Real Home: Taking the reins of old cart shed

Interior designer Carole-Anne Cockayne used all her skills to make sure this newly-converted cart shed suited her perfectly. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by Scott Merrylees.

Property in North Yorkshire comes with a price tag that reflects the desirability of the area and that's one of the reasons why Carole- Ann Cockayne decided to sell her home near Thirsk and move to a part of the region where you get a lot more bang for your buck.

It was a smart move, as she now has the home she dreamed of with enough left over for a holiday property in her beloved Italy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I decided to look near Doncaster as my children and grandchildren live nearby. There are some amazing villages here and it's very accessible for the motorway and rail network,” says Carole-Anne, an interior designer who had her heart set on converting a barn.

A long search for the right barn proved fruitless but she and her partner Martin managed to find the perfect compromise.

Chris Brewster, from Three Oak Construction, was converting a clutch of small barns in a village conservation area. Carole-Anne and Martin agreed to buy the old cart shed from him for £325,000 with the proviso that they could alter the layout and the look, which had already been decided.

The changes they made were radical and Chris's architect had to revise the design and resubmit it for planning permission.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The conservation officer agreed to allow new bifold doors and two additional roof windows, but insisted that the window frames should be grey metal frames rather than the oak that Carole-Anne wanted.

He was also unhappy about the size and number of windows she and Martin wanted on the front elevation but agreed to the original cart entrance being glazed.

“In the end, we were allowed to use double-height glazing in conjunction with the pretty timber arch frill at the apex of the gable. This means that the entrance and the hall and upstairs bedroom are full with natural light,” says Carole-Anne, who also managed to get permission to paint the larch cladding black, rather than the council's preferred green

With planning consent granted, the couple moved into rented accommodation nearby while Chris Brewster and his team got on with the conversion.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The alterations and upgrades to the standard fit-out which he proposed cost an extra £80,000 but they have proved their worth.

Carole-Anne completely reconfigured the original layout by moving the two ground floor bedrooms from one end of the property to the other.

“They were previously in the lightest part of the building next to the garden, while the sitting room was at the dark end of the property,” she explains.

After reshuffling sleeping arrangements and adding skylights to brighten the bedrooms, she designed an enormous living kitchen with bi-fold doors onto the garden.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She also asked Chris to remove most of the wall between the separate dining room and hallway to create a feeling of light and space.

A mezzanine bedroom with an en-suite and study area was also made possible by supporting steelwork in the central atrium.

While he was busy with the construction, Carole-Anne began planning the decor and sourcing products.

“I got some big sheets of plywood and started making mood boards. They are really important for helping you to get the detail right,” she says.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Her favourite paint is by Little Greene so their colour chart was a must, along with a pile of tester pots.

Realising that the floorboards chosen by the developer were too dark, she swapped them for a mix of limestone in the kitchen and hall and engineered oak boards elsewhere.

As she loves cooking, she splashed out on a £50,000 kitchen with handmade, Shaker-style cabinets, an island with built-in chopping boards, second oven, wine chiller and bookshelf and a large free-standing larder unit. She designed it alongside Andrew Crossland, of Retford. It is painted in grey and blue. The latter was finally chosen after trying 18 different sample pots.

“I wanted the kitchen to look like it was made up of a collection of individual, elements that would stand out as lovely pieces of furniture in their own right,” she says

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She and Martin also treated themselves to a wood-burning stove to make the open-plan living space look cosy and the sofa was a bargain down from £5,500 to £1,595 in the sale at Barker and Stonehouse.

Many of the decorative accessories are from Wayfair, Achica and Brand Alley, all online and the made-to-measure curtains from Tuiss were also bought from the website.

“I like shopping online. It's quick and easy and you can do it anytime,” says Carole-Anne, whose favourite interiors treats are candles by Neom and The White Company.

While Martin is usually more than happy to leave the interior decor to Carole-Anne, he did have one small grumble.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She was determined to squeeze a slipper bath in the small house bathroom but it's so small he struggles to get in it, though he does have two en-suite shower rooms to choose from.

Outside, what were sheds is now a large laundry room, the large garden has been landscaped and planted with yew, which will hide the hot tub.

“It's a lovely place to relax at the end of a busy week,” says Carole-Anne, who admits that although she loves her converted cart shed and her garden, she can't rule out a move.

The property has already risen in value since they bought it in 2016. It cost £405,000 altogether and has been valued at £525,000.

“I've moved ten times in 20 years, because I love a new challenge so I can never say never,” she says.

Carole-Anne Cockayne interiors design, www.Inspirational-Design-Interior.com