A 17th-century cottage in Kent

By Rosanna Morris

Published: Sunday, 25 December 2022 at 12:00 am

Roni Lang has been amassing curious and interesting things for over 30 years, and she continues to add to her impressive collection. ‘I’m a bit of a hoarder,’ she confesses. ‘I go into every charity shop I see. If I walk past something I like, it will haunt me for years if I don’t go back and get it.’

Roni is sitting on the sofa in the cosy living room of her 17th-century Kent cottage. The woodburning stove is alight, and above the cavernous fireplace hang a couple of dozen silhouettes. ‘I bought another one yesterday for £2. I can’t resist things if they call to me,’ she says. Paintings, drawings, jewellery, textiles, miniatures – if something excites Roni, and if she can afford it, she will always buy it. ‘But they have to be right,’ she adds.

And because she has been collecting this way for over 30 years, it means every wall, shelf and nook of her home is adorned with something of interest – vintage coffee pots brighten a corner of the kitchen and a collection of beaded purses hangs from the painted beams in the bathroom.

The house is furnished with strong-lined pieces bought at markets and antiques shops, such as the unusual coffee table in the living room, which came from a junk shop in Rochester. ‘It cost £65 and is my best ever find,’ says Roni. ‘Though my pride of joy is a 1935 Utility chest of drawers in my bedroom, which I bought at Greenwich market 30 odd years ago. I’ve had the 1930s cupboard in the sitting room for 35 years.’

The pièce de résistance of Roni’s hoarding, however, has to be the old Victorian dresser top in the dining room. ‘I call it my cabinet of curiosities,’ she says. Filled with pictures, books and mementos, it is a museum in miniature, the most striking collection being a number of antique globes de mariées, decorative arrangements displayed under glass domes that were created as souvenirs to celebrate weddings.

Roni, who runs a business transforming vintage and antique textiles into new pieces of clothing, has been inspired to decorate her own domes to mark special occasions for herself and for friends.

The cottage was in good structural condition when Roni and her husband bought it eight years ago, which was fortunate, as its Grade II listing meant they weren’t able to make many alterations. Roni refreshed the decor with new paint in various shades of pale grey and warm white in all of the rooms.

She updated the characterful kitchen, which included the jolly green AGA, with a similarly light touch, reviving the cabinets with a coat of Little Greene’s Portland Stone paint. Similarly, in the bathroom, she merely took up the carpet and painted the tiles white. This make-do-and-mend approach is evident throughout the house and it stems from Roni’s work as a fashion designer.

A self-confessed customising queen, her label, Mrs Lang, is well known for its one-off and bespoke garments, all of which are made from reclaimed, antique and vintage fabrics. At home, the same creativity continues with cushions fashioned from vintage textiles and, at Christmas, decorations made from foliage she gathers in the fields around the house.

Roni loves mixing furniture and artwork of different styles and periods as the master bedroom confirms: her beloved Utility chest looks marvellous in the company of a mirrored deco chest of drawers and an ornate French armchair; and a huge Japanese fan is a striking focal point above the bed. ‘I love the Georgian period and the 1930s,’ she says. ‘I’m a sucker for chinoiserie and I do like a bit of gold. There’s something about a house of this era that works with so many historic ages and styles.’

Roni’s collecting shows no signs of abating – her appreciation for art and antiques clearly gives her great joy. ‘I rarely buy anything of value; whether it costs 5p or £500, what’s important to me is that I love it.’

"17th-century
A timber-frame silk merchant’s cottage in Kent built in 1646. The property comprises a kitchen, sitting room and dining room downstairs, with two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor, and a second-floor room with a vaulted ceiling and en suite. Roni Lang lives here with her husband, John, and Tibetan terrier, Lulu. She is a fashion designer and upcycles vintage and antique textiles into new, sustainable garments.
"17th-century
A small and simple Christmas tree is tucked between the beautiful old timber frame of the house. To the left, just seen, is a large portrait from
the 1930s.
"17th-century
The striking green AGA in the kitchen was already in situ when Roni acquired the house.  She updated the kitchen cabinets with a coat of Little Greene’s Portland Stone.
"17th-century
Roni has a particular penchant for colourful still-life paintings, some of which she has grouped on the back of the kitchen door.
"17th-century
The 1920s oak table and chairs in the dining room have belonged to Roni for over 30 years. As with most of her home, the wall space is covered in pictures, predominantly portraits.
"17th-century
Roni decorates jam jars and fills them with old man’s beard.
"17th-century
A Victorian glass-fronted cabinet in the dining room is filled with Roni’s collection of antique globes de mariées, her own creations inspired by these French antiques and assorted paintings.
"17th-century
Thanks to its stunning vaulted ceiling, Roni has kept the decor simple in the top-floor bedroom with white walls and natural flooring. She has draped ivy along the central beam for Christmas. Two of the cushions on the bed were made by Roni using old embroideries. The fabric panel was from eBay.
"17th-century
Roni describes her bedroom as cosy and cocoon-like. She loves Japanese art and design and bought the fan above the bed from a little antiques shop in Maidstone.
"17th-century
Two of Roni’s own globe de mariée-style creations sit on top of an art deco chest of drawers in the master bedroom. The mirrored chest was only £250 and came from an antiques shop in Oxford.
"17th-century
Vintage jewellery, pretty buttons and decorative ephemera fill a corner of Roni’s workroom. Most of them will find their way into her creations, either as part of a new garment or a vignette under a dome.
"17th-century
Paintings, drawings, postcards and pages from magazines are taped to the wall of Roni’s workroom as a source of inspiration. The globe de mariée was made by Roni.