Welcome to the Green House
The Green House first opened its doors in April 2021 as a collaboration between Rye Health Store owner Georgina Woods and her partner Mark Walter. Georgina had held a keen interest in antiques and interiors since childhood, her father having been a successful Antiques dealer on London’s King’s Road during the 1960s and ‘70s and Mark had worked for many years as an interior decorator in London and Amsterdam before moving in to education. The couple believed that their combined skills could be used to create a business that could not only be commercially successful, but would also be a positive addition to the bustling High Street.
The building itself is located in the ancient citadel of Rye and dates back to 1478 when Edward IV was on the throne (for the second time), thereby predating the Tudor dynasty. When The Green House took over the building in February 2021, Mark used his experience to single-handedly restore the entire interior and reveal the original fabric of the building, including the impressive fireplaces and beautiful oak beams. Edward Bulmer Natural Paints were used to allow the walls to breathe again and the floor coverings removed to once more reveal old boards, with the quirky sloping corridor - which once served as a barrel run during the building’s time as a coaching inn - becoming one of the interior's more idiosyncratic features.
Mark and Georgina very much wanted the emphasis of the store to be on giving customers a warm and inviting retail experience - a place where people could truly enjoy a restful and restorative few moments - and so set about curating carefully chosen antique and vintage items to complement the wonderful array of exotic plants, giving the interior a very homely and comfortable feel.
The aesthetic of the shop is designed to inspire creative thought when choosing items for the home and to demonstrate how different objects - whether they be a particular container for a particular plant, a mirror or painting framed by a trailing philodendron or a piece of furniture used as stand for a parlour palm - can be put together effectively to enhance people’s living space.
Mark and Georgina continue to seek out beautiful and unique pieces as well as regularly updating the stock of plants to ensure a huge variety of options. Of course the best way to fully appreciate what The Green House has to offer is to see it for yourself, so do make sure to pop in when next visiting historic Rye!
