A Layered Approach

Quirky ideas and a passion for skiing turned Holly Box’s bland new-build into a home full of personality

- Heather Dixon

Holly Box and Charlie Cowley had no plans to return to their home town when they started house hunting – until they saw a new-build on the outskirts of Pocklington.

It was light, open, spacious and has a private garden overlooking a man-made lake. It ticked all the boxes, was within their budget and made a perfect home for their King Charles spaniel, Rustin.

‘It was a new build with floor coverings, kitchen and bathroom fittings already in, but we knew we could make it our own.,’ says Holly. ‘The décor was really bland – magnolia throughout – and uninspiring so I wanted to give the whole house lots of character, without making any structural changes.’ They started by decorating the whole house, room by room, bringing in feature wallpapers and colour to break up the blandness of the walls.

‘We didn’t have a lot of furniture so I started looking for key pieces to create the basis of each room, then added smaller furniture and lots of accessories to built it all up layer by layer,’ says Holly. ‘I created further interest with different styles of furniture – retro, vintage and modern – and built up the character with things we’ve collected which are personal to us.’

Holly runs an interiors shop in York called Greybear, selling furniture and gifts, and as part of that she goes to a lot of auctions. As well as buying for the shop she also buys for their home.