St John.

Project Info

In this feature, we met back up with Marta Nowicka, as she showed us around another one of her design and development projects! Marta is an award winning interior design and property developer, and has completely converted this former ambulance station, into a stunning 215 sqm, four-bedroom home with an elegant open-plan living and dining area and two terraces on either side.

In keeping with the historical surroundings which date back to medieval times, the design mixes early English nuances with medical references from the building’s past to form a unique style that has gained it features in Grand Designs, Condé Nast Traveller, and Dezeen among a number of other publications. The property has also won the AJ Retrofit Award and was a finalist for the World Architecture Awards.

About the space

The home offers plenty of space with an elegant open-plan living, kitchen, and dining area organized around a double-sided wood burner that you can get going for a cozy atmosphere. The huge dining table is perfect for big family meals and on sunny days, don’t forget to slide the ambulance doors open to transform the space into an extension of the patio! Past the barn doors on the ground floor, there is a double bedroom and a wet room, both accessible to people with mobility issues from the main entrance.

Head upstairs to find a second double room and a spacious attic bathroom with a large tub, ideal for relaxing, candlelit bubble baths. Just past these is the study room overlooking cobbled Conduit Hill and a twin room with single beds that could be pulled out into doubles. Certainly, a highlight is the old English wooden school desk and the exposed brick walls that bring a whimsical charm to the space. The master bedroom, located at the end of the property, is equipped with an en-suite shower room and super king-sized bed with a picturesque view over Rye.