Tracey Gill’s character residence, with its handmade clay tile roof, porch and manicured lawns, is so attuned to its environment it is exhausting to imagine it is barely 4 years.
“After we had been searching for a house, our objective was to search out the very best location, it doesn’t matter what the property appeared like,” says Tracey. “I knew I may change any home we purchased, so the massive issue was land and site.”
Nestled within the coronary heart of the Sussex countryside in southern England, the placement epitomizes a lot of what nation dwelling is all about. ‘We’re close to a really lovely village, set on three acres with a subject bounded by a stream. The home is up a lane which provides entry to solely two different properties. That is very quiet !’ Tracey stated.
Classic zinc planters positioned on both aspect of the trail add a contact of ritual to the entrance door
(Picture credit score: Rachel Whiting)
Nonetheless, the unique home was in severe want of updating – a tiny, dated cottage, worlds away from the modern home that now sits on the identical grounds.
“Relationship partly from 1730, it was coated in cream cobblestone with concrete tiles, fashionable leaded home windows, Artexed partitions, outdated carpets and an unimaginative addition,” Tracey remembers.
Salvaged items add a contemporary rustic contact and heat distinction to the pure white partitions. A salvaged engineer’s bench has been repurposed as an island for a sociable area
(Picture credit score: Rachel Whiting)
How fortunate, then, that it fell into Tracey’s arms and have become a part of her long-held imaginative and prescient for cottage adorning concepts.
“I truly designed the home I needed earlier than I moved in,” she explains, citing American kinds as inspiration.
“The mandate I gave myself was to carry the New England Coastal Type return to Sussex by way of Texas and the Deep South.
For Tracey, it represents a homecoming for her favourite architectural type, first delivered to the US by Pilgrim settlers from Seventeenth-century England. The success of this renovation was based mostly on its exterior conforming to the standard Sussex vernacular, with using white cladding unifying the outdated cottage and the brand new prolonged part.
The area has been designed for year-round entertaining and socializing, with doorways main straight onto the veranda and a big desk that comfortably seats eight. Totally different kinds of chairs have been stripped down and painted in the identical shade of white for a unifying impact
(Picture credit score: Rachel Whiting)
Inside, outdated and new supply equal elements character and area, with the unique home now a comfortable library, lounge and examine space. A kitchen-dining room resulting in the again porch creates the massive a part of the bottom ground of the brand new addition.
(Picture credit score: Tracey Gill)
Upstairs, Tracey designed a gallery main bedroom which presents a dramatic and fashionable strategy to area and lightweight.
“The objective was to ship every part at a stage I used to be proud of, at the absolute best worth,” Tracey explains. “I purchased all of the supplies myself, managed the venture on web site every single day and didn’t make use of any painters.”
Classic furnishings characteristic all through Tracey’s residence, offering genuine country-style appeal. Right here, a carpenter’s workbench with an authentic work vice takes delight of place
(Picture credit score: Rachel Whiting)
As an alternative, she signed up for a sprig portray class, rolled up her sleeves, and carried on. “I sprayed every bit myself. I painted all of the home windows inside and outside. I additionally determined to study the way to tile a wall and took a couple of showers, the altering room and Toilet stage. So humorous!’ She provides.
Bespoke cabinets made by a neighborhood carpenter maximize e-book storage within the outdated a part of the unique home, masking the truth that the partitions on this room aren’t completely straight
(Picture credit score: Rachel Whiting)
Tracey has embraced the mantra ‘reuse, reuse and recycle’ in all elements of building. When an outdated exterior flat roof was eliminated, the boards had been used to create a bedhead for the master suite (under).
Sloped ceiling and gallery walk-in closet create an expensive really feel
(Picture credit score: Rachel Whiting)
Outdated dressers have been became sinks within the loos (the primary rest room is under), and a galvanized steel bucket discovered within the backyard has been recycled into an attention-grabbing powder room sink with a set of high-priced brass taps discovered on the native dump”.
A person’s junk is, most definitely, that girl’s treasure.
(Picture credit score: Rachel Whiting)
You’ll be able to observe Tracey’s journey on Instagram @ruralrefurb (opens in a brand new tab).
Throughout the cooler months, cozy blankets and lanterns create a cocooning feeling on the beautiful porch, which is used year-round
(Picture credit score: Rachel Whiting)
