Headline: Discover a French connection in the middle of York

MAXINE GORDON meets the Yorkshire businessman who has brought his love affair with French antiques into his Georgian home in York

STEPHEN HAZELL'S home takes you back to another time – and place.

The Georgian home on The Mount – one of the York’s grandest streets – dates from the 1830s and has all the best features of the period, from large floor-to-ceiling windows, to the elegant staircase and hallway. There is a tiered garden at the back, where once a tennis court would have been laid.

York Press:

It all sounds quintessentially English – which makes it all the more surprising when you step over the doorway and discover all is not as it appears.

Light floods the interior, but not just from the grand, panelled windows, but through the choice of pale colours on the wall (decorated by York artist Mark Hearld, a friend of Stephen's). Large mirrors help reflect the light too, and everywhere you look, your eye is caught by something quite exquisite.

In the hall, a wooden sculpture of a horse appears to leap over a statue of a dog. Walk through into the main sitting room and you could swear you were in a beautiful house in France. Dappled light floods in through the triptych of windows, complementing the soft colour scheme of the room and magnified by the antique mirrors on the wall. The walls themselves are not as the Georgians would have had them. Wood panelling, taken from a house in France, has been fixed to the main walls, and has been so cleverly done that you do not question its authenticity.

Two mismatched sofas face each other, either side of the fireplace, just inviting you to sit, relax and soak up the splendour of the place.

Upstairs, the main bedroom is of equal proportion and to call it grand would be an understatement. Besides the antique bed, two low upholstered chairs join a table by the window, while a chaise longue hogs another corner. An entranceway leads to a corridor boasting three doors to his and her wardrobes and the ensuite; each door contains beautiful glass panels etched in Art Noveau designs.

"If the door is lovely, you make the wall fit the door," says Stephen, who renovated the house four years ago with his wife, Kath.

Another clever feature is two French wardrobe doors on the stair landing which open to reveal the guest wing.

Downstairs is a tale of two kitchens: the cooking area is kitted out a la mode with marble worktops, white gloss-doored cabinets and a stainless steel range cooker. The dining part is dominated by a French dresser painted in a petrol blue and a dark wood table and chairs. There is not a tablecloth or placemat in sight. “Tables are to be enjoyed,” insists Stephen. “If you spill wine, you just wipe it up, it adds to the patina.” Large light fittings hang from the ceiling to give a warm, even glow, perfect for dining.

The entire home could be a show house for their business, The French House, which sells French antiques dating from the 18th and 19th centuries up to Art Deco in the 1930s. The business once had a premises on Micklegate, but now runs from an emporium at the junction of North Lane and the A64 at Huntington, York. Stephen's son, Marcus, runs its London outpost.

They started the business more than two decades ago. “We bought a house in France and it was full of antiques. At the time, I didn’t want about 80 per cent of them, so my son and I sold those we didn’t want. I realised then there was a market, so we started The French House on the back of that gut feeling. Now we are the biggest dealers in French antiques in the country.”

Customers come back time and again, says Stephen, looking for those one-off pieces that make a house a home.

“Styles change all the time, but these pieces are about quality and elegance. They create a unique feeling of intimacy in the home.”

Ornate mirrors and wall lights adorn Stephen and Kath’s house, while mantelpieces, occasional tables and alcoves are the ideal spots to display a figurine or small sculpture.

Stephen says while the look lends itself to a period home, it can work in more contemporary settings too. “Try one or two statement pieces. Just feature one or two things that can catch your eye and you can enjoy.”

Oh, and another thing: mirrors are a fantastic asset to any home, and create their own interiors magic, he says. “People think of mirrors as something to comb their hair in, but mirrors are a way to create space and light without having to move walls.”

Details:

The French House, junction of North Lane and A64 Malton Road, Huntington, York, YO32 9SU

T: 01904 400561

W: thefrenchhouse.co.uk