Depths Of The Country

By layering textures and dipping into a rich colour palette, interior designer Kate Monckton has transformed her East Sussex home

- Jo Leevers

From the outside, Kate Monckton’s home looks every inch the traditional clapboard cottage, but inside it has been brought to life with her choice of evocative patterns, unexpected colours and unique finds. Kate’s house occupies a central position in its East Sussex village, as it once housed the local bakery. The original Victorian ovens remain, their hefty metal doors set into the wall of what is now Kate’s utility room. ‘The last in a long line of village bakers worked here until 1978,’ she says.

Being Grade II listed, the house has myriad period features, from its 18th-century beams to worn paving stones. As an interior designer, Kate’s aim was to respect this historic frame while giving the house an entirely fresh character to reflect her own style.