For an artistically minded couple looking to quit London, it’s easy to see why Ditchling, near Brighton, might fit the bill. An idyllic English village surrounded by the rolling hills of the South Downs, it also comes with a rich artistic heritage that belies its small size. In the early 20th century, artist Eric Gill founded a creative community here. His legacy continues today, both at the Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft, and in the plethora of artists and craftspeople in the area.

Before their move, Kate Sherman had been working long hours managing a Cork Street gallery, which left her little time for her own painting career. Meanwhile, her husband Martin, then a sculptor’s assistant, was keen to become a carpenter.

Already seduced by the village, the couple fell for this modernist-influenced house on sight. “It stood out against the cottages and Arts and Crafts houses around it,” explains Kate. The vendor, a woman of 102, had commissioned it with her husband, back in the 1930s, from architects Clayton & Black, designers of Brighton’s famous Duke of York’s cinema.

All mod cons: the original fireplace. Photograph: Rachael Smith

Buying from the first owner meant the house still had all its original features, including Crittall windows, oak floors and a bold modern fireplace. But like so many untouched houses it needed maintenance and updating. With Kate and Martin both forging new careers, money was tight, but the pair’s approach of slow, painstaking restoration suited both their circumstances and their environmentally aware mindsets.

The house’s defining feature, its metal windows, were all removed, stripped by hand and double glazed before being refitted into new wooden surrounds. The couple were happy with the house’s layout as the original fold-back doors – then way ahead of their time – allow the living areas to become open plan. Their only structural job was to open up the pantry and utility room to create a larger kitchen.

When they moved they had a small baby in tow, but now have three children, Bea, 13, Ivor, 10 and Dot, 6. “It has had to be a relaxed family house, we’ve never been precious about it,” says Kate.

In the summer months the family spend much of their time on the verandah, built by Martin. It was inspired by a family year out in Costa Rica. “Over there, outdoor spaces are an important feature of most homes,” explains Kate.

The house is painted white and the furniture includes a mix of pieces by Martin, inherited items and an impressive collection of Ercol classics. The kitchen is an austere shade of green and still has the original cupboards along with a worktop adapted from a reclaimed science lab counter. “I wanted it to be the opposite of the typical modern pristine, sterile kitchen,” says Kate.

Cupboard love: the kitchen with original features. Photograph: Rachael Smith

The focal point of the house is Kate’s art. “I use the house to hang new work and live with it for a while. The house has masses of natural light and large expanses of wall as well as smaller recesses, so it lends itself well to hanging paintings,” she says.

As the house has developed so, too, has Kate’s career. Her first solo show was last year, with another planned for November. Her landscapes capture fleeting moments and evoke elusive memories. “A lot of my work is about looking back and time passing, but it also has an edginess which brings it back to the present.”

While Martin has his carpentry workshop in the garage, Kate has a studio in a converted stable. She puts in a strict working day when the children are at school, while her other passion, working in the house’s productive potager garden, remains a weekend indulgence.

Contented chickens roam among the pear, apple and damson trees while the privacy afforded by hazel and blackthorn hedges gives way, in the winter, to wonderful views of the Downs. The chickens may not know their good fortune to live here, but the family feel it more keenly.

Rendlesham: New Paintings by Kate Sherman is at the Onca Gallery, Brighton, 5-13 November (onca.org.uk; kateshermanpaintings.co.uk)