TOWN AND COUNTRY

With three growing boys, Hilda and Howard Barnfield decided to swap city living for a more rural adventure

PENNY BOTTING

SITTING ROOM In this big open-plan space two rugs and two pendants are used to zone areas for a more intimate feel. Mobile chandelier, £250, West Elm. Eiffel Tower Lenticular by Sir Peter Blake, £4,000, Art Republic. Multi 8105 vintage rug, £645, Louis De Poortere

HOME TRUTHS

THE PROPERTY A detached Victorian property L

LOCATION East Sussex ROOMS Sitting room/dining area, kitchen-diner/office area, cloakroom, music room, lounge, five bedrooms, two bathrooms

PURCHASED 2014

PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We moved from a Victorian mid-terrace in the Port Hall area of Brighton,’ says Hilda.

SITTING ROOM A wall of shelving was put up to add a beautiful architectural feature. Karina armchair in Marine, £349, Swoon

The one thing Hilda Barnfield was sure about when she and her husband Howard were looking for a bigger home for their family, was that she didn’t want another Victorian property. ‘I’ve always hankered after a mid-century style house and really thought that’s what we would find when we moved,’ she says.

‘At the time, we were living in a nice area of Brighton, close to a park in a typical property for the area – a tall, thin Victorian townhouse, which was a bit top heavy, with a postage stamp size garden. But, with three boys, we knew that quite soon we’d need more living space inside, and a larger garden,’ says Hilda.