{"id":17881,"date":"2022-12-31T11:00:02","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T10:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=38327"},"modified":"2022-12-31T12:36:38","modified_gmt":"2022-12-31T11:36:38","slug":"a-georgian-home-in-west-sussex","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-georgian-home-in-west-sussex\/","title":{"rendered":"A Georgian home in West Sussex"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Janet McMeekin\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 31 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Sarah Reed loves hosting Christmas. \u2018I relish the prospect of celebrating with family and friends,\u2019 she says. The more the merrier is her philosophy, and this enthusiasm is evident the moment you step through the front door. Decked with twinkling lights and seasonal foliage, from the wreath<\/a> on the door to the lavishly decorated Christmas trees<\/a> \u2013 one in the kitchen, the other in the sitting room \u2013 there is no doubt her guests will be well looked after throughout the festive season.<\/p>\n

But Sarah\u2019s talent for creating a joyful and welcoming atmosphere extends far beyond simply dressing her home for Christmas. As the founder and director of design and refurbishment company Ministry of the Interior<\/a>, Sarah has established a reputation for sympathetic yet radical property transformations, and this expertise has been put to full use in her West Sussex home.<\/p>\n

Back in 2014, when Sarah first saw the property, she had been renting in nearby Chichester, biding her time, waiting for the perfect house. \u2018It was quite a challenge,\u2019 she recalls. One of the essential requirements was finding a house in a rural location with enough space in the dining room for a much-loved sycamore and burr oak table that she designed 20 years earlier.<\/p>\n

\u2018I also needed room for my piano,\u2019 she says, \u2018as well as the other antiques<\/a> and pieces of furniture that I would hate to part with.\u2019 In addition to having room for beloved possessions, the property had to offer scope for her own bold and confident style.<\/p>\n

Situated on the western boundary of the Goodwood Estate, at the foot of the rolling South Downs, the property\u2019s location couldn\u2019t have been better. \u2018It\u2019s an extraordinary place,\u2019 Sarah says, \u2018a breathtaking spot, surrounded by woodland.\u2019 Fortunately, the house itself also ticked all the boxes on Sarah\u2019s list: formerly a pair of cottages built in 1790 by French prisoners of war, it had plenty of charm and character.<\/p>\n

What might once have been quite tight living space had already been opened up when the cottages were knocked into one property at some point in the 1970s, meaning there was plenty of flexibility in terms of space. Better still, a walled garden offered the opportunity for an extension, which today sits unobtrusively in its tranquil surroundings, linked to the cottage with a striking glazed entrance hall. Sarah says she enjoyed the challenge of coming up with innovative ideas for the house.<\/p>\n

These ranged from liaising with a local architect to devise a concept for the extension, similar to that of a stack of Russian nesting dolls, \u2018whereby each building would, metaphorically, fit neatly into the next\u2019, to clever storage solutions, such as the charming cabin bed in eldest daughter Araminta\u2019s bedroom. \u2018It incorporates wardrobes at each end, storage drawers underneath and built-in reading lights,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

Sarah grew up in a large house in Norfolk<\/a>, where beautiful furniture and antiques were handed down through both sides of the family. \u2018From childhood, I\u2019ve always loved antiques and have been very lucky to have been given a number of gorgeous pieces,\u2019 she says, adding that these heirloom antiques, artworks<\/a> and furniture guided the colour schemes throughout the house.<\/p>\n