See inside the York coal shed now a luxury B&B

Turning an old coal shed into a first-class York B&B took time and effort but it was worth the wait. Sharon Dale reports on the remarkable transformation. Pictures by Gary Longbottom.

The best plans are often hatched on holiday, when blue sky thinking comes naturally.A prime example of this is York’s latest and most stylish B&B. The idea for it came when builder Mike Beaufoy and designer jeweller Charmian Ottaway were taking a well-earned break in Crete.They decided that converting their enormous old coal shed into a contemporary bed and breakfast played to all their skills and would allow Mike to diversify into the hospitality trade.“He already had some experience of doing B&B years ago and enjoyed it. He’s very much a people person,” says Charmian.The shed is in the garden of their home in central York and the construction is gold standard as the property used to belong to a coal merchant. It is a sturdy giant built from the finest red brick.

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Charmian, who was in charge of the decor with help from her friend Joy Plaskitt

Design and build

Designing and building is Mike’s forte so re-imagining the space and how it would work for guests came naturally. He and his team tackled the conversion.“The idea was to make it special rather than run of the mill,” says Charmian, who took charge of the decor with help from her friend, the interior designer Joy Plaskitt.The first job was to re-roof the property and pack it with insulation. The upper part was insulated from the outside and the insulation hidden behind timber cladding.

Inside story

The hall with sitting area, breakfast kitchen and table

Inside, the vast open space was split into two floors. The ground floor has a large hall leading to an open-plan sitting/dining area and a mini kitchen with a fridge and coffee machine. On the right are two king-size bedrooms with their own en-suites and one has been designed for disabled access.On the new first floor, there are two more bedrooms with en-suites There’s an interconnecting door and a zip and link super-king bed that split into two singles so the whole upper floor can be used by a family with children.Soundproofing was high on Mike’s must-have list so the floors are all solid and insulated, rather than timber, and so are the walls between the bedrooms.“There’s nothing worse than being able to hear a lot of noise from the room next door,” says Mike, who managed to get lots of natural light into the property.

160519 Charmian Ottaway home York YP Mag.

Doors from Rajasthan

The large wooden doors at the front of the shed, where the coal was loaded in, made way for a glazed panel plus two antique doors from Rajasthan.“The doors from India came via a seller in Pontefract and they’re solid wood, three inches thick. I love them because they add character” says Mike, who also installed a skylight above the kitchen/dining area.

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Giving guests some outside space without encroaching on the family’s own garden was tricky as keeping the original footprint of the building was imperative to ensure that planning rules weren’t contravened. Mike came up with a creative solution, which involved demolishing a small section of the back of the building to make a private courtyard accessed by bi-fold doors.They managed to cut the budget by sourcing the bi-fold doors for £500 from eBay and “somehow making them fit”.

The staircase made from copper piping

Pipes repurposed

The interiors are stunning and the most striking architectural element is the staircase, which was a temporary solution that turned into a permanent fixture. “That came about when we had an art event here. The stairs weren’t finished in time and we had to make them safe so the plumber used some copper pipe to make a handrail.“Everyone at the event commented on how good it looked so Mike designed a staircase around that using metal piping and wooden treads from Laverack Joinery,” says Charmian, who had almost every wall painted in Dulux Egyptian Cotton. This acts as a backdrop for an ever-changing gallery of work by local artists, which is all for sale. Charmian and Mike installed a hanging system to showcase the pictures by Cathy Denford, Peter Heaton, Lesley Williams and Anna Nelson, among others. These add both colour and interest.

Work by local artists plays a big part in the decor and it is all for sale

Adding colour

Joy Plaskitt also played a big part in adding colour. “She was a great help with design and colour. She encouraged me to be more adventurous. I’d never have gone for bright pink walls in one of the en-suites, but she convinced me it would look good and it does,” says Charmian.The furniture is a mix of items the couple already had, including the dresser, while the antique chairs belonged to Mike’s great aunt. Vintage pieces came from local auctions hosted by Wombles and Boulton and Cooper and there were new buys, such as a leather chair in the sitting area, which was sourced from one of Charmian’s favourite shops, Upside Down Design on Bootham in York. Fabrics came from Waltons Mill Shop in Boroughbridge and some of the accessories are from TK Maxx .

Investing in quality

The four-poster bed is from The White Company

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“The biggest investment furniture wise were the beds and mattresses and all the bedding is from The White Company,” says Charmian.The project took a year, in between Mike’s work for clients, which helped fund the project. Their budget was busted by 40 per cent but there are no regrets.“It’s our own place and I wanted to do it properly. The plan was to give guests added value and I think we have achieved that,” says Mike. The conversion has also helped make their property into a true live-work home. The main house is the family home and Charmian, who worked for Cartier before setting up her own business, makes jewellery from the adjoining studio.The coal shed is Mike’s domain.“The idea is that guests can be independent and have their own space but I’ll be on hand to welcome them and to help them with insider knowledge on where to go in York,” says Mike. “Everything is in walking distance.”

Useful Contacts

The York Coal Shed B&B, email, [email protected] Down Design interiors boutique, www.upsidedowndesign.co.ukThe White Company, www.thewhitecompany.comWaltons Mill Shop, fabric, Boroughbridge, www.waltonsmillshop.co.ukSK Upholstery, Strensall, York. Contact via FacebookLaverack Joinery, York, www.laverackjoinery.co.uk

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