Giselle De Hasse never intended to move to the country. ‘I’ve always liked living in town,’ says the interior designer. But a need to downsize forced her to look beyond pricey Tunbridge Wells in Kent, to the surrounding area. ‘This village in neighbouring East Sussex was picturesque and the views were amazing. Once I’d viewed the cottage I didn’t look at anything else,’ she says.
The small house had been neglected.