Model and TV presenter Kelly Brook, has been a regular on our screens for years but behind the scenes she’s been busy transforming her home – a 15th-century farmhouse in Kent – where she lives with her partner Jeremy Parisi.
WHERE I LIVE
I was living in LA when I got a part in a period drama being filmed in Kent, my home county. I hadn’t appreciated before how beautiful the countryside and architecture were, and I decided it was time to move back.
My home is a 15th-century timber-framed Wealden farmhouse with an oasthouse attached, but it was the magical quality of the gardens that made me fall in love with the place. There’s an apple and pear orchard and a freshwater spring by the kitchen door.
Anyone who’s owned a period property knows it’s a never-ending labour of love. I wanted the house to look its age, so I worked with an architect, stripping out the plaster to expose the frame of the house and the original beams. But though it looks old, it’s super- efficient and has underfloor heating.
The interior style is rustic shabby chic, so I can’t go crazy with colour. Downstairs I’ve kept it mainly creamy white with Farrow & Ball’s Pointing. I’ve used its Peignoir for my bedroom and an olive green for the library and bar area. There’s a trend for darker kitchens and I’ve recently repainted mine in a deep green, which I’m really pleased with.
I replaced the showers with cast-iron bathtubs, which are more in keeping with the style of the house. Lots of rooms have open fireplaces, including the kitchen, where I have two George Smith wing chairs close by, which makes the space feel more comfortable and sociable.
MY INSPIRATION
I think some people expect me to have plush velvet and diamanté everywhere, but my style is classic – I love going to antiques shops to buy bits and bobs, and I collect Portuguese cabbage plates.
My grandfather and mother were keen gardeners, but they had tiny council house gardens. My mum still kept chickens and grew veg, but she would have loved a garden like mine – I realise I’m lucky. Gardening is hard work, but great for clearing my head.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve learnt so much. There have been some failures – trying to grow French lavender in the Kent soil was one! Living here has really made me think more about nature. Now I’ve got the garden the way I want it to look. I’ve created a meadow with wildflowers to sustain the insects and natural grasses for the rabbits.
FAMILY LIFE
Autumn is my favourite season – the house is so cosy. I put woolly Avoca throws on the sofas and beds, we chop wood to make log stacks for the fires, and I start to cook stews and curries on my Rayburn.
Up in the meadow is a little festival area where the light’s beautiful in the evenings. I love having friends and family over for a hog roast served with lovely homemade apple sauce and coleslaw. There’s a shepherd’s hut there and I put up bell tents. I always have plenty of friends wanting to come and stay – it’s my own little paradise.
This interview first appeared in the October 2018 issue of House Beautiful. Subscribe here.
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