Eclectic Elegance

Emily Pickering and Matthew Lee have skilfully styled their home by filling it to the brim with collected treasures and decorative finds

- Emma Knott

Like many couples with children, emily Pickering and Matthew Lee’s wish to move to a new location was fuelled by the desire for more space within a welcoming community surrounded by young families. ‘We always wanted to live by the sea and heard that Brighton was a buzzy and creative place to live,’ says emily. ‘After our daughter Scarlet, now nine, was born, we visited the Brighton area and decided hove was the place for us. Shortly after the move, our son Jacob, now eight, was born.’

After eight years of living in their seaside property, emily, who is an interior designer, has transformed the house into the family home they always wanted it to be. When the couple moved in, although the building was structurally sound, the interior needed a complete makeover. every room was replastered and new radiators were fitted, the downstairs floorboards were sanded and stained and new carpets were laid upstairs.