Joining her for the open studios event at her house on Ambrose Street will be her sister Emily Stubbs, who will be showing her beautiful hand-built sculptural ceramics and Luke Downing, a writer and filmmaker who works for Channel 4 and who will be showing his own series of film poetry with old 8mm footage plus film shot by Luke, along with original music and spoken words.

Amy and Emily grew up in an old farmstead in Holmfirth. Their father, Christopher Stubbs, is also an artist, and their late mum was creative and adept at upcycling.

There were plenty of items to upcycle at the farmstead and at her grandmother’s cottage nearby. The property had been in the family for generations and storage for furniture, furnishings, pictures and farm implements was abundant and this, along with a waste not, want not culture, meant lots of vintage and collectable items were at hand.

Losing their mum in 2012 was devastating but her legacy meant that both Emily and Amy were able to buy their own homes.

Amy got the keys to her three bedroom, Victorian terraced house just before the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, which although difficult in some ways, turned out to be a blessing.

She says: “I’d just moved from Manchester and didn’t know anyone here apart from Emily and so I did feel a bit isolated but it meant that I could spend my days working on the house. Emily was in my support bubble so she came over to help me too.”

While the property was in relatively good condition, making changes and redecorating to make it her own was a priority and the result is a sensational house full of colour, character and style.

The kitchen was top of her “must-change” list as it was a gloomy mix of blacks and greys. It now has smart white cabinets plus wall and floor tiles that Amy and Emily laid themselves.

“There were new tiles on top of the original Victorian tiles in the kitchen, which we removed, and, fortunately, we managed to salvage the old ones.

“I found a YouTube video on how to relay them and mapped everything out on a grid on the floor and fitted the tiles to it. Both me and Emily are quite good at DIY and we both enjoy making things,” she says.

Amy also put up shelves, [ainted and decorated and managed to build a corner garden area in the yard using salvaged bricks.

The dining room and separate sitting room feature her own work, along with prints by her dad and by friends including Mark Hearld, Jon Haste and Lesley Birch.

Furniture includes key pieces from her mother’s and grandmother’s homes with a Gothic piano now a talking point in the dining room, along with an antique chest of drawers with crystal handles.

The dining table was from one of the farmstead barns and is surrounded by Danish chairs found on eBay and the sash window was decorated with old medicine bottles that Amy’s dad had dug up in the 1970s.

A broken antique chair her mum had always pledged to fix was also mended and reupholstered in her memory.

Among the most treasured finds is an internal door with panels painted with pictures of reservoirs in the Holmfirth by Amy’s great, great uncle.

“It’s a beautiful work of art and I’d love it to go to a museum, though it’s propped up in my bedroom for now,” says Amy, who has also preserved the original 1890’s wallpaper she found under the new wall covering lining the stairs and landing.

Her latest job was stripping the varnish of the stairs with a wonder substance she found called Peelaway.

“I’ve still got work to do on the house but it is getting there and it’s now filled with lots of memories and reminders of friends,” says Amy, who sells her work at craft fairs and via Instagram.

Her piped linen cushions with feather inserts are £55, ar t prints vary in price, lampshades start at £35, tea towels are £12 with nostalgia art available as a commission.

*Find Amy’s open studio at 82 Ambrose Street, York, April 22 and 23, 10am to 5pm, visit www.yorkopenstudios.co.uk for details.

You can find Amy and her work on www.instagram.com/amystubbsprints. Find Emily’s pottery at emilystubbs.com and Luke Downing at lukeedfilm.myportfolio.com.

Surface pattern designer Amy Stubbs is a true talent and she's opening her home and workspace for York Open Studios