“I had always loved this particular area of our town,” freelance retail buyer and content creator Helen Sellwood says of the small town, Barnard Castle, in Northern England. “I used to ride past on the school bus and dream about living here one day, so it was a real pinch-me moment when it actually happened!”

Nine years ago, Sellwood, and her husband, Dave, were looking for homes to buy. Sellwood’s sister-in-law, who worked for a local real estate office, convinced the couple to tour a four-bedroom, Victorian, stone-built home. 

It wasn’t just that the 1,950-square-foot home was located in their dream neighborhood: The living room also had a gorgeous bay window where Sellwood could picture the family Christmas tree going, and the building had a long history. 

“The house was built by a local builder who built the French chateau-style The Bowes Museum in our town,” Sellwood writes. “It is one of my favorite buildings, and the same stone was used to build our house. The story goes that the builder’s family lived next door until the 1950s. We actually got engaged at The Bowes Museum, so that’s a nice link, I think!”

Even though the house was out of their budget, the couple made it work. “There was no way we were letting it go,” Sellwood admits. Many years later, the house is a colorful, eclectic space for Sellwood; her husband, Dave Sellwood; their two children; and Boston Terrier, Stella, to thrive in.

• Hallway — Lick “Pink 03″ and Lick x Studio Coverdale “Electric poppies wallpaper” 
• Stairs — Little greene paint Co “Trumpet,” “Ultra blue,” “Clockwise,” and “silent white pale” 
• Living room — Crown “midnight navy” and Color courage “Honu lulu” 
• Dining room — Farrow and Ball’s “Charlottes Locks,” “Calke Green,” and “Cornforth White”
• Kitchen — Dulux white 
• Nursery — Crown white and Farrow and Ball “Yellowcake” 
• Main bedroom — Painthouse’s “Sienna” 
• En-suite — RustOleum Strawberry vanilla and chalk white 

• Mixed messages artwork — Art Sake
• Accents snug chair — Snug Sofa
• Flower cushion — George
• Sunshine season cushion — George
• Sofa — DFS but discontinued, similar here
• Choose joy print — Penny and Me
• Date print — Penny and Me
• Colorful room prints — blanchouseldn

• Amalfi wallpaper — Graham & Brown
• Lemon vase — The golden web shop

• Norton painted kitchen — Farrow & Ball Hague blue 
• Neon cocktails sign — locomocean
• Fabric blinds — Bluebellgray
• Flowers on chair print — Juniqe
• House number print — Penny & Me

• Art deco Superking bed — Craft and Beds
• Lust wallpaper — Lust Home
• Bedding — Freemans
• Bedding — Furn

• Resin chips for bathroom floor — Etsy
• Paint — Rust-Oleum (as above) 
• Tile paint — Tikkurila
• Vinyl for the bath and shower — Get Kooky

• Wallpaper — Lust Home

Thanks, Helen!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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