The Bothy, a Room of One’s Own

Thought to date to the 1830’s , the cottage had recently served as a rental property. Soon after arriving at her West Sussex farm, Harriet Anstruther modernised the disused building and, crucially, added an internal staircase. But after tenants moved out last year, she decided to hold onto the space and embark on a second renovation — this time with her own preferences in mind. She installed a modern kitchen with slate-topped counters in the lean-to downstairs and a white ceramic, claw-footed roll-top tub in the modestly sized ground floor bathroom. And while there is now a snug bedroom with an oak-beam ceiling upstairs for guests, almost the entire ground floor (the kitchen sits at the western end) serves as a private study for Harriet Anstruther, one where she can focus on her writing and research surrounded by the objects that inspire her away from the busy design studio.