Still life out in sticks
Art plays an enormous part in bringing colour, life and feel-good factor to Kate Preston’s farmhouse. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by James Hardisty.
Alife-long art lover, Kate Preston is evangelical about its power to bring huge amounts of pleasure while adding colour and interest to our homes. Her farmhouse in a village near Malton is a prime example of this phenomenon. The walls are full of original paintings, photographic art and work by printmakers – and visitors love it.
She and her husband bought the property with land in 2009 after moving back to their native Britain from America.
As the rural home was in need of updating, they rented a cottage for nine months while the work was completed, but since they and their three children arrived back in Blighty with little in the way of furniture and furnishings, they had to start almost from scratch.
“We did everything from altering the footprint of the house to a new roof and new plumbing and electrics,” says Kate.
The new layout includes a large, openplan living/kitchen/dining room. Riponbased Tor Interiors advised on the kitchen and designed a cabinet to hide the TV when not in use. The kitchen cabinetry is by Hovingham Interiors and the new doors, staircase and arched windows were made by Norton Joinery, both based in Malton.
Some vintage and antique furniture was a must to fit with the character of the property, and one of Kate’s go-to places for it was Tall Boy Interiors in Malton.
The plumbing was by Watermark and she sourced her Aga from Country
Warmth, which are also based in the market town famous for its food festivals.
“What I found amazing when I moved here is that you can get just about anything you need from Malton,” says Kate, who ventured up the road a little to Helmsley for her sofa, which is from Peter Silk, while the swivel stools around the island are from York-based Snow Home.
Some of the fabrics in the property are designed by North Yorkshire-based Natasha James, who trades as Tasha Textiles.
The art collection has been gathered over the past 13 years and began with inexpensive finds and prints, which Kate has gradually replaced with more originals. One of her most treasured items is a watercolour by Angie Lewin. She says: “I love her work and it was a great investment because it makes me happy every time I look at it. I wanted to put it by the window in the kitchen so I had it framed with nonreflective glass, which protects it from the sun.”
The sitting room features a gallery wall painted in dusky pink paint from Rose of Jericho and topped with a vast array of pictures. There is a long list of favourites and Kate also has a penchant for ceramics in general and work by Whitby-based potter Terry Shone in particular.
Her obsession and years of experience have led to the realisation of a long-held dream to set up her own business, Kate Preston Art, selling affordable but original paintings, engravings, cyanotypes and photographic art online.
“It’s something I always wanted to do but with a busy family life and a small farm with 80 sheep, I never had the time or the resources to set up an online gallery until three years ago,” she says.
“I did it because I love what art can make you feel and what it can do for interiors and I wanted to share that. Plus, finding good affordable art is time-consuming so the idea is that I take the legwork out of that.
“One of the joys of this job is finding and showcasing the work of young, talented artists, many of them from Yorkshire.”
Among those she stocks are Georgie Britton, who specialises in abstract landscapes; Ruth Beloe who paints
still life in oils; William Watson-West, known for his bold and contemporary work; and Anna Cecil, who paints landscapes in oils.
Affordability is vital to Kate as she wants to make originals accessible to as many people as possible and so the work she sells ranges from £150 to £1,000.
While you can now pick up a print for as little as £20 online, an original gives a different kind of satisfaction and is, of course, a better long-term investment.
“I know from my own experience that when you save up to buy an original, particularly your first one, it is extra special to the point where it becomes part of the family, plus you know that by buying it you are doing a lot to support the artist,” says Kate, who has repurposed what was a formal dining room into her business HQ with a backdrop of Beasties by Blithfield wallpaper.
“I am in my element here,” she adds. Her top tips include investing in good framing, which is crucial, as is non-reflective glass when framing watercolours, which can fade if exposed to natural light.
She also suggests that we should not be afraid to move art around. “I’ve had a painting in one spot for 10 years and then moved it and it has taken it to a different level,” she says.
“It is best to go with your gut and experiment while remembering that you don’t have to hang pictures on walls, they can also look good propped up on tables.”
■ Kate Preston Art, www. kateprestonart.com. Find Kate on Instagram at @kateprestonart