My Houzz: An Artist’s Victorian Home in Sussex That Breathes Serenity
The small size of Jessica Zoob’s Victorian house was no barrier to her creativity – she designed a space-smart home that’s a tranquil haven
Jo Simmons
27 October 2015
Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several books on design and numerous features for glossy homes mags over the years. For Houzz, I cover decorating ideas and trends and interview designers and professionals for their insights. My favourite pieces to write, though, are Houzz Tours, as I love exploring and learning about real homes. Call me curious — or nosy!
Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several... More
Making a tiny home work efficiently to suit family life was the driver for artist Jessica Zoob when she set about renovating her house in East Sussex 10 years ago. ‘It was all about storage and making sure there’s a place for everything to go,’ she says. ‘I went for a look that’s very pared back, too. I suppose you could call it Scandinavian.’
Plenty of built-in cupboard and trunk space helps Zoob’s house function well and look tidy, which is something she really values. ‘When anyone comes in they say, “It’s so calm in here.” The house is a real haven and it also feels very easy to manage, so it suits my busy life. It’s practical.’
Plenty of built-in cupboard and trunk space helps Zoob’s house function well and look tidy, which is something she really values. ‘When anyone comes in they say, “It’s so calm in here.” The house is a real haven and it also feels very easy to manage, so it suits my busy life. It’s practical.’
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Artist Jessica Zoob and her two daughters, Kat and Ana
Property A late Victorian end-of-terrace house
Size 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Location Lewes, East Sussex
When Jessica Zoob bought this house 10 years ago, it had been empty for some time. ‘It was absolutely a shell and I stripped it back to its bare bones, moved walls around, added rooms and did a loft extension,’ she explains.
While the builders toiled, she had time to design all of the storage. ‘The house has lots of angles and funny shapes, a bit like a boat,’ she says. So she designed the kind of storage you might find on one. ‘In the living room, you lift up lids on the bench seating and find storage underneath, as you would on a ship. It’s more space-efficient than individual armchairs would be,’ she says.
Find out whether you could extend your home without planning permission
Who lives here Artist Jessica Zoob and her two daughters, Kat and Ana
Property A late Victorian end-of-terrace house
Size 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Location Lewes, East Sussex
When Jessica Zoob bought this house 10 years ago, it had been empty for some time. ‘It was absolutely a shell and I stripped it back to its bare bones, moved walls around, added rooms and did a loft extension,’ she explains.
While the builders toiled, she had time to design all of the storage. ‘The house has lots of angles and funny shapes, a bit like a boat,’ she says. So she designed the kind of storage you might find on one. ‘In the living room, you lift up lids on the bench seating and find storage underneath, as you would on a ship. It’s more space-efficient than individual armchairs would be,’ she says.
Find out whether you could extend your home without planning permission
The living room and dining area flow into one another, an existing aspect of the property that Zoob didn’t have to change. She added panelling on the walls and ceilings as well as a few select pieces of vintage furniture. She found this sideboard in a local salvage yard called Back To The Grain. The armchair is upholstered in fabric designed by the artist for Romo; it’s called Pleasure Garden.
Zoob chose a clean white scheme for her home. ‘I wanted the art to stand out and I like having flowers and sculpture around, so this is just a very simple setting for everything to sing out from,’ she says.
Armchair, upholstered in Pleasure Garden fabric, Romo. Sideboard, Back To The Grain
Zoob chose a clean white scheme for her home. ‘I wanted the art to stand out and I like having flowers and sculpture around, so this is just a very simple setting for everything to sing out from,’ she says.
Armchair, upholstered in Pleasure Garden fabric, Romo. Sideboard, Back To The Grain
Zoob is a successful artist and works mainly with oil, which she enjoys for its rich tones, lustre and depth. Her pictures are hung around the house; flowers feature in her art and bunches of fresh blooms are dotted around the rooms.
Shelves flank the door into the living room, providing space for books and CDs. One of Zoob’s beautiful pieces, hanging in the hall, is neatly framed by the opening. A sliding pocket door can be pulled across to separate the living space from the hallway.
When Zoob was renovating the house, her daughters were six and nine. ‘I wanted to have a totally open house, with all kids welcome and everything child friendly,’ she says. ‘I just wanted it to be a really happy home.’
Zoob was never precious about her home and sees the marks of time as adding to its character. ‘The floor was painted in lots of layers and now all the scrapes and scuffs have made it more beautiful,’ she says. Although her children are teenagers now, the house still sees its share of wear and tear, so this unpretentious approach continues to work well. ‘A teenager’s stiletto heels can do as much damage as a child roller-blading through the rooms!’ she says.
Storage is concealed behind much of the wall panelling. ‘You can open sections up to find a TV cabinet or a vacuum cleaner hidden away,’ Zoob says.
