Giving it a Soul
June Newton pulled out all the stops to bring warmth and character to a former B&B, turning it into an inviting home
My motto is “See it, love it, buy it”,’ says June Newton. ‘I know at once if I have to have something. I could never be minimalist.’ Her elegant Victorian villa in the spa town of Harrogate in Yorkshire is relaxed, welcoming, and filled with beautiful antique and vintage finds, each with an entertaining story to tell. Yet, when it came to buying her home, June was uncharacteristically hesitant.
‘I was living in Kent and wanted to move north to be nearer to family,’ she explains. ‘This place was running as a bed and breakfast while the owners lived nearby, so it lacked a little soul – you could tell that nobody lived here. My sons, Joshua and Gregory, 29, had moved away and part of me thought that, with five bedrooms, it was too big for me and my daughter Rachel, 24.’
While June weighed up her options, another buyer stepped in with an offer, leaving her half-relieved that the decision had been made for her. Even so, when that sale fell through, she decided to give it a second chance.
This time she saw its advantages more clearly, including all that extra space. ‘If you buy a house like this, you do get the lovely, large sitting room,’ she points out. ‘My main priorities are always high ceilings and light, and this house has both.’
While the previous owners’ dark, drab curtains had to go in favour of light window shutters, June was
fortunate that they shared her taste in other ways: their wood floors, pared-back, painted kitchen and fuss-free, modern bathrooms all suited her style. Her biggest challenge, however, has been to make the rooms feel more family-friendly.
Having lived in apartments in Holland, London and France, as well as contemporary homes in America and South Africa, a listed hall in rural North Yorkshire, and parkland houses in the Home Counties, June has experimented with a wide variety of architecture and decoration, and enjoyed them all.
‘I’m a bit of a mix,’ she admits. ‘I love French and Gustavian style and painted furniture, but then I also love English country, velvet, classical busts and urns. I’m always drawn to off-white and grey shades, but I like to punctuate them with colour, texture and flowers.’
Here, that understated palette is the backdrop to furniture in strong, sculptural shapes – elegant sofas for the sitting room, antique French or Swedish bedsteads, with statement lighting, mirrors and textiles to add a dash of drama. As much as she loves her home, the years of living around the world have left their mark. ‘I can’t help having itchy feet,’ says June. ‘I move somewhere and love the whole process of setting up home, and then within a year or two, I start thinking, “Right, where am I going now?”. Fortunately, living here has so far quelled that urge.’