Back in 2011, Sarah and Myles Hazebroek were living in a townhouse in Tunbridge Wells when they decided they needed more outdoor space for their children, Ted and Polly, to roam. Sarah, who runs homeware brand Huddle Collection, and Myles, who runs a PR agency, narrowed their search down to the pretty Kent village of Goudhurst.
The couple’s budget meant that they were on the hunt for a doer-upper. ‘We wanted a period house with views and also with potential, as we didn’t have the money to buy the perfect house. Plus, we wanted to put our stamp on it,’ says Sarah.
Sarah had links with estate agents, having previously worked in the industry, and so was one of the first to hear about a detached Victorian on the outskirts of the village that ticked all their boxes. ‘The house was perfect,’ says Sarah. ‘It was situated in an acre of garden with wonderful views over the surrounding countryside. It needed a total overhaul – rewiring, reroofing and totally redecorating.’
They decided to live with the property as it was for three years in order to save up for the renovation. As well as completely redoing the interiors, the couple added an extension with further bedrooms and a large kitchen-diner.
It was in 2021, after struggling to find affordable block-printed lampshades, that Sarah decided to set up her own homewares business, Huddle Collection. Before long, her stock was overtaking the house and so Myles came to the rescue, converting the outbuilding into her office and store room.
‘The existing building was there but it was in disrepair, so Myles rebuilt it himself,’ says Sarah. Her stock, of course, does still creep over into the house, and the property is a wonderfully eclectic, ever-evolving canvas for her lampshades and soft furnishings in all the colours of the rainbow.
She describes her style as ‘colourful and cosy’, and, as well as her bright homewares peppering each space, walls, fixtures and fittings are painted in bold hues. Meanwhile, in every corner there are little collections. ‘A lot of our antiques are inherited,’ says Sarah. ‘The Georgian corner shelving unit in the sitting room belonged to my grandmother and is filled with the glassware she bought when she lived in Sudan.’
There is also some Dutch influence throughout the home, on account of Myles’s family heritage. A row of charming ceramic Dutch Delft houses lines the sideboard in the snug, while several paintings from Amsterdam can be found hanging on the walls.
Sarah loves to source her own pieces – her most treasured collection is the striped Cornishware on the kitchen shelves. ‘I started collecting when I got my first flat in Putney and bought a piece a month from the age of 21,’ she says.
Sarah can often be found doing the rounds at Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors Fair – which is where she found some of her larger pieces of furniture. She is particularly thrilled with the pine Edwardian larder cupboard in her kitchen that she painted in Arsenic by Farrow & Ball, and the sideboard in the snug that she painted in Scandinavian Pink Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan.
The family loves living with colour. ‘The kitchen is my favourite place to be. It’s such a party room with the terrace in summer and fire in winter,’ says Sarah. ‘I love the colour; people say it’s the most relaxing space.’
Sarah is delighted with the end result, and the family couldn’t be happier with the location – especially when it comes to picking up new collectables. ‘We are lucky to live near Rye and Hastings, because both towns are treasure troves for antique and vintage pieces,’ says Sarah.
