The Sunday Times April 3, 2022 7The Kemps are happily making plans
for their new life here. Martin says:
“What you lose when your kids move out
is all the noise. We have to make sure we
have lots of friends round and keep it
busy once this house is finished. We
have to make it noisy and busy.”
Shirlie adds: “I’m going to get lots more
dogs. We like getting rescue dogs, so we’re
very shortly getting a couple more.”
Martin (and Iris) do a double-take at this
news: “Really — when?”
If they aren’t yet on the same page re
canines, they are in full agreement on
how to live their best life together. “Shirlie
and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen
hanging out together, whether it’s cooking
or evening meals or the Friday-night
kitchen disco,” Martin says. Sorry, the
what now? Is there a playlist? Martin
favours 1980s soul, Shirley prefers swing
(she and Martin recorded an album
together in 2019 called In the Swing of It).
“And La La Land.” At the end of an
evening, when they are in the mood for
love, what is the soundtrack? “A little bit
of Sade,” Martin says. “The first proper
date that Shirlie and I ever went on was to
go and see Sade. I knew Sade, and so we
went down to Ronnie Scott’s and we saw
her, and Your Love Is King even today is
kind of like our song.”
Maybe they’re not young guns any
more, but the Kemps are gold.howdens.comClockwise from
left, Shirlie and
Martin Kemp in
the kitchen; the
Shaker-style
space by
Howdens has a
Belfast sink;
wooden drawers
with aged brass
hardware;
cupboards are
painted in
Porcelain; there’s
a central island
for entertainingNovember last year. Little of the property
remains untouched, from the tiles on the
roof to the windows and staircases. The
mission is to keep the character while
replacing everything. Would Martin say,
“I don’t need this pressure on?” In fact he
is unruffled. “It’s going well. We’ve
literally taken it back to the bones. It’s an
old Victorian house that we are trying to
turn into an old Victorian house.”
The couple are certainly lavishing care
on the building and have nothing but
praise for their builders, but it seems to be
repaying them by becoming ever more
needy. Rooms that had at first sight
appeared to be simple redecorating jobs
frequently turn out to need walls and
ceilings taken down and replaced. At the
moment they are surrounded by
scaffolding and the roof is off. There’s
some anxiety it might not be ready in
time to hold a party for Shirlie’s 60th
birthday later this month.
At least the most important room is
done. The Kemps’ builder suggested they
try Howdens for the kitchen and Shirlie
sat down with one of its designers.
“We had it done in 15 minutes. I told her
what I wanted. I needed a bright, clean-
looking room, lots of storage space — I’ve
always had centre islands in my kitchen.
She had the idea of putting the two wine
fridges side by side, which I loved. That
has been the easiest part of the house so
far.” Shirlie chose a Shaker-style kitchen
called Elmbridge in Porcelain, and addedSilestone Calacatta gold quartz worktops,
a Lamona Belfast sink, stainless-steel
Rangemaster cooker and aged-brass
mixer tap and hardware.
Beyond the kitchen is the utility room,
with extra space created by knocking
through into the old coal and wood
bunkers outdoors. There’s a rail to hang
drying clothes, shelves with storage
baskets and a deep butler sink. “The tap is
one of the spray taps so I can put the dogs
in there and bathe them,” Shirlie says.
(The family unit includes Iris, the couple’s
toy poodle, and Harley’s dogs Poppy and
Oscar, who are staying over.)SCENES FROM A
WORK IN PROGRESS
KITCHEN BEFORE
UTILITY ROOM BEFORE
At the end of
an evening,
when
they are in
the mood
for love,
what is the
soundtrack?
“A little bit
of Sade,”
Martin says
FROM DISHES
TO DISCO: THE
KEMPS’ SPOTIFY
PLAYLIST
Sade
Your Love Is King
Ella Fitzgerald
Cheek to Cheek
Dean Martin
That’s Amore
Chaka Khan
Ain’t Nobody
George Benson
Turn Your Love
Around
La La Land
Soundtrack
Sting
Little Wing
McFadden &
Whitehead
Ain’t No Stoppin’
Us Now
Helen Reddy
I Am Woman
Earth, Wind
& Fire
September
Joyce Sims
Come into
My Life
Go to
thetimes.co.uk
to listen to the
full playlist