Inside the compact Yorkshire Victorian semi that is packed with interior design ideas

It would be fair to describe Bev as a constant decorator. “I have decorated each room several times over the years. During lockdown, if it didn’t move, I painted it,” she says.

There are three storeys - a dining kitchen, about 14ft square, on the lower ground floor leading out to her much-loved private garden, then a lounge on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom above that. Period features include deep cornices and skirting boards and decorative arches in the hallway.

Bev is not afraid to challenge herself and experiment with light and colour. She says: “The kitchen is quite dark anyway, so when I recently painted the back wall black, I was dubious as to whether it would work, but I was really pleased with how it turned out. Having the mirror on the wall also reflects the garden.

“It’s quite a cosy kitchen and it’s not all super-duper fitted out. The kitchen units were originally oak and have been re-painted several times, from sage green to grey and now Farrow and Ball Skimming Stone. I use a local company to spray them.

“The brick walls are actually brick slips, and give a nice rustic look. The dresser, too, has gone through several changes, but I now feel the dark colour complements the room. I use it for additional storage, as there are never enough cupboards.”

Bev - who works as office manager for Brand Britain, a brand and packaging design agency based in Pudsey, run by her son Russel and his business partner Steve - says a friend once described her interior design style as traditional with a modern twist, but there is also a decidedly bold edge of drama that pulls her decorative schemes together with impressive aplomb.

She spends most of her time in the ground floor lounge, especially in the evenings. “It’s the only room where I have got a TV,” she says.

“The wall paint is a Farrow and Ball colour - Cornforth White - and the furniture was initially Mexican pine, and all painted in Shaded White.”

When she first moved in, the DFS sofas had to go through the window to get in there. Four years ago, they were re-covered by Marcus Kenyon Upholstery. “Rather than removing the windows again, Marcus’s team decided to saw them in half to get them out. They looked ready for the bonfire but came back looking great,” Bev says. “They did an amazing job. You cannot tell at all that they are cut in half. They have put an extra leg in the middle of the sofa and then zipped them together in a hidden seam.”

The wooden floors were sanded back and treated with Jacobean Dark Oak wood stain and covered with a large rug, in neutral colours to blend in with the rest of the room. “The mirrored ‘door’ was a find on eBay - I feel the distressed look fits with the rest of the decor,” she says, adding that she paints most of her furniture, which add to the bespoke and vintage feel.

“A lot of other finds are HomeSense and TK Maxx. They have some really nice things that are usually one-off pieces and not something you are going to see in everybody else’s house,” she says, adding that she also uses B&Q and Johnstones Paint, “and, of course, any independent antique shops are always an attraction”.

The main bedroom has the same stained floorboards, and a jute rug, for a slightly colonial look. “I wanted to create a cosy bedroom and move away from the previous grey look,” says Bev.

“The small bedroom is very small but, although friends have suggested I turn it into a dressing room, I like to have a spare room if friends come to stay, and the view from here is great.”

The bathroom is probably Bev’s favourite room. “I’d decided to re-do during lockdown, and had I been able to find a bathroom fitter earlier, the design would have been very different - a green jungle theme was my original plan,” she says.

“However, I love my ‘boudoir’ bathroom. The cupboard, from Scape Interiors, was my starting point, and my bathroom fitter, Rhys from Mirfield Bespoke Tiling, cleverly worked the shower to fit round it. I had the bespoke chandelier shower screen done by Quarmby Colour and I added a distressed mirror on top of the stairwell, which reflects the light from the chandelier and adds a bit of interest.

“I would have really liked a roll-top bath in there but it just wouldn’t fit, so I made that into a shower room. And it works. People say that, as you get old, you can’t get in and out of the bath, so I think that was the best decision.”

Outside is just as important to Bev as her great indoors. “I spend a lot of time in the garden and the shrubs and bushes have matured over the years to create the perfect oasis,” she says. “I waited two years to find a nice water feature, only to cut through the wires when pruning recently.

“I’d like to think it is my forever home, but realise that having two flights of very steep stairs is not ideal as I get older.

“I say there is nothing left to do, but I’m sure, in another year or so, I’ll want to change something. I have started hiding my paintbrushes and joke that each room is probably a few inches smaller than it should be because of all the painting over the years.”