For sale: Superb modern home in Yorkshire Dales where owner installed fabulous 'cook's kitchen'

However, one day, while driving through the small hamlet of Nosterfield in Bedale, she spotted a new development of just four houses - The Mulberries – and decided to take a look.

The homes, built by HUIS, were very similar to the design Judith had in mind. “I met the builder and went through all the plans” she says.

“The layout and environmental credentials were so close to what I had in mind, I thought it would be much easier to buy one of the properties.

"I looked at the plan for Northrop Cottage and said, ‘I’ll have it’. The builder said, ‘are you sure? Do you want to have a think about it? To him it looked like a very quick decision but it was just what I wanted – it was incredible, really.”

The open-plan living kitchen is the heart of the home, where she combined neutral Farrow & Ball shades with Designers Guild fabrics to achieve a vibrant aesthetic.

Judith, who works as a business consultant and a design consultant, had a clear vision of what she wanted to create.

"I wanted to embody the modernity of the property in my design and also bring an ‘outside in’ feeling to harmonise with the setting, hence the neutral base with botanical prints and accent colours,” she says.

The kitchen is fitted cabinetry with quartz work surfaces. The central island serves as a focal point for gatherings, offering additional storage and an inviting space for casual dining.

Judith sourced the decorative panel design, which sits behind the Bertazzoni double oven range cooker, in Europe and had it printed and imported.

“I’m a cook so the kitchen is ergonomically designed for that but I also wanted the fitted furniture look so that the room worked multi-functionally,” she says.

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Bi-folding doors open from the kitchen onto the stone-flagged terrace and gardens, providing stunning views over the open farmland

There is a separate sitting room, which also has bifold doors to the garden.

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms. The ensuite principal bedroom and bedroom three contain Sharps shaker-style fitted wardrobes.

The bathrooms are fitted with premium Villeroy and Boch sanitary ware.

On the landing, Judith added a built-in desk with storage hidden behind cupboard doors, which can be easily tucked away when she's not working.

After two years of living in the property, she now plans to move to the other side of Bedale after a change in personal circumstances but she says Northrop Cottage has a special place in her heart.

“My favourite spaces are morning coffee in the sunshine on the living room sofa, aperitifs at the island with friends whilst prepping dinner and peaceful evenings in the sitting room,” she says.

Northrop Cottage is on the market for £685,000 with Buchanan Mitchell 01423 360055.