COASTAL CHARM
Vintage treasures are offset by a stylish pared-back decorating scheme inside an 18th-century fisherman’s cottage in East Sussex
Vintage treasures are offset by a simple pared-back scheme in an 18th-century fisherman’s cottage in East Sussex
when Linda and Ray Carter began thinking about buying a holiday cottage, they were torn between Devon and Sussex. “We’d always dreamed of having a bolthole by the sea,” Linda says, “and in the end we chose Hastings even though it’s only half an hour’s drive from our home in rural Kent. We’re a busy family and, after much agonising, I realised we didn’t really have the time to travel to Devon on a regular basis.” Unusual as it seemed to some, their choice has turned out even better than they expected. “Though Hastings is so close, it feels completely different,” she explains. “The town is quirky and arty, and we love the cafés and antiques shops.”
The interior of the two-bedroom, 18th-century fisherman’s cottage they bought in 2010 is now the perfect mix of style and simplicity. Set in the Old Town, it is ideal for when they want a short break, and their three adult children love taking turns to stay there as well. Downstairs is open plan with seating at one end and the dining room and kitchen with the bathroom behind at the other. Stairs in the centre lead up to two bedrooms and a box room. The cottage has a neat little front garden with doors opening from the kitchen at the back into a private lane – known as a twitten – that leads round the cottage to the road. Then it is just a few minutes’ walk to the centre of the Old Town on the way to the sea.
The cottage had been rented for years and Linda’s enduring memory of their early ownership is of pine floorboards, cupboards and wardrobes all radiating an orange glow under layers of aged varnish: “As a weekend bolthole, we didn’t need much storage and getting rid of excess furniture instantly made the place feel more spacious. In fact, the cottage gets lots of natural light, which is unusual in this area, as so many houses are stacked up behind each other.” Linda and Ray had the walls re-plastered and painted
them white along with the windows, while Farrow & Ball’s Pigeon was used for other woodwork, floors and stairs. “It was wonderful to get rid of the varnished pine, and have the same palette running throughout,” Linda adds. “In a small cottage like this, it creates a natural flow between different spaces.” The pared-down decorating scheme provides a contemporary backdrop for a relaxed mix of vintage furnishings, with pale ceramics and glassware offering eye-catching arrangements on grey shelving in the dining room.
Linda can usually recall where she found each piece of furniture and accessory in the cottage – quite a feat as she has been scouring antiques shops, bric-a-brac outlets, car boot fairs and garage sales for more than 20 years. She also buys in France and, with two
“Using the same palette throughout creates a natural flow between spaces”
friends, set up The Three French Hens to hold sales three times a year of wonderful vintage furniture, accessories and linens sourced at brocantes. Inevitably, some of these pieces find their way into the cottage: in the tiny kitchen, utensils hang on butchers’ hooks from an old French wood-framed wire panel fixed to the wall behind the cooker. The worktop next to the hob was the last bit of varnished pine to be covered over – sanded and then transformed with Farrow & Ball’s hardwearing floor paint in dramatic Off-black.
Beautiful old linens are also part of the mix with striped French linen glass cloths for drying dishes and old French sheets on the beds, paired with a striped duvet cover or quilted coverlet. There are no curtains as Linda felt they would make the cottage look cluttered, so a local joiner made shutters for the south-facing windows at the front, with blinds fitted elsewhere.
Linda felt she knew Hastings well before they bought the cottage, but spending more time there has brought some welcome discoveries. “This is a pedestrian-only area,” she says, “so it’s quieter than we imagined and quite private. We park the car when we arrive and find we don’t get into it again until it’s time to go home. We made the decision to have no television or Wi-fi in the cottage and that’s been wonderfully liberating. When I wake up in the morning to the sound of seagulls wheeling overhead, I can’t wait to get down to the sea.”
Seaside Cottage can be booked at airbnb.co.uk, through bramley. house or by contacting Linda on 07773 460494. For information on The Three French Hens’ next sale, visit thethreefrenchhens.co.uk.