Page 52 - Country Homes & Interiors (August 2019)

Living room
By giving life to new
things, Zara’s created
an entirely unique home.
Vintage theatre seats,
Ardingly Antiques and
Collectors Fair

all replaced. The previous owners were relocating to
a retirement home and left behind all of their furniture.
‘We removed the kitchen island and sold all the units
as they were brand new,’ says Zara. In their place, she
has chosen a mix of organic materials and upcycled
reclamation-yard finds. ‘I love reclaimed wood – the
more rustic and full of history, the better. Dad did a

great job converting some old potato chitting trays
into kitchen drawers – they’re totally unique and we
are able to store so much away in them.’
There are more quirks at every corner, such as the
pair of vintage theatre seats, an American mailbox and
a copper milk churn. Even the dining set tells a story.
‘We found a battered barn door at a reclamation yard,’
says Zara. ‘Our builders removed the lock, cleaned up
the wood and turned it into a tabletop. The benches
came from an old pottery workshop and are stained in
clay powder – I love their soft, worn pink tone.’ Upstairs,
there is a hidden gem inside the bedroom cupboard
Living room
by the window – an emergency rope with written safety
For an unusual side table, Zara painted an old
instructions on an old piece of card. ‘It’s a little piece American mailbox in chalk paint, then scratched
of history that belongs to the cottage,’ she says. through the surface to reveal green lettering.
Having spent many weekends in tired-looking, American mailbox, Norfolk Reclaim
large country homes or smaller cottages with fuddy-
duddy interiors, the couple spotted a demand for >

52 COUnTry HOmEs & InTErIOrs