What was wonderful,’ she says, ‘was that the kitchen and heating system were new and the house was so light – both things we weren’t used to.’
However, Molly felt she needed to create better flow through the house and repainted the harsh, dark
❝I’VE CREATED FLOW BY USING PASTELS ACCENTED WITH BRIGHTLY COLOURED FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE❞ GROUND FLOOR OF THE
feature walls, something she’d embraced in her period homes. ‘Heritage colours just didn’t work in this space,’ she says. ‘I wanted the journey through the house to be seamless, so I chose pastels in greys and pinks downstairs, accentuated with vibrantly coloured furniture and accessories.’ She added a yellow Fermob bench in the hallway and a blue sofa in the living room. Upstairs she used the same tonal colours but was a bit more daring, injecting colour with bright wallpapers and a bold statement wall.
Molly also wanted the house to have a warmer, softer feel and added accessories, lighting and texture to reflect this. ‘I am addicted to lighting, lampshades and lamps,’ she says. ‘I think they make a massive difference,’ so she brought in floor and table lamps and lots of candles. She had her artwork reframed in white and added rugs and throws in natural fibres to soften lines. Molly also accessorised with both old and new pieces of furniture, including the eight-foot-tall antique cupboard in the hall, which she brought from her previous home, and a modern pouffe in the snug.
Molly is also keen on painting furniture to suit the décor, like the vintage bench in the bedroom.
Having a new, bold black kitchen was something Molly initially felt daunted by but embraced and, much to her surprise, she now loves it. ‘I needed to soften the harsh lines of the cabinetry and so used
❝KEEPING THE THINGS THAT ARE PART OF YOU, OR MEAN SOMETHING TO YOU, AND MIXING THEM UP WITH NEWER PIECES, IS KEY TO MAKING A MODERN HOME WORK ❞