“When we moved to Rolvenden we were excited to find a genuinely pretty village with a shop, two pubs, a farmers market and a real sense of community which also gave us good transport links for our professional lives as a Design Educator and a high-end Retailer in London and Tenterden respectively” explains one of the owners of the very charming Hope Cottage which sits in the heart of this Kentish village and is surrounded by woodland and gently undulating hills. “Hope Cottage has been a perfect home for us and we’ve really enjoyed exploring the surrounding countryside – Sissinghurst, Great Dixter Gardens and House, Bodiam Castle, Chapel Down Vineyard as well as the nearby coast at Hastings, Rye, Camber in between completing the project of “opening up” this gem of a cottage.” For those with a family, it’s useful to know that Hope Cottage falls in the catchment area for Cranbrook School and is also in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Bringing together the owners own impeccably well-tuned eyes for design with the professional expertise of London based architects PriceGore, they sympathetically extended the cottage to meet Grade II Listed planning in 2017. Beyond the ground floor extension, which cleverly added space to the hallway and the kitchen and dining area and visually brought the garden closer to the interior of the house, every aspect of the house was refurbished and upgraded at this time. Kent Peg Tiled roofing was renovated to the front of the house in December 2021. This Grade II listed cottage (by virtue of being attached to The Corner House) now offers a two bedroom home filled with light and a distinctive melding of the character of a cottage with the design ethos of the two owners: a designer who made a significant name in the London design industry (Conran Design Group, Michael Peters Associates, Product First) and an advertising professional with names such as JWT, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Dorlands and Grey on his CV who then brought his eye for detail to the high end retail sector. “We also made sure that we didn’t overlook those “boring but important issues” such as replacing all the electrical fittings, the boiler and new appliances. We like to feel that this is now a traditional style cottage with heart and the energy and comfort of a contemporary home.”

The cottage is surrounded by gardens on three sides, with a very long garden to the front with mature trees, hedges and planting and a very private and sunny walled courtyard at the back of the house. A separate area of the garden has been walled off to screen bins etc.

A vestibule at the entrance to the Cottage is a useful storage space for coats and provides a separation between the hall and the spacious kitchen and dining area. The new Worcester gas boiler is housed in a cupboard in the vestibule.

In the open-plan kitchen is a Miele integrated washing machine, Miele integrated microwave/grill/oven and Miele electric induction hob along with a Smeg electric oven. Bosch integrated fridge/freezer and Bosch integrated dishwasher. Plenty of counter level and also floor level sockets. Space for a dining table and glass doors to the courtyard garden. This room has the character of a cottage with the amenities of a modern home. View to the courtyard garden.

Powder coated coloured metal handrails on the wooden stairs ascend from the kitchen area to the first floor.

Living room. An impeccably decorated room with an unusual square bay window overlooking the lawned front garden.

Main bedroom overlooks the front garden and is filled with light.

Second bedroom overlooks the courtyard garden at the back of the property and is also very quiet.

The bathroom has been totally remodelled with well-chosen modern classic white sanitary ware. Generously proportioned walk-in shower. Window overlooking the courtyard garden.

All double plug sockets throughout the Cottage have integrated USB charging ports.
Outside there are spotlights to the front and to the rear.