HERE’S a chance to live the dream in a home where no expense has been spared. takes a look at an immaculate Georgian-style house with all the modern trimmings.

Anyone who has watched TV programmes like Property Ladder, Changing Rooms and Location, Location, Location will know that the buzz word in selling a property is "dressing" a room. All the experts agree it’s the one way to make a house sing.

And Clare Horrell has the gift of making her home sing like a choir of angels. A visit to her home, Bensham House, near Tenterden, is a lesson in how to dress a house.

Every item in every room has been chosen by her to enhance, right down to minutest detail. Fashion dictates that spots are in this year and there are no prizes for guessing what pattern the towels are in Clare’s bathrooms - snazzy Cath Kidson polka dots.

Clare’s flair can be seen at her shop Maisie. K in Cranbrook, which has a mouth-watering collection of unusual items which she buys on her trips to the Continent, mainly France and Belgium.

Clare said: "I’ve always been a real collector, I’ve always been into my home. I like old and new - I don’t like everything to match. I’ve got a good idea of putting things together.

"In the shop I set items out in scenes. Lots of people can’t foresee how things can work together. It works for me because then they buy the whole lot."

As a testament to her achievement, Bensham House is featured in this month’s Period Ideas magazine and was in 25 Beautiful Homes last year. Clare’s taste is eclectic.

The master bedroom, for example, is dominated by a magnificent 1740 bed which she bought in London. But the room is also home to an invasion of teddy bears. Clare explained: "I’m fanatical about collecting Steiff bears."

Clare is also proud of the sound system installed throughout the house. She said: "You just touch the panel on the wall and you can choose radio or CD."

Her constant search for perfection is exemplified in the dining room. There is an imposing circular table - but no chairs. She explained: "I bought the table from Harrods. It has 10 inlays. But I didn’t buy the chairs because I didn’t like them." So the search goes on for the ideal chairs.

The house is wonderfully light and airy but it was not always so. It is the result of three years of tremendous hard work by Clare and her husband Tim who have turned it into the immaculate house it is today.

Tons of earth were removed from the front to let in the light. It must have been like living at Diggerland with three giant diggers, at £500 a day, gouging out mounds of earth from the front of the building.

This has had the effect of raising the house which now overlooks a sweet little knot garden, pergolas and walled gardens. Other extensive improvements include a two-storey extension to the Edwardian Georgian-style house, an orangery and a fabulous coach house pool complex that could grace Footballers’ Wives with its games room/gym, bar, kitchen, steam room, vinery and his and her changing rooms and showers.

The heated pool, complete with Jacuzzi, is a real suntrap and so a shaded terrace has also been thoughtfully added.

There is everything the sporty person could wish for with an all-weather tennis court and superb equestrian facilities including stables, paddock and all-weather menage.

Clare’s a real softie when it comes to animals. She said: "I’ve got five horses now - all the sizes in all of the colours. I get so fond of them can’t bear to get rid of them."

The property is a haven for the couple’s three children, Joshua, 14, Maisie, 12, and Harrison, seven. Cocoa the poodle, Lottie the West Highland Terrier and Oscar, a very vocal Burmese cat, complete the busy household.

As well as the structural improvements, a huge amount of work and money has gone into landscaping. A professional was brought in and embarked on an ambitious scheme which included planting 1,500 spring bulbs and 120 different trees.

Clare said: "We spent £100,000 on the garden and installed an irrigation system with automatic pop-up watering governed by timers. We needed it because it was dry and we didn’t want to lose all the new plants."

Accommodation includes four reception rooms, a master suite, guest suite and three further bedrooms. Clare said: "I call it a manageable house. It’s not too big to get lost in. It’s easy to furnish and very light."

The kitchen, which includes an Aga with gold coloured hot plates, has beautiful views over the butler’s sink towards Rolvenden - just the sort of distraction to ease the chore of washing up.

It must be a big wrench to leave a place with such a large personal stamp on it. But now Clare is looking forward to her next big project.

Factfile:

Bensham House, Cranbrook Road, Tenterden

Price: £2,500,000

Agent: Savills on 01580 720161.