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The surprisingly large interior of a converted pub in Kent has become a creative home for Jessica and Darryl Clifton, and their son

It was one of life's tipping points that triggered the new home search for city-dwellers Jessica and Darryl Clifton. I had an all-consuming job as a broadcast agent and was permanently on call, and we lived literally 20 seconds from the art college where Darryl works,' explains Jessica. 'Work was all we ever seemed to do, and any break in business hours just blurred with normal everyday life.'

The pair realised it would be hard to change their ways while still living in London, and it suddenly felt right to leave. They had recently finished renovating their home in Camberwell and were ready for a new project; they just didn't know what or where that might be.

'We did the usual drive around the M25,' says Jessica. 'We weren't drawn to any particular area, but we both had a feel for the sort of house we would like. We must have been looking for about a year and had offers on two separate houses fall through. It was such a disheartening time, but then my mother suggested Faversham.' It was an inspired suggestion. They liked the feel of this medieval market town and looked at several houses, but again without much success.

'It was Darryl who spotted this one,' says Jessica. 'If I'm honest, it sounded like my idea of hell: low ceilings, dark beams, old pub - no thank you! But when we walked through the door we couldn't believe it was this huge open space, and we could see how much potential it had.'