Small House Big Ideas

Lisa Skelton and St John Harris’s modest bungalow has been extended and renovated to a whole new level.

- Hazel Dolan

When it comes to colour,’ says designer Lisa Skelton, ‘I don’t put any limitations on myself.’ Her hillside Yorkshire cottage is a testament to her lifelong passion for colour, each room a jewel case of favourite hues, from opal blues to vibrant emeralds, ruby reds and earthy ochres. Set against this backdrop is an enviable collection of textiles – simple, natural woven fabrics and richly patterned ethnic rugs – alongside vintage and modern ceramics and country furniture, each piece inherited, traded with fellow artists or gathered on her travels.

Lisa’s background is in textile design, so weaving colours and textures together is second nature to her, and in her last home overlooking Scarborough Bay she held nothing back. At the time, moving inland to a 1950s bungalow seemed a surprising choice. It was dark, cramped and dated, had ugly concrete roof tiles and plastic windows frames and, bewilderingly, there was an inside staircase that led nowhere.