Both lounge and hall are floored with random-width solid Welsh oak planking, with skirtings and architraves in redwood stained to match the floor. For the walls Selina chose Crown Orchestral Red, a lovely rich, warm colour, to pull the room together, and the curtains were made by her ever-helpful mother with fabric from Bon Fabrics in Douglas.
The mood in this house is something between a cottage and a slightly grander traditional house, so all the rooms have cornicing. The egg-and-dart design here was sourced from MFBP in Hills Meadow, and is actually plastic, but painted, it is completely indistinguishable from fibrous plaster and involves very much less wastage.
The hub of the house, as with most homes, is the kitchen. The units here were manufactured and fitted by Mike Clark of Silverdale Pine from reclaimed Douglas fir. Some of the wood came from pews discarded from Lonan Church, and is over 200 years old. The work surfaces, which extend deep into the window embrasures, are in South African granite also sourced by Mike. It has a naturally high sheen and is very easy to keep clean.
A pine table for family meals, which fits in very well with the built-in units, stands on a warm-hued floor of terracotta tiles also sourced from the York Handmade Brick Company.
The lighting in the kitchen - apart from a repeat of the lounge feature light in the chimney breast alcove - is all from recessed fittings in the ceiling. 'We like the quality of light they give', say James and Selina. 'You can really see what you're doing, but there is none of the glare you get from fluorescent lights'.
