TIME FOR A CHANGE

Extending a country cottage into a graceful family home sparked a new career as an interior designer for Claire Orders

- JANET MCMEEKIN

Orangery An antique Chesterfield sofa, upholstered in a striking floral fabric, brings the outside in. Sofa, upholstered in Persian Pomegranate, GP&J Baker. Yellow throw, Tom Lane.Bagsie sofa, Loaf

Staircase

‘I wanted to get every detail right, from the oak handrail to the elegant cast-iron balusters,’ says Claire. Handrail and balusters, Bespoke Handrails & Staircases

AT HOME WITH

Owners Claire Orders, an interior designer who runs Claire Orders Interiors, and her husband David, a derivative strategist. They live here with their children Oliver, seven, and Joshua, five.

House An extended and renovated five-bedroom house, formerly a two-up, two-down cottage, built in 1895.

Moving from London to Essex was already a significant life change for Claire Orders and her family, but factor in a major house renovation and, ultimately, a new career in interior design, and it’s clear that the classic town-tocountry shift delivered more than she and husband David could ever have dreamed of.