An historic rectory in Sussex that deftly brings together the old and the new
When we speak of character in terms of interiors, it generally links to personal objects that mean something to the homeowner, and it is often the result of taking one’s time to make considered decisions about decorating schemes and all the individual pieces within them. Emma Milne-Watson has a talent for bringing out the innate beauty of rooms and appreciates the distinctive ambience that develops after living in a property for a while. Much more than straightforward decoration, the furniture, textiles and lighting she thoughtfully selects – in her own home as well as for those of clients – feel contemporary, yet timeless. Emma likes materials to look as though they have been there for years and is not someone who will settle for quick, easy solutions. ‘I am not into rushing,’ she says. ‘It is about living somewhere and adding to it gradually. Sometimes it takes time to find just the right thing.’ For her, homes are all about layering; decoration is a labour of love.
The story of Emma’s own house started 10 years ago, when she moved with her husband and two children from north London, where they had lived for five years, to Sussex for a quieter, more rural life. Her husband was originally from the area and the couple were keen for their children to experience growing up with space and nature. As a former fashion editor who spent most of her childhood in London – with an interlude in West Sussex in her teens before she returned to the city aged 17 – this was a big step. She admits feeling a slight reluctance, but any hesitation was quashed when she saw the former rectory for the first time. She paints an idyllic picture: ‘The owner came across the field with his three dogs, carrying logs in his arms, and there was a fire burning in the sitting room, which had a pretty pale pink sofa. It was love at first sight.’
Emma’s gift for styling, affinity for interiors and burgeoning love of the countryside make her house spirited as well as beautiful. Its interesting layout is far from a symmetrical dolls’ house format. Constant renovation over the centuries has kept it young, its dignified 17th-century proportions – combined with various architectural add-ons from then until the present day – giving the property a labyrinthine feel. ‘It winds its way round in a charming fashion,’ she says. A refurbished 17th-century coach house, which once sat alongside the house is now attached via a corridor. A new veranda, which was added a few years ago at the back, looking out over the walled garden, helps to streamline the different architectural styles. ‘The house has many levels, creating an element of the unexpected,’ she says of the airy rooms, which are laid out in a surprisingly modern way.
To live in an old building means treading a little more softly within its walls. True to her guiding principles, Emma did not hurry, initially keeping everything bare-boned and painted in Little Greene’s off-white ‘Slaked Lime’ for eight years, while she focused on the garden. She was also careful not to over-restore. ‘Everything was in quite good condition, so we were able to be sympathetic to the building’s age,’ she says. ‘We didn’t want to be one of those families who moved from London to overwrite original features thoughtlessly. In the kitchen, we installed three full-height windows overlooking the garden in a wall that previously had had just one small circular window. Adding the veranda at the back has helped the higgledy-piggledy window and door heights to look more symmetrical. But the rest of the structure is as it was.’
The house presents a quiet and demure front but, once inside, it feels both charmingly period (a mix of romantic French country style with Swedish Gustavian pieces) and wonderfully modern, without a hint of stuffiness. ‘I inherited my love of Swedish interiors and Gustavian furniture from my mother,’ Emma explains. She has a 20-year archive of pages torn from magazines that she has gathered as style references: ‘I never throw any away. I have tear sheets from the Eighties, which my mother passed on to me.’
When Emma moved to the house, she had an image of a French chateau with shutters and tall ceilings. ‘It’s not a chateau, of course,’ she concedes. ‘But I tried to bring a little bit of all the different architecture and styles that I like into it.’ In the vaulted kitchen, sleek Bulthaup cabinets topped with pale Carrara marble and a matching island on metal legs are next to a weathered refectory table repurposed from an old oak door. Wooden herringbone parquet – originally from a chateau and sourced by Emma from a French reclamation yard – leads through to a floor of worn terracotta tiles in the enviably well-organised pantry. The equivalent of a walk-in wardrobe for the kitchen, it has everything needed for cooking and eating in one room. Emma designed its glazed floor-to-ceiling wall cabinets to display her collection of glassware.
The most contemporary part of the renovation is the coach house, built carefully from the outside in so as not to disturb the heritage rat-trap brickwork or footings. ‘I added the ceiling beams, as I was trying to do more of a mid-century Belgian thing in this space,’ explains Emma, who works from home, dividing her time between interiors and a new creative venture – jewellery design. She started this in lockdown and now sells a range of handmade beaded pieces through Cutter Brooks.
Explaining her progression from working in fashion magazines to interior styling and design, she says, ‘I get huge joy from the curating and styling of rooms.’ She describes her aesthetic as ‘classic with splashes of boldness’ and, not one to follow trends, she avoids buying furniture on a whim: ‘I prefer a more enduring style – I like a home to look and feel comfortable, decorated with items that have been chosen to last.’ As if to reinforce this point, the pieces that have been in the house since day one are the two elegant sofas in the sitting room, upholstered in a pretty pale pink linen from Pierre Frey, and selected specially by Emma to recreate the effect of the one that made such a memorable first impression.
Emma Milne-Watson: @emmamilnewatson
Paul Massey1/12
Paul Massey2/12Dating back to the 17th century, the rectory has tiled exterior walls typical of old Sussex buildings.
Paul Massey3/12Mixing traditional and modern elements, Emma has teamed Bulthaup units and Carrara marble worktops with a refectory table from Maison Artefact and oak flooring salvaged from a French chateau. The antique Swedish bench seat is covered in a linen by de Le Cuona.
Paul Massey4/12A ‘Mirror Ball Pendant’ by Tom Dixon creates a focal point above an antique table found by Emma on a buying trip to Sweden and Gustavian chairs from Maison Artefact. The rug is by Luke Irwin.
Paul Massey5/12In the family room, a floor lamp from Lee Wright Antiques and a ‘Black Tray Table’ by Hay pick up on the metal-framed doors by Fabco. Cushions in Rose Uniacke fabrics brighten a sofa by Emma, in ‘Washed Linen’ in sand from The Cloth Shop. The vintage marble coffee table is from AU Bespoke; the engineered oak boards are from The New & Reclaimed Flooring Co.
Paul Massey6/12The vintage shop counter and glazed wall cabinets designed by Emma hold her collection of glassware.
Paul Massey7/12A double Belfast sink and marble worktops are practical choices for this hard-working space.
Paul Massey8/12Emma created a bed canopy using an antique piece of carved wood and de Le Cuona’s ‘Linen Shade’ in cloud, above a headboard in ‘Odessa’ linen mix in blue by Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam. The chartreuse velvet throw is from Niki Jones, and the armchair is upholstered in ‘Wicker’ linen by Fermoie.
Paul Massey9/12A four-poster from The White Company was chosen for the bedroom.
Paul Massey10/12The entrance to the loo is clad in brass.
Paul Massey11/12A bateau bath from Albion makes the most of the view.
Paul Massey12/12An oak table and benches made by Benchmark are set up in the shade of a magnolia.
