HEARTH & HOUNDS

Angela Egan’s passion for antiques and collectibles has transformed an ordinary Victorian cottage into a welcoming home

- Heather Dixon

Hoisting a heavy half tester bed up a steep flight of steps and through the narrow doors of her period home in Malton was no mean feat – but Angela Egan isn’t easily defeated.

‘It came apart into four sections and even though it weighs a ton we managed to manoeuvre it into the sitting room,’ she says. ‘Unfortunately we couldn’t get it any further – the stairs to the bedrooms are so narrow and awkward that I had to rethink the bed – or rethink the layout.’

Unwilling to part with her favourite piece of furniture, Angela decided to turn the sitting room into a bedroom and rearranged the whole house around it.

‘I wasn’t sure whether it would work because I have to walk through the bedroom to get to the next floor, but the house is very quirky and so full of character that it simply added to its charm,’ she says. ‘I turned the reception room into the sitting room. Unfortunately I had a similar problem getting the sofa inside. I have a lovely sofa which I wanted to use in the sitting room but there was no way we could get it up the steps. In the end it had to be carried through the kitchen door and go in the dining room in the basement. I just have some comfortable armchairs in the sitting room, which are perfect for cosy winter evenings by the fire. You have to compromise when you live in a period house. Nothing is ever straight – or straight forward!’