Georgian home with holiday memories

Penny and David O’Kelly’s comfortable home in North Yorkshire is a fine example of a Georgian farmhouse: well proportioned and very practical in an outdoorsy kind of way.

There are wellingtons, walking boots and wax jackets in the boot room; braces of pheasants hanging by the door and Yorkshire flagstones in the hallway. Even Penny’s collection of original paintings focuses on the wildlife. But this is where the edges begin to blur – for the paintings are not of cows and sheep but elephants, hippos, zebra and emus and they are quirky and poignant reminders of Penny and David’s time in Africa.

“David was stationed in Africa in the Army so it represents a big part of our lives and lots of things in the house reflect the time we spent there,” says Penny. “Everything in this house has a story or a memory attached to it, going right back to my early childhood in Malawi.”

The result is a part-listed, Yorkshire-meets-Africa farmhouse which has evolved from three generations worth of furniture, fabrics and artworks.

“There was no grand plan,” adds Penny. ‘We have accumulated antiques from our parents and grandparents, rugs and decorative items we bought abroad, plus regional crockery and beautiful fabrics from all over the UK, including Scotland where my parents had a farm.”

However, until David came out of the Army, Penny had to squeeze what they had into Service quarters where the couple were restricted to plain colour schemes and utilitarian furniture.

“We were allowed to paint the walls providing we painted them magnolia again before we moved out,” recalls Penny. “Sometimes it didn’t seem worth the hassle. We also had Army furniture so when we moved from Africa to Yorkshire 11 years ago it was like being a child in a sweet shop.”

Penny, a teaching assistant, and David, secretary to the Yorkshire Regiment, heard about the property through friends. They realised it was just the kind of spacious family home that they were looking for, in a beautiful rural location but close to schools for their children, Katie and Charlie.

Unfortunately it wasn’t without its drawbacks. The long driveway to the house was full of potholes, the large garden was completely overgrown, the grey-pebbledash exterior was drab and uninviting and every room inside was painted bright yellow.

“David’s first comment when he saw it was that he didn’t want to live here, but then he realised that most of the changes were cosmetic and the house itself would really work for us,” says Penny. “It was quite scary having free rein after living in Army quarters for so long, but I quickly got used to it.”

As soon as they moved in they started to decorate, working methodically through the house to replace the bright yellow with softer shades. They concentrated on the bathroom and guest bedroom first so visitors could stay in comfort.

Next, they replaced the drawing room fireplace, reinstated the Georgian-style windows, stripped out the family bathroom and en suite, which had once been a child’s nursery off the main bedroom. Finally, they transformed the kitchen to create a welcoming focal point in the house.

The couple invested in new kitchen units and a granite worktop. The blind is in Vanessa Arbuthnott Cockerel Collection fabric and the walls are painted in Farrow & Ball Dorset Cream.

Vintage buys like the shelves, £100 from an antique shop, and the china add character, along with a collection of Polish pottery and milk jugs.

The pew is one of Penny’s favourite pieces of furniture, bought from an antique shop, while the original meat hooks provide useful storage for her baskets.

“There was once an old range in the kitchen but it was replaced with an Aga by previous owners,” adds Penny. “Luckily a lot of the original features – including window shutters, architraves and wooden floors – were still in good condition.”

The drawing room reflects Penny and David’s travels all over the world. “We like warm colours and rich textures,” says Penny, who bought the rugs for £400 each in Afghanistan. The Davenport desk came from Penny’s mother and the fireplace was from Rob Pilling Stonecraft Ltd in Northallerton.

Finding a dining table proved tricky, so they used an old kitchen table topped with wood and a pretty tablecloth made from fabric bought years ago in Scotland, so they could seat ten for dinner parties.

The family bathroom was tired and dated, so Penny and David had it refitted with a free-standing bath and decorated in a fresh Fired Earth blue.

“We were very keen to keep or restore the original character of the house while bringing the interior up to date in a way that complemented the house,” adds Penny.

The only feature that the O’Kellys could not save – simply because they have never been able to find it – was a listed cow bell probably used to summon the farmworkers at mealtimes.

Penny and David’s home is now full of gentle colours, layered fabrics, crockery and paintings and a subtle mix of old and new furniture, which settles perfectly into its well-proportioned surroundings.

Penny’s niece summed it up perfectly. She said the house was so cosy and calm that it felt really homely – and looked just like a grown-up doll’s house.

Useful Contacts

Holme Design Ltd, 01677 424669, holmedesign.com

Vanessa Arbuthnott, 01285 831437, vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk

Rob Pilling Stone Craft Ltd, Northallerton

CB Furnishings, 01609 772916 cbfurnishings.co.uk

Nigel Atkinsons Bathroom Emporium, 01845 574555, nigelatkinsonsbathroomemporium.co.uk

Patchwork Rose, 01677 427627, patchworkrose.co.uk

Feather & Black, 01243 380600, featherandblack.com

Atelier, 01423 339371, atelier-home.co.uk

Tennants Auction House, Leyburn, 01969 623 780

Calverts Carpets, 01845 522967 calverts-carpets.co.uk

Sally Oyler, 01620 825333, sallyoyler.com

Leeming and Paterson, 01644 430004

Scumble Goosie, 01453 731305, scumblegoosie.co.uk