See more ingenious small-space storage ideas
Zoob was never precious about her home and sees the marks of time as adding to its character. ‘The floor was painted in lots of layers and now all the scrapes and scuffs have made it more beautiful,’ she says. Although her children are teenagers now, the house still sees its share of wear and tear, so this unpretentious approach continues to work well. ‘A teenager’s stiletto heels can do as much damage as a child roller-blading through the rooms!’ she says.
Storage is concealed behind much of the wall panelling. ‘You can open sections up to find a TV cabinet or a vacuum cleaner hidden away,’ Zoob says.
See more ingenious small-space storage ideas
Painted flea market chairs sit around the dining table. ‘Years ago, the girls and I thought we would paint them different colours,’ the artist recalls. ‘We started work one morning, still dressed in our pyjamas!’
Discover how a simple lick of paint can transform your furniture
Discover how a simple lick of paint can transform your furniture
The kitchen sits at the rear of the house, with access to the garden. ‘I gutted it entirely and then had all the units made,’ says Zoob. The low door beneath the shelf on the back wall opens onto storage for bins and recycling boxes. ‘It’s a little Hobbit door that you just duck through,’ she says.
Fridge, Smeg.
Fridge, Smeg.
A collection of small cups hangs above the sink, framing the view to the garden. ‘They’re so sweet!’ says Zoob. Some are from Igigi, an interiors and clothes shop in Hove, and some are market finds.
Cups, Igigi.
Cups, Igigi.
A small door in the living room leads into the extension, which Zoob had built onto the side of the house when she first bought it. It contains a den, a small office and an upstairs sitting room. ‘The extension is sort of separate from the house and it’s split level,’ she says. ‘It’s like a maze tacked onto the side.’ The mirror reflects the stairs and creates more depth.
The office is one of three rooms in the extension. A stable door leads on to the garden, and plenty of glazing and a well-placed mirror help flood the space with light.
Pastel-painted steps lead up from the den and into the office, straight ahead, then up more stairs to the sitting room above.
The den used to be Zoob’s studio, but she now works from a purpose-built space on the edge of Lewes. This room is now a den with a TV for the girls. ‘We have separate spaces for doing different things,’ she says.
Throughout her home, Zoob used a white plaster on the walls that has natural variations in it. She then sealed it with a glaze that creates a soft sheen and protects it.
Throughout her home, Zoob used a white plaster on the walls that has natural variations in it. She then sealed it with a glaze that creates a soft sheen and protects it.
Upstairs in the extension, a cosy sitting room provides a quiet spot in which to relax. Shutters are used here, as in most spaces in the property. ‘In a little house, it’s good to choose simple ingredients and keep them throughout for a calm feel, rather than having lots of different things going on,’ the artist explains.
Daughter Kat’s room features a built-in bed with hanging curtains, made from fabric printed with Zoob’s Big Smile design. A drawer beneath contains dressing-up clothes. ‘We still do lots of dressing-up!’ laughs Zoob. ‘I was a theatre designer before, so I’ve collected lots of really interesting bits and bobs.’
Two rows of small drawers do double duty as shelves, providing display space for books and favourite pieces.
Two rows of small drawers do double duty as shelves, providing display space for books and favourite pieces.
In the master bedroom, a trunk built in under the sloping roof forms storage for bedding. Both the trunk and the wardrobe were made bespoke by Back To The Grain.
Fresh white bedding is punctuated by a few colourful cushions. Zoob chose white plaster again for the walls. ‘It’s lovely and, rather than a flat paint finish, it has a real life to it,’ she says.
See 11 reasons to choose white bedding
Fresh white bedding is punctuated by a few colourful cushions. Zoob chose white plaster again for the walls. ‘It’s lovely and, rather than a flat paint finish, it has a real life to it,’ she says.
See 11 reasons to choose white bedding
The sloping walls and ceiling in Zoob’s loft bedroom posed a few challenges. ‘I had so many different people making bits of furniture for this space,’ she explains. ‘I couldn’t find individual pieces for this room – they wouldn’t have fitted up and in through the tricky access – so it was all made in bite-size pieces and brought in.’
The bathroom always occupied this space, but Zoob ripped out the old one during the renovation work and reconfigured it. ‘I had the ceiling removed to create a sloping ceiling with a skylight in it,’ she says. A shower is built over the bath.
A cupboard found in a shop in Hastings with a distressed paint finish provides more invaluable storage, while a mirror mounted alongside helps the room feel bigger and really bright.
TELL US…
What do you think of this serene home? Add your thoughts to the Comments below.
A cupboard found in a shop in Hastings with a distressed paint finish provides more invaluable storage, while a mirror mounted alongside helps the room feel bigger and really bright.
TELL US…
What do you think of this serene home? Add your thoughts to the Comments below.
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IMHO this post is pure heaven.