Room 8 - click on image for room story

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The bed travelled all the way from Chennai in India. Made from reclaimed teak salvaged from old houses that had been demolished, it has already had something of a life before arriving here. Originally, it came with tall posts, but we felt they rather dominated the room, so off they came. The bed is quite imposing enough without them.

Finding two bedside tables that would fit the available spaces proved surprisingly difficult. But patience is a virtue, and eventually we found two quite different pieces which, to my eye, sit very happily together. I've never been particularly keen on everything matching.

You'll notice that I often have glass cut to fit the tops of furniture, particularly pieces that are going to get a lot of use. It's an additional expense initially, but it protects the wood from watermarks, scratches and the inevitable accidents, while saving a small fortune in cleaning products and French polishing over the years.

For the walls, I thought it might be fun to do something a little different. We used painted plywood planks in varying shades to create something between a seaside cabin, a beach hut and an old-fashioned shed. The effect is deliberately informal and, I hope, rather cosy.

The paintings are all maritime or coastal scenes, which seemed particularly appropriate given our location overlooking Ramsgate's Royal Harbour. Five of the oil paintings are by **Dorothy Duval, a local artist who died in 2005**. I rather like the idea of having several works by the same artist hanging together, particularly someone with a connection to the area.

You may notice that there are no paintings on the wall opposite the window. This isn't an oversight. Direct sunlight can do terrible damage to paintings, particularly watercolours and, over time, oils too, so I try to hang them where they will be protected from prolonged exposure.

And finally, one of the nicest things about this room is its south-easterly aspect. If you're an early riser, you can enjoy some lovely sunrises, with the morning light gradually filling the room.

It's a slightly eccentric mixture of old teak, mismatched furniture, painted timber and original paintings, but that's rather the point. I much prefer rooms that have evolved over time to ones that look as though everything arrived together from a furniture catalogue.