ABOUT
Hello, I'm Rebecca
I transform homes and rural businesses, and create public art for places people love.
I'm a designer and artist, trained in architecture, now based in North Yorkshire. Whether I'm working on a family home, a rural business or a 36-metre mural, I'm interested in the same things: what makes a place special, how it feels to be in it, and what it could become.
WHERE IT STARTED
Seasons, weather and patience
I grew up on a farm, where seasons, weather and patience shaped daily life. It taught me to look closely, respond carefully, and work with what's already there rather than imposing on it. I still work that way today.
ARCHITECTURE & LONDON
Fifteen years of seeing what places could become
I studied architecture at Newcastle University, then spent over a decade in London as an architectural visualiser. I worked with leading practices on major commercial and residential developments, many of which are now part of London's skyline.
It was a brilliant training. I learnt to read space, scale and materials, and how an idea becomes a real building. Most of all, I learnt to see what a place could become long before anything was built.
15
years in architecture and
visualisation
DOING IT FOR REAL
Putting it into practice on our own business
When I returned home to the family farm, I put all of that into practice. I run Bainvalley Cottages, a five-property holiday estate, where I took The Hayloft from first idea through planning to finished building, opened Larder & Co., and rebuilt the systems behind the scenes. By listening to what our guests wanted and acting on it, we more than doubled our revenue.
I've also transformed homes, including Hungram, a neglected cottage that is now a warm, characterful home, full of the bold colour I love.
2x
Revenue more than doubled at Bainvalley Cottages
ART MADE FOR ITS PLACE
Two 36-metre public artworks, and hundreds of commissions
Alongside the design work, I've always painted and illustrated. My public art includes a mural on the entrance hoarding of a new National Trust site, telling visitors the story of what was evolving behind it, and an illustrated tile scheme wrapping the bench seating at the University of Hull.
I create illustrated maps for places like Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust, where the map greets visitors at the entrance and works just as hard in the castle marketing. I also design illustrated wallpaper for hospitality spaces, and I've painted hundreds of private commissions for people's homes and as gifts.
HOW I WORK
Everything starts with listening
To you, to the people who use the place, and to the place itself. I've always been fascinated by how our surroundings affect how we feel, and why some rooms calm us, some energise us, and some just never feel right. So I think about colour, light, materials and proportion in terms of how a space will feel to live in, not just how it looks.
Then I keep you involved at every stage, with clear ideas, honest advice and no jargon, and I stay with the project until the change is real.
"I love the moment it clicks, when a client realises I've really heard them, and we both know we're onto something."
WHAT I DO NOW
Three ways to work with me
Homes, Interiors, Colour & Art
Colour and art consultation, interior design and full transformation for people who want a beautiful home but don't have the time to make it happen.
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Rural Business
Helping holiday lets, farm diversification projects, farm shops and retail spaces see their potential and grow, from the very first idea through planning, design and the way the business runs.
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Public Art, Maps & Commissions
Murals, illustrated maps, wallpaper and paintings for heritage sites, estates, gardens, councils, universities and private clients.
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Let's talk
Whether it's a home that doesn't feel quite right, a holiday business ready for its next chapter, or a garden, estate or attraction with a story waiting to be told, I'd love to hear about it.
Rebecca