Alex and Emma Main's brilliant barn conversion in Cattal

Alex and Emma Main’s home is the perfect showcase for their business, which has attracted a huge amount of interest from London and the South. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by Sean Knott

What was three old barns is now one sensational house

Alex Main’s heart skipped a beat when he drove through the village of Cattal and spotted a “development opportunity” sign along with a photograph of three 100-year-old barns.He texted a picture of it to his wife, Emma, along with the message, “I think I’ve found the house of our dreams.”The chance to create a “Grand Design” in a village at the top of their search list was a thrilling prospect but when they turned up to an open viewing, they were joined by 40 other people who felt exactly the same way.

Winning bid

“We all had to put in a blind bid and a letter saying who we were and what we wanted to do with the buildings,” says Alex, a director of the family-run Main Company, which is based in nearby Green Hammerton.“We explained that we were a local family with young children and we wanted to make the barns into one home.“I really didn’t think we stood a chance because there was so much interest but our letter made all the difference. The owners lived next door and they didn’t want to sell to a developer.”After agreeing a price of £489,000 for the barns, a separate stable, woods and six acres of land, Alex and Emma set to work. Read more.>Tips on converting a barn

The open plan living kitchen with a kitchen designed and made by Main Company

The race to convert the red brick buildings and move in was on as Emma was pregnant with their third child. The first job was to seek permission from the planning authority to alter the existing design and add a small extension plus three bays for parking.The second was to move two bats from the barns into the old stable block. The flit cost an eye-watering £10,000. “We had to get a licence to move them and we couldn’t quite believe the cost but we had no choice. We couldn’t start work without giving the bats a new home,” says Alex.

The island looks good and hides plenty of storage

Apart from that unexpected bill, the project, with Croft Builders as main contractor, went smoothly and came in at just 10 per cent over their £300,000 budget.The result is a striking and contemporary four-bedroom home that pays homage to the barns’ construction while introducing materials that complement their rustic roots.The red brick is exposed in some areas and there is extensive use of reclaimed timber, which is one of the Main Company’s specialities.

Kitchens in reclaimed wood are now a Main Company speciality

The business, which was started by Alex’s parents, is still well known for its bespoke kitchens and furniture-making but now 70 per cent its orders come from London and the South-East. That’s thanks to pioneering use of old reclaimed timber, which is used to make kitchens, clad walls and for flooring.“We have managed to find a way of bonding reclaimed wood boards onto birch ply so they won’t warp when used on top of underfloor heating,” says Alex, who has orders from residential and commercial clients, including restaurants and bars.“Previously, people were limited to using engineered oak.”

The sitting area in the living kitchen. The wood cladding and shelves are from The Main Company and the floor is concrete

The couple’s own home was part of the research and development of the Main Company products and is now a showcase for what can be achieved. The space, light and style have also made it popular as a location for advertising and film shoots.Both Alex and Emma were involved in designing the interiors. They met while on a gap year in Australia when Emma, who studied acting, was travelling with best friend Jodie Whittaker, star of Doctor Who and Broadchurch.The couple are both creative and agree on most decor decisions.

There's plenty of space for cooking, resting and playing

The double-height, light-filled living kitchen features three sets of bi-fold doors between the supporting brick pillars.The Main Company kitchen is in reclaimed wood with a 13ft kitchen island topped with stainless steel and with concrete shelving units underneath. The row of industrial pendant lights are from Well Lit in Huddersfield.The concrete floor is deliberately imperfect with cracks and a mark where a bucket was put down before the wet concrete had set.“I really like that imperfect finish. It’s more interesting and it means we don’t have to be too precious. The children ride their bikes in here and that’s OK,” says Alex.

The ground floor also has a spacious hall, a playroom and a separate sitting room. The latter features cheese-curing boards now re-purposed as shelves and an old workbench given new life as a TV cabinet. The sofas are from Loaf and there are plants in abundance, including a fig tree and an olive tree.

One of the bedrooms with headboard in Main Company reclaimed wood

Upstairs, the metal A-frames supporting the roof have been left exposed and the floors are made from the Main Company’s reclaimed wood.Children Olivia, nine, Martha, seven, and Hazel, three, have spacious bedrooms as well as their own dressing rooms.

Crates upcycled as bedside cabinets

The perfectly imperfect old wood has been used to make everything from headboards to skirting boards and Alex’s grandmother’s old Port crates have been upcycled into bedside cabinets.Continuing the look, the bathroom sinks feature copper piping and industrial-style taps.With the bulk of the work behind them, Alex and Emma are now contemplating converting the stable and making plans for a wildflower meadow on their land.“That’s for later,” says Alex. “For now we are just enjoying being here. It’s a great place to live.”The Main Company, The Green, Green Hammerton, York, www.maincompany.com