Case study

A 19th-Century Grain Store, West Sussex

Designed by Perilla Edwards

On a quiet corner of a West Sussex farmyard, a nineteenth-century grain store has been given a second life. Once a place of hay bales, ponies and sleeping geese, the long, low agricultural building has been carefully transformed into charming guest quarters, guided by interior designer Perilla Edwards. Heavy timbers remain exposed, beams dip and twist with age, and views stretch out across the surrounding countryside, lending the space a sense of calm enclosure and retreat.

“It sits right next to our home, but stepping inside feels like entering an entirely different world,” the owners explain. Its irregular plan and softened proportions give the space a natural warmth and intimacy, a true home from home.

Today, the building’s role is wonderfully fluid. The kitchen has become the natural setting for large family gatherings, comfortably hosting children, grandchildren and extended family. At other times, it serves as a base for shoot lunches, a welcoming place for friends to stay, or a quiet work-from-home retreat at the end of the week.

Not so long ago, however, the grain store was derelict. For years it functioned as ad hoc storage and a playground for the children. One beam still bears a streak of spray paint, a trace of childhood mischief that has been left deliberately untouched. Hay was stacked high where the bedrooms now sit, and the kitchen was once a makeshift lean-to stable for ponies. Restored now, warm and composed, it is difficult to reconcile the space with its former life – yet signs of that history remain, quietly woven into the fabric.

The transformation was deliberately unhurried. Initial plans began in 2015, followed by the structural work carried out during lockdown. A pause in the project proved invaluable. “Taking a break was the best decision,” the owners explain, allowing time to reflect on how the building would be used and which details truly mattered. The first guests arrived just before Christmas 2024, marking the completion of a long, thoughtful process shaped in close collaboration with Perilla Edwards, who brought clarity and cohesion to the many layers of decision-making.

Bathrooms were central to that vision. As a listed building, the grain store offered limited flexibility, but those constraints ultimately sharpened the decisions. On the ground floor, a generous shower room and separate WC were prioritised to future-proof the space. Part of the downstairs bedroom was given over to a freestanding Drummonds bath – an indulgent but deeply considered choice. “It’s something we wouldn’t want to be without now,” they say, describing it as a quietly spoiling addition to everyday life.

Upstairs, the bathroom aligns with the original grain entrance, taking in the elevated view beyond. From the bath, the countryside unfolds beyond the window, turning the room into a place of quiet pause as much as daily function.

Throughout, the choice of bathroom pieces was guided by a desire for authenticity and longevity. As an agricultural building, the grain store called for fittings with weight and presence – pieces that felt appropriate to its origins. “We were keen to choose solid, period fittings that would develop a patina over time,” the owners explain. “We didn’t want anything shiny or overly new.” Drummonds proved a natural fit. Antique brass fixtures were chosen throughout, already softening and deepening in tone as they settle naturally into the building.

What makes the project compelling is not just the scale of the transformation, but its restraint. The grain store does not attempt to disguise its past, nor does it lean into nostalgia. Instead, it strikes a careful balance between old and new, practicality and pleasure. The bathrooms, in particular, feel entirely at ease – spaces where heritage craftsmanship meets contemporary living, and where age is not something to be erased, but something to be earned.

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