It is always interesting, to me, how good interior design can improve any home. We do make a big fuss about what the exterior of a property looks like. But, when you think about it, as the owner that is probably the bit you see the least. The interiors are where the magic happens, where the details matter. The exterior is just for visitors and those passing by.
So the interiors are important. I have seen many a grand mansion where the interiors are nothing short of disgraceful. And I have seen many a plain, austere façade, behind which you will find a home that you could move into straight away, and change nothing. One such example is the delightful North Lodge, for sale for £1.35 million with John D Wood & Co.
It would be cruel to describe North Lodge as plain or austere, but it is perhaps not the most beautiful house we have ever written about. It is functional, in that it contains four bedrooms and 2,000sq ft of living space over two floors. It was built in the 1890s and is situated in a private and gated estate near Hadlow in Kent.
It is inside that the magic happens. Here is where the owners have used their great taste and style to create something beautiful, that elevates the property as a whole. Here are some pictures.
It doesn’t take much to make it so pleasant. Simple colours, clever use of plants, nice furniture. But the effect is of something very modern and yet lived in. It also all feels very bright, which is never a bad thing to have in a home.
A special mention, too, to the cinema room. Usually reserved for mega mansions, the wonderful space in North Lodge shows that if you want a cinema room, you can have one.
But we must step outside, so we will. The garden is well established, well thought out and colourful. Again showing that it is not size that makes things great. And, perhaps even more excitingly, the property has direct access to 65 acres of private parkland that contains ancient woodlands, field, a stream, two lakes, waterfalls and a bathing pond. Access, but not responsibility — the dream.
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