Designed for living
Tythe House in Ovingdean first hit the headlines in the late 1950s in Woman’s Own, as one of the first barn conversions in Sussex. Fifty years on it has undergone another transformation at the hands of interior designer James Willing. “I purchased the house last October,” James recalls, “and since then I have transformed it roof to cellar.” A process which had its challenges. “Grade two listed properties come with plenty of red tape,” says James. “It is a sensitive location too with a well-attended and beautiful 11th century church next door.
The village as a whole is exceptionally beautiful.
“Nestled under the South Downs it has a great ‘look out for each other’
atmosphere’.” James notes this is just one of the things that attracted him to
the unique four-bedroom house.
James’ designer eye quickly spotted the potential in Tythe House, “I bought the house for its potential and I bought it to be a
home,” says James.
“I’m absolutely madly passionate about old property. I like
to respect the existing character and this means I undertake
sympathetic modernisation. Stripping beams back to their
original oak for instance.”
James’ vision is strongly inspired by light and space,
something which is evident at Tythe House. The heart of the
home, the kitchen, now currently stands at approximately
quadruple its original size.
“I’m a trained chef,” replies James when I ask him the
motivation behind such a huge change, “and I think it is
important to have large places to entertain. This space is
great because you can be cooking at one end but still in
view of your guests.”
Attention to detail
Achieving this impressive room meant knocking down
interior walls and the exterior wall to the then garage.
Replacing what James describes as a “very ugly garage
door” for a window. A task which sounds simple.
However, due to the nature of the property not only did
this window need to be hand-built to requirements, the
wall that houses it had to match the flint stone. So exact
must the match be that James had to provide samples of the
existing flint and mortar.
The patience for ensuring these standards and complying
with the rules and regulations which come with a graded property clearly shows James’ passion for historic features.
“All of the rooms have undergone substantial refurbishment,” he says. “From re-plastering all the walls to sandblasting the oak beams. “I love them all,” says James when I ask him what his favourite room is. “My bedroom, the master bedroom, is great as it has a dressing room and open-plan shower room.”
However, James’ experience in interior design has led him to think about the house as a whole too. “All the rooms are painted tonally to blend with each other,” he says. “I used Farrow & Ball paint throughout too to help provide coherence and a narrative between the rooms.”
“The sitting room is also fantastic as the French doors lead out to the new terrace, and it has a lovely log store and feature fireplace.” While James is inspired by light and space he describes the décor style behind Tythe House as “country-meets-urban living.”
“It is slightly hunting lodge. Old shot guns, antlers and ibex horns on the walls. I wanted a homely feel despite its size. Somewhere to enjoy comfortable big log fires and socialising. I wanted a home that was child and dog friendly, and Tythe House is great because its rear-walled garden provides a safe outdoor space. I designed it for easy living and the manageable garden means it would make a great second home.”
One room which underwent a lot of work was the roof space. The room is one of James’ favourites and boasts panoramic views with the sea on one side and the downs on the other. “There are fantastic views from every window of the house,” says James. “They are simply exquisite, you can see cows and horses which gives it an incredibly rural feel, very Miss Marple.”
This close vicinity has many fantastic benefits. An express train to London makes the commute just over an hour and you can enjoy both the buzz of the city and the relaxing rural life. This is important for James as he commutes regularly to undertake interior design projects. His experience includes 20 years of events planning, including working for the BBC which saw him arrange themed interior decoration for the Grand Hotel in Brighton. James has also worked for top-end fabric and wallpaper company Osborne & Little.
“I came to Brighton in the late 1980s,” recalls James, “and fell in love with the Regency houses on the seafront. I began my career in design by buying the tired-looking ones and giving them a new lease of life.” And he hasn’t looked back since.
Tythe House is on the market with Hamptons International at £1 million. For further details please contact the estate agent on 01273 230230 or visit www.hamptons.co.uk To contact James in regards to interior design please telephone 0207 183 6991 or visit www.jswdesign.co.uk