TIME FOR A CHANGE

Extending a country cottage into a graceful family home sparked a new career as an interior designer for Claire Orders

- JANET MCMEEKIN

Orangery An antique Chesterfield sofa, upholstered in a striking floral fabric, brings the outside in. Sofa, upholstered in Persian Pomegranate, GP&J Baker. Yellow throw, Tom Lane.Bagsie sofa, Loaf

Staircase

‘I wanted to get every detail right, from the oak handrail to the elegant cast-iron balusters,’ says Claire. Handrail and balusters, Bespoke Handrails & Staircases

AT HOME WITH

Owners Claire Orders, an interior designer who runs Claire Orders Interiors, and her husband David, a derivative strategist. They live here with their children Oliver, seven, and Joshua, five.

House An extended and renovated five-bedroom house, formerly a two-up, two-down cottage, built in 1895.

Moving from London to Essex was already a significant life change for Claire Orders and her family, but factor in a major house renovation and, ultimately, a new career in interior design, and it’s clear that the classic town-tocountry shift delivered more than she and husband David could ever have dreamed of.

It all began in 2015, soon after the birth of their first child, when Claire was becoming increasingly disenchanted with living in London and began hankering after her roots in Essex.