SMALL SPACES SUSSEX HOUSE
Renovating and extending a compact flint cottage meant a bigger home for Paul and Luci Staden, with the added joy of the beautiful South Downs on their doorstep
Underfloor heating eliminates the need for bulky radiators and keeps walls free for cabinets
The village of Sutton in West Sussex is where you’ll find Daisy Cottage, once part of an estate owned by the Barlavington family which dates back at least 200 years. ‘I often used to ride my bike through the village and had always loved this cottage,’ says Paul. ‘Luci and Iwere living nearby and looking for a bigger house .When we saw the cottage had come up for sale, we snapped it up!’
The house hadn’t been touched for years, which meant it was aproject but also that Paul and Luci could add their own style to it. ‘On the day we moved in, Luci burst into tears,’ says Paul. ‘She had left an immaculate, comfortable home to move to adamp, dated building that needed everything doing to it; she was overwhelmed, to say the least!
But the main reason for moving to the village was its proximity to the South Downs National Park –we knew we could walk out of the garden and have access to the footpaths and bridleways that crisscross the area.’
There was alot to tackle, including plumbing, wiring, replastering and installing heating and replacing the bathroom, as well as an extension to give them alarger kitchen and an extra bedroom on the first floor. This included making sash windows to replicate the existing ones, and French doors were installed, leading out to asmall, paved courtyard. ‘Everything had to be approved by The South Downs National Park Authority as it’s alisted building,’ says Paul. Once the builders had finished, Paul used his expertise to carry out the joinery work himself.
‘We wanted an authentic Sussex cottage with home comforts,’ says Luci. ‘We also felt the house should flow from one room to another, with amonastic but colourful style. Not vibrant colours but historic shades to give acalming feel, and to bring the colours of nature that surrounds us into the house.’
To aid the flow, the couple chose bluey-green for most of the rooms –Teresa’s Green from Farrow &Ball and Green Smoke for the kitchen cabinets. ‘We went for colour saturation –the walls, ceiling, window frames, architrave and skirting boards are all the same colour,’ explains Paul. Also for continuity in acompact space, the same s
