Salvaged STYLE

Louise and Sam Coster have transformed their timber-framed home with salvaged pieces and beautiful antique treasures

- NAOMI JONES

As most homeowners know, it's hard enough to create a cohesive look in a house that has been altered over the course of a couple of decades. But for architectural antiques dealers Louise and Sam Coster, the challenge was to update a cottage that spans no fewer than seven centuries. Fortunately, between them, the couple have decades of experience working in the visual arts - Sam worked in theatre design and Louise designed fashion accessories. So they were unfazed by the prospect of extensively renovating their 15thcentury timber-framed house and shop (which also incorporates additions from the 16th and 18th centuries, the 1930s and 2010).

The key, says Sam, was to use 'uniform architectural details such as flooring and door furniture to provide continuity,' adding that he replaced modern floor timbers with reclaimed boards in the rooms upstairs, while downstairs he laid reclaimed Norfolk pamments in a seamless flow through hallway and kitchen. 'By creating that sense of harmony, we've been able to be more eclectic with our decorative choices,' says Louise, who has confidently combined Georgian furniture, Victorian tiles, Edwardian mirrors, and vintage fabrics, to name just a few examples. I'm drawn to anything that's been made by a craftsman many years ago, and I'm not afraid of a project - a tired old chair in need of reupholstering is a joy!

' The house also serves as a place to store surplus stock, explains Louise, who also uses their private living space, which is attached to the shop, as a photo studio for their website and social media account (@reclamationandroses). It also allows me to change the look of our house on a regular basis,' she says. 'We certainly have plenty of interesting objects to play with.'