projects/Tenterden Oast Update

A family home full of character and colour

This converted oast house in Tenterden is packed full of interesting architectural features. It has exposed brickwork and beams throughout, statement fireplaces, and plenty of light from the large, metal windows.

We had already completed work on many of the rooms in the house including the kitchen, sitting room and master bedroom, and the client invited us back to work on a home office, children’s bedroom and hallway. You can view the full project here.

Home Office

Like so many others, the owners have been working from home much more than they expected since Covid hit. Prior to creating this home office for two, they were perched around the house in awkward spaces that were a challenge to work in. Having this sophisticated space has revolutionised working from home.

The centrepiece in this room is the two large, back-to-back executive desks. They provide more than enough space to spread out, and also contain useful storage to keep clutter out of sight. High-back leather chairs are ergonomically designed for comfort, but without the corporate look of many office chairs.

The dark blue walls are lifted with hits of orange from the artwork, and the room is lit by two quirky pendant stage lights.

A feature wall of shallow shelves in irregular sizes displays art, books and interesting objects. This is a clever way to create a feeling of depth without giving away too much of the room.

Hallway

Often overlooked, the hallway is a great opportunity to make a big impact in a small space. Here we gave it the vintage treatment, with a beautiful mid-century chair re-covered in a soft pink fabric. Although re-covering furniture is not always cheap, we choose vintage pieces carefully so they hold their value and even become collectors’ items.

There is a strong sense of colour running throughout the house, but in certain areas, like the hallway and loo, we chose more gentle tones to connect the spaces without creating overwhelm. However, we have pulled through the dark green and pink from the sittingroom into the statement stairs and runner, as the two spaces are connected by an internal window.

The antique bench seat was updated with a bespoke seat pad and cushions in a modern, graphic print, showing how old and new can be mixed to great effect.

Children’s bedroom & playroom

We used a colourful but calming colour scheme for this open-plan bedroom and playroom which is shared by three siblings. A warm blue combined with touches of sunshine yellow and turquoise are the backdrop for clouds, balloons and star motifs. It’s the perfect room for floating away in play or drifting happily off to sleep.

We had no shortage of space in this room, in fact, we looked for ways to make the room feel cosy, not cavernous. First of all, we created a half-height partition wall to separate the bedroom from the playroom and create two distinct areas. By continuing the wall colour over the high, vaulted ceilings, we visually reduced the height while still retaining the beautiful architecture of the exposed beams. Cloud-shaped ceiling lights in the bedroom, and large coloured glass chandeliers in the playroom, fill the overhead space.

Winged headboards and different coloured balloon lamps by each bed give each child a sense of personal space.

In the play area we designed bespoke toy cupboards and bookcases to fit an awkward space under a beam. The space for the wardrobe was easier to work with, so we were able to buy an off-the-peg wardrobe, which was hand painted to match the bespoke carpentry.