Take peek behind front doors in the interiors capital of the North

With its branch of Betty’s, the Turkish baths and an attractive town centre edged by Valley Gardens and The Stray, Harrogate has long been a magnet for day trippers and tourists.

Now, thanks to a growing number of independent stores and galleries, together with some upmarket chains, it is fast becoming the interiors capital of the North.

Harrogate attracts homeware shoppers from all over Yorkshire, Lancashire, the North East and Cheshire and more are heading its way thanks to Poliform North.

The Italian furniture label is a favourite with those who love sleek, contemporary design but until now its only dedicated showroom was on the King’s Road in London.

Stephen Gee has lured the brand to Harrogate with his ambitious new venture The Factory.

The building, which sits at the rear of Stephen Neall, his established, family-run kitchen and interiors shop on Station Parade, was named after Andy Warhol’s HQ in New York.

Warhol would certainly approve. The former dairy has had a £500,000 facelift and now boasts a dramatic, modern décor with one floor painted entirely in black. As well as rooms sets, it also has a top floor apartment furnished with with Poliform and its sister label Varenna kitchens.

Artful graffiti and an eye-catching sculpture outside are also in the offing. “I got a chance to buy it a few years ago and although we are still in recession I thought the time was right to develop it. Business is picking up and we’re used to doing everything from extensions to full fit-outs for clients so we had the experience to do something special.

“We’ve paid very close attention to detail. So when we exposed the brick, we varnished it so there’s no dust, the doors are all floor-to-ceiling height, there are no skirting boards and even the loos are from Antonio Lupi.

“We aim to attract architects and designers so those details are important,” says Stephen, who has installed other complementary brands like Bisque radiators, Flos and Artemide, lighting and Mosa tiles from The Netherlands.

Discerning clients, he believes, will like the fact that the building is tucked away.

“It’s like discovering something secret and it feels exclusive. It is also perfect for clients like film stars and footballers who want to be anonymous.”

Prices are top end with sofas retailing for around £4,000 but there is no shortage of money in the town or coming in from outside.

Customers already travel from across Yorkshire, from footballers wives territory in Cheshire, the affluent Ribble Valley in Lancashire and the most exclusive areas of the North East. Many combine their trips with a weekend break.

“We are seeing a lot of that and part of our plan is to encourage people to stay and make a day or weekend of it. We hope to encourage people to make use of the hotels and restaurants,” says Stephen.

Visitors to the town will find that all interior tastes are catered for. Harrogate has the only branch of OKA in the North of England. The store, beloved by the home counties set, is owned by Samantha Cameron’s mother Lady Annabel Astor. There are a number of kitchen specialists including Stephen Neall and Chantry along with national companies like Smallbone and John Lewis of Hungerford. Harrogate Interiors and Rasmus specialise in contemporary furniture and if you want classic contemporary or country style then James Brindley, Richard Grafton, which has recently expanded to cope with demand, and Woods of Harrogate are among those that can oblige.

Soft furnishings shops are abundant and include the recently opened Fabric and Co., whose stock includes fabrics from local designers like William Watson-West.

Interesting accessories can be found at Lime Lace, which has a combination of vintage and modern pieces, including etched glassware from local maker Vinegar and Brown Paper. CocoonU is another treasure trove with everything from cashmere throws to ceramics, many by small-scale designer makers.

If you want something to hang on the walls, then galleries are also a growth market in Harrogate and include 108 Fine Art, which stocks artists such as Joash Woodrow, Nicholas Jolly and Alan Davie, and the Workhouse Gallery, which is staging a Street Art exhibition.

It’s all a far cry from the days when antique shops were the town’s biggest retail attraction. People used to come here for the antiques but that market has changed.

“People come here for the great interiors shops now and they are a lot more fashion orientated. They like to mix old and new pieces”, says Chris Holmes, of Chris Holmes Decorative Interiors, which specialises in decorative antiques and the more unusual the better.

Customers come from all over Britain and beyond to 
his shop on Cold Bath Road, which stocks everything from medieval carvings to his latest acquisition, a collection of antique mirrors from a country house in Ireland.

“Sales are going through the roof,” says Chris. “People like the town and enjoy finding something different. The independent interiors shops 
here offer good quality and ervice and that really counts for a lot.”

Poliform and The Factory online, www.poliformnorth.co.uk and www.thefactoryuk.com

Spa town ‘the happiest in Britain’

Harrogate is the UK’s happiest town, according to property website Rightmove.

Researchers quizzed 40,000 people on 12 different factors such as neighbourliness, safety, amenities, cost and the amount of space they have in their home, and the spa town came top.

Second happiest was Stockport, whose postcode area encompasses Alderley Edge, which sits in Cheshire’s stockbroker belt and is known as premiership footballer territory

Overall, people living in the North are happier than those living in the South, according to the survey.

The unhappiest places to live were East London, Croydon and East Central London.