Dunmore: a private retreat in Kent

Having spent most of her life in one of the most crowded cities on earth, when Jennifer Marar moved to the UK with her young family she wanted to experience something completely different.  

In 2014, she and her husband, Nayef, exchanged the frenetic energy of Shanghai for the peace of a rambling country house in Four Elms, near Sevenoaks, Kent.  

“Before I even went into the house I liked it,” says Jennifer. “The garden is amazing, and it looks very traditional from the outside, with columns by the front door but when you go inside it is quite modern and I liked that mix.”  

Now, with an empty nest on the horizon, Jennifer and Nayef have decided to sell the property, Dunmore, and relocate once more, this time to the South of France. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom, 8,191 sq ft house, is  set in 25 acres with an indoor swimming pool, tennis court, equestrian facilities, and three-bedroom cottage.  

Jennifer and Nayef moved to the UK in 2013. At about the same time Nayef sold his fashion company, leaving them with plenty of time to devote themselves to their two children Malek, now aged 20, and Julia, who is 18.  

“As we got more settled, we started to update some of the rooms and then the pool was looking quite dated, so we renovated that too,” Jennifer says. “It was 23m long and we reduced it to 20m so that we could have space for a seating area, a Jacuzzi and a sauna.”  

Although the couple are both keen swimmers, Dunmore’s tennis court and equestrian facilities have been less well used. Jennifer gamely took tennis lessons after moving in but didn’t take to the game. “I would be too embarrassed to hold a tennis party or anything like that,” she says. Horses were also out of the question – too dangerous and unpredictable. “I am a city girl,” adds Jennifer.  

What the whole family really relished about the house was its space and privacy. “For the first couple of years I would hear the children saying to each other: ‘Is this really our house?’ she recalls. “They thought it must be a dream, they couldn’t believe the space.”  

The house has also proved perfect for entertaining, either in the dining room or outdoors in the shady barbecue area. “It is like an Italian courtyard and you can easily host 20 to 30 people.”  

With Malek already studying classics at Cambridge, and Julia hoping to move to Paris to study fashion management, Jennifer and Nayef plan to move to France next year. What will Jennifer miss most about life at Dunmore? The glorious gardens, its orchard and its vegetable patch.  

“Our gardener has worked here longer than we have owned the house,” Jennifer says, wistfully. “She has been here for almost 24 years; before that she worked at Hever Castle. She loves this garden like it’s a baby and throughout the year it gives you continuous surprises as different things flower. It is just so beautiful.”  

View country homes available with Knight Frank, please contact edward.rook@knightfrank.com