Our place in the country

Michael and Tracie Middleton had none of the above when they signed a long-term lease for an eight-bedroom farmhouse in an idyllic, hidden-away hamlet in the Yorkshire Wolds.

“We arrived with very little in what was a big empty space,” says Michael.

Now, three years later and the elegant décor and exquisite furniture all suggest they are to the manor born. Yet the look has been achieved on a shoestring budget thanks to skill and ingenuity.

The couple are both trained cabinet makers and furniture restorers who met 11 years ago while studying at Leeds College of Art and Design. Tracie is also a talented upholsterer and seamstress, who now specialises in soft furnishings.

They’ve had a hand in making almost everything for their home, from the wardrobes to the drapes and even the waste paper bin.

The Middletons moved to the Georgian property, near Thixendale, after deciding to start a new life in the country.

“We lived in Barnsley and had a cabinet making and upholstery business in rented premises but our dream was to move to the countryside to somewhere we could live and work,” says Michael.

Finding the perfect place proved elusive until they saw an advertisement in the Yorkshire Post property supplement for a “substantial farmhouse to let on a long-term lease”.

“The house was too big really and it was over our budget but the outbuildings were ideal and the setting was perfect. As soon as I drove down the lane, I loved it and the house had a really nice feel,” says Tracie.

The work space was a priority, so their first job was to convert the outbuildings

Michael, who trained with antiques restorer Tim Phelps, now has a large workshop where he restores furniture and makes everything from bespoke cabinets to kitchens.

His love of woodwork began as a child and when he got a lathe for his 14th birthday, he went into production making candlesticks and bowls for friends and family.

His business, Joshua Tree Furniture, now has a diverse order book that encompasses work for the Roman Catholic Church and contemporary furniture for interior designers.

“It’s interesting. I love the church work and the hope is that what you do might be there for another 200 years. It won’t go out of fashion but I also enjoy making furniture and contemporary pieces and helping people design something to suit their home.”

Tracie has separate work space for her upholstery projects and sewing machinery. She is a cabinet maker, but has diversified into interiors and cuts out the middleman by re-upholstering furniture and designing and making soft furnishings for her clients.

Putting their own stamp on the interior has taken time and a lot of effort. It had been home to the same family of tenant farmers since 1946 and when they moved, the owners modernised and redecorated.

“The owners spent a sizeable amount of money bringing it to a good standard. They put heating in and they painted everywhere magnolia, but we moved in with very little furniture, no curtains and no carpets and so we’ve done it bit by bit as and when we could afford. The carpets are the latest buy and they are such a luxury after bare floorboards,” says Michael, who created the beautiful built-in bookshelves and cupboards for the sitting room.

Another reception room is now a snooker room, which boasts a sofa made by Tracie. “I wanted it to be well-made so it would last and I could re-upholster it in the future and in my experience you can’t do that with most cheaper, modern sofas,” she says.

The creative couple have made, restored or adapted almost every piece of furniture in the house. The snooker table is from eBay and Michael revived the wood. He also made the Regency style table and the radiator covers, while Tracie reupholstered chairs and brought a broken chaise back to life.

The Victorian reproduction dining table and chairs were from eBay and the side table in the dining room was rescued from a skip and restored. The master bedroom wardrobes are from a house in Windsor via eBay, but have been adapted and split into three sections. The Victorian dressing table was £100 from a Boulton and Cooper sale and has been revamped, as has a solid walnut chest of drawers that cost £5 and looks much better after being stripped of its white paint.

“We basically buy pieces that are falling to bits from sale rooms and from eBay, though we don’t always agree. Michael bought the chest in the hallway from eBay and I thought it was too tatty, but he mended and it and polished it and it looks fantastic,” says Tracie, who has made all the curtains, blinds and bunting herself.

“The sitting room curtains took 17 metres and so I tend to bulk buy rolls,” she says. The magnolia backdrop has been replaced with a combination of Farrow and Ball and Fired Earth’s finest, including F&B’s Eating Room Red and Old White and Fired Earth’s Deep Adam Green for the dining room and a combination of blues for the main bedroom.

“The old, dark furniture we like is lost against white walls, which is why we wanted colour. It shows off the furniture to much better effect,” says Tracie, who has painted every inch of the vast house herself, most of it after her boys’ bedtime.

“We got a quote and for the hall, stairs and landing and that alone was £3,500 so I decided to do everything myself.”

The garden was another project and boasts a homemade adventure playground, partly adapted by George, who is a chip off the old block and loves making things out of wood and glue.

“This is such a great place to bring up children and friends and family like to visit us too. We’ve plenty of space for them and it’s got to the stage where it feels like being in a nice comfortable hotel only more relaxed.”

Joshua Tree Furniture and Burdale Interiors www.joshuatreefurniture.co.uk, tel: 01377 236555.