Hazel Dolan takes a tour of interior designer Lisa Skelton’s home as she prepares for Christmas . . .

Twin Klippan sofas in red from Ikea add a splash of bold colour to the sitting room. Lisa had already chosen Theresa’s Green by Farrow & Ball as the wall colour when she found curtains in exactly the same shade at B & Q

Interior designer Lisa Skelton and her husband St John Harris may not have known exactly what they were looking for when they began property-hunting in Scarborough, but as soon as they stepped inside their Regency-style home, they knew they had found it.

“It had come on the market that day,” says Lisa. “We were the first to see it and we bought it straightaway. We made up our minds there and then, because of the fabulous sea views.

“We knew that whatever we bought had to have a special quality about it; we were looking for something that was just a bit different, and this was it. It was very exciting.”

At this time of year, she says, the couple’s home is at its absolute best. “This house comes to life at Christmas. Just bringing in fresh foliage, ivy and berries changes the way each room feels.

“It makes new focal points, dressing a fireplace or hanging a garland on a door, so that you look at familiar things in a fresh way.

“Natural materials are more sympathetic to the way this house feels – anything synthetic or garish would jar, but bringing in the colours of the countryside or the beach works beautifully.”

Tucked into the middle of a crescent of tall, slim houses, its three bay windows make the most of those views across the bay and out to sea. But while they loved the location and the period style of their new home, they knew the layout needed to be re-thought.

“When you came back with your shopping, the first room you came to was a bedroom, which was ridiculous,” Lisa says. “And then you went upstairs to the kitchen and sitting room, which was mad, too. It was a really old kitchen at the back of the house with absolutely no view, and the sitting room doubled up as a dining room.

“I like to live in a property first and spend a little time thinking about it before I do anything. We spent about six months here before starting, and we realised we weren’t actually using the whole of the house.

“It’s on four floors and we were only using two. We had everything we needed – a bathroom and our bedroom, and the kitchen and the sitting room – all on two floors. Now we use all of them.”

Another view of the sitting room. Lisa and St John replaced the 1960s sliding glass door with a reclaimed one from White House Antiques and had a new architrave made to match the original ones in the house

Their solution was to move the kitchen to the ground floor and turn the old one into a new guest room. At the same time they replaced the 1960s sliding glass door in the sitting room with an attractive glazed pine one and had new architrave made to match the original.

Now each of the rooms is decorated in Lisa’s signature style, using a mix of subtle creams punctuated with rich, earthy colour, and a blend of vintage and modern furnishings and fabrics.

“I prefer older buildings, and I think that you should be sympathetic to the age and feel of the house, although I do mix antique and contemporary pieces,” she says. “I try to keep the feel to something I think is in keeping, and here that came out in using colour, and just trying to keep as many original features as possible.

“I almost see it partly as a restoration, but taking into consideration modern living.”

In the kitchen, Shaker-style hand-painted furniture, made to Lisa’s design, is teamed with cream walls and glossy granite, creating a fresh and light space, with the bay window as its main focus.

In contrast, the sitting room’s muted green walls and woodwork, bold red sofas and richly-patterned rug is cosy and enveloping.

“I quite like being experimental, being quite brave with colour,” says Lisa. “The kitchen is quite subtle and calm, so I thought: ‘Now I want something really rich’!

“It looks great at Christmas with all the decorations.

“Because I love colour I probably always think about colour first and then, because I am more spatially aware than anything else, I think about how I am going to utilise the space. I am really open to suggestions and I try loads and loads of options.

“I am like a sponge, I like taking in lots of ideas and working through them. I listen to what people say. I might totally disregard it, but I think it’s really good to bounce ideas off other people, and not be precious about it, because that’s how you move on creatively.”

An original Georgian cast iron range makes a strong focal point in the kitchen

The whole process of transforming the house has been helped by lucky finds: A pine dresser for the sitting room, picked up for £40 at the local tip; old, seasoned floorboards, buried like treasure at the bottom of a joiner’s woodpile, and best of all, the cast iron range for their kitchen.

“It was in pieces at a reclamation yard, covered in rust, but perfect for us,” she says.

“My dad has a huge garage that is almost a barn and I took it there for us to work on. He rebuilt the oven and the builder built the fireplace so it has flues, so that it actually works properly and I can use it. I have baked in it and at Christmas I cook, and when the fire’s going, I put all the food in there to keep it warm.”

Lisa’s favourite room has to be their top-floor bedroom, where a simple white painted bed is teamed with rich cream walls and accents of fresh blues and vibrant turquoise. “It has the bay window and it has the most amazing view and the light is incredible. It’s very high up and looks right out, so you have the view of the whole of the South Bay, right around to Cayton Bay, and then you can look over on to the woods right across town.

“I love being so close to the sea and the ever-changing view. One day is never the same as the next, and in winter it can be just fabulous, with the waves crashing over the side of the harbour walls.

“Scarborough in the winter is fantastic – it’s my favourite time of year here. It’s so busy in summer, you can’t move, but in winter it’s much more peaceful, and dramatic.”

To contact Lisa at Skelton Harris Interiors, call: 07801 257569.