Bolts of fabric, rolls of ticking and jars of buttons have always been part of Carolyn Denham’s world.
In her Victorian home in Rye, East Sussex, they're more than decoration – they’re central to the way she lives and works. Two years after buying the tile-hung house with her partner, Roderick Field, she has turned it into an ongoing experiment in craftsmanship and design.
Every room reflects Carolyn's instinct for textiles — layered beds, banners and blinds, curtains and canopies, all sewn by her or her small team at Merchant & Mills - their business selling fabrics and patterns for clothing.
Fabrics have been deftly woven throughout in unexpected ways: double-layered curtains in the bedroom where a soft sheer sits behind handloomed vibrant green Indian cottons, a patchwork of sheer cottons providing privacy in the bathroom and double-sided mattresses adding layer to sofas and seating.
This love of fabrics goes back to her childhood. Taught to sew by her mother, a keen dressmaker, Carolyn began making her own clothes as a teenager, then went on to study art and fashion. After working in design houses in New York and Italy, she realised fast fashion wasn’t for her. “Design is fascinating,” she says. “I love it. But I’m a maker first, then a designer.”
When she and Roderick returned to England, they settled first in Hay-on-Wye, launching Merchant & Mills. A later move to Rye changed everything. The town’s community of makers brought both collaboration and inspiration.
An old toy warehouse became their shop and studio, complete with sewing school, while decorating their new home encouraged Carolyn to explore interiors more deeply. Testing ideas on a domestic scale led to the launch of their recently opened homeware store, HOUSE.
The house itself had been many things - a headmaster’s residence, a B&B, four small flats – suffering from years of DIY which had left it tired. Restoration meant stripping back and reinstating what mattered: cornicing, ceiling roses and tongue-and-groove panelling.
The conservatory and kitchen, once boarded over and topped with a PVC roof, were rebuilt with reclaimed terracotta tiles warmed by underfloor heating and fitted with new poplar and tulipwood joinery.
"We were mindful of the impact of furnishing a house this size," says Carolyn. "Most of what's here has been restored, reclaimed or remade." Almost every piece – iron beds, taps, sinks, chairs – has had a previous life.
Floors and windows were insulated for efficiency, and antiques were reupholstered in recycled cottons and linens. "One of the great things about Rye is the number of local businesses on our doorstep, so in every room we've brought in the work of local artists sits alongside antiques from shops such as Puckhaber Antiques and Soap & Salvation."
The house also reflects the couple's travels. Fabrics collected on trips are used throughout – an Asafo flag hangs above the sofa in the front room, while Japanese boro, Chinese embroidery, African and Indian appliqué and traditional patchwork add texture and history to the rooms.
The house now has a mix of open spaces and quiet corners, reflecting its new purpose as a place for retreat. Antique pieces add warmth to a simple, modern backdrop of painted floors and pale walls, giving the house a sense of continuity between past and future.
See more inspiring ideas from Carolyn's home
Find out more about Merchant & Mills’ sewing retreats here.
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