Kingsdown House is a big Victorian residence that rests in the shade of an old tree a few roads back from Tankerton, Kent’s beachfront. Built by a Dutch shipping magnate in the early 1900s, the home now belongs to Dan, Jodie, and their three school-aged children Cameron, Edie, and George Wise.
Tankerton, a suburb of Whitstable, has grown in popularity with families leaving London (called locally “DFLs” or “Down From London”). “We had resided in Blackheath,” Jodie explains. “Whitstable was only a 50-minute drive from there, so when Cameron was young, we frequently spent the day here on beautiful days.”
In 2016, the young family was contemplating a permanent move to the coast; Kingsdown House was the second home they saw. Jodie recollects, “It was a timeless event.” “I get a distinct impression that this is the home.”
The family played hide-and-seek in the “rabbit warren” of chambers over the summer. Shortly thereafter, Dan was transferred to Chicago for two years, forcing the family to relocate. Together with their good friends Sonya Flynn and Mark Baker of Meme Architects, they chose to undertake a long-distance, comprehensive makeover of the property to transform this three-story, cream-and-brown monstrosity into a flowing, functional, and opulent family home.
The renovation began in 2017 and was completed in close to two years. “Fortunately, Sonya and Mark made the majority of decisions on our behalf,” adds Jodie. They narrowed down our options so they weren’t so overwhelming: WhatsApp was essential.
The mock-Tudor facade has been simplified on the exterior. A new garage and annex with guest quarters were erected to the side of the home, and a continuous band of charred wood cladding was utilized to connect the new construction to the existing building. The windows and doors have been replaced with aluminum, and a grey-green render between the beams contrasts the dark timber with the bronze finish on the window frames.
The main entrance is a broad, welcoming, glass pivot door that leads right into an exciting three-story room. With their spacious floor design, the couple was able to eliminate a bathroom on the second level to create this deep green-painted gap (Thunderbolt by Valspar). Custom joinery and under-seat storage hide mess. Jodie asserts, “Storage is crucial.” “There are never enough cabinets.” A gallery landing overlooks the entryway, and a massive pendant lamp made of crushed silk illuminates the area.
I wonder how the exposed entry functions when the children return from school and discard their backpacks/shoes/coats: “Ah,” replies Jodie with a knowing nod. There is a separate entrance for dismissal at the end of the school day. A standard-sized door concealed in the wooden cladding leads to a functioning boot room, adjacent laundry room, and home gym. Here, the children can discard their possessions before entering the remainder of the house.
The internal layout has been completely redesigned. Glazing and pocket doors allow rooms to be opened or closed depending on who is home and what is happening in the house at any given time, while the bold use of rich colors evokes various moods as you go across the space. “Before, I had no idea where the children were; it all felt extremely detached, which is not a pleasant sensation in your own home.”
From the entrance, glazed doors lead to a playroom for children. A full-width, minimalist kitchen is located to the right of the entrance. The design permits an “overflow space” – a utilitarian, yet no less stylish utility room with a wall of refrigerators and a glazed door that leads directly into the front-drive.
At the opposite end of the kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows provide a view of the garden, which has been zoned and planted with a combination of New Zealand-native tree ferns and privacy-enhancing evergreen shrubs. The glazed wall continues around the back of the ground floor to form a glass corridor that leads to the children’s playroom and library/study beyond via a sliding pocket door.
Beyond the study, a paneled reception hall with a remarkable, original split staircase leading to a galleried level leads to an elegant drawing-room. Before the couple moved home, this space was covered with varnished oak, but it has now been painted a dark blue (Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball). The architects have reproduced the original paneling and installed it in each of the principal rooms to create a sense of unity.
Upstairs, a tiny, irrational staircase has been eliminated to make room for a stunning black granite en suite bathroom in the master bedroom. The smallest bedroom next door has been converted into a dressing room. The brightly colored children’s rooms (two en-suites; one with access to a balcony overlooking the garden) are positioned at the ideal distance from their parents. A new staircase connects the children’s rooms to the top floor, which features a huge games room beneath the eaves, a black-and-white cinema theatre (“for seeing Encanto”), and two spacious guest bedrooms.
“Incredibly, the house hasn’t lost its original charm,” Jodie remarks as we conclude our extensive tour. The original owner’s ship’s compass is embedded in the wood paneling at the foot of the staircase, along with the arched doors and stone fireplace surrounds.
After coordinating the restoration from across the Atlantic, I inquire Jodie how it felt to finally move in.
Jodie states, “We were desperate to return from Chicago because we knew this awaited us.” “We got the first flight possible, and it was a pleasure to return home. We could not have been more delighted.”
