 EVEN though her home is worth more than £1.5m, Sam Smith still loves a bargain and says she never pays full price when buying furniture and accessories for her stunning Georgian country house. "I’ve got a real eye for a bargain," says Sam, 43, who lives in Felton Park Hall on the outskirts of Felton, Northumberland, with husband Steve, 47, and children Holly, 11, Harriet, eight, and William, seven. "I travel to lots of different places around the country, fairs and such, so I have learned a lot along the way and use this to furnish the house. They are there to sell you something so have an idea what you want to pay and make them an offer. They can only say no!"
Felton Park Hall has been owned by two of the largest landowning families in Northumberland – the Widdrington family, who constructed it in 1732, and the Riddell family who bought it in 1799. During World War II it was commandeered by the Army and fell into disrepair, before being partly demolished and re-modelled. There is still a Grade II* Listed greenhouse dating from 1830 in the garden, which was designed by Capability Brown and is one of only four surviving of its style. Unsurprisingly the building gets a mention in Sir Nikalous Pevsner’s famous architectural guide, The Buildings of England – Northumberland. When Sam and Steve bought the house five years ago they immediately fell in love with it, even though it had been in the same family for over 50 years and needed a lot of updating. Although the couple were from Sheffield, they had a holiday cottage at Embleton and fancied a new project. "Georgian houses have the best proportions and light-filled rooms," says Sam. "Maybe it’s something to do with being built before electricity. All the Georgian features lend themselves to creating interesting rooms. The thickness of the walls, the panelling and the detail is lovely. "Structurally it had been looked after and the roof was fine, but it was just decor. It had been done in the 50s and redecorated in the 70s, and there was a lot of concrete about." With more than 9,000sq ft of accommodation, including five reception rooms, six bedrooms and five bathrooms, it was a huge job. As Steve has his own electrical contracting firm, which Sam also works for, they had lots of contacts in the building trade. And after 12 months waiting for listed building consent, they were able to change the layout of the hallway, redesigning the staircase and creating bigger windows. All in all the work took two-and-a-half years, with six months spent in the Embleton cottage over winter when the new heating system was being installed. "If you get the basics right the rest follows really," says Sam. When the time finally came to decorate, Sam really went to town. "My influences are very French," she says. "I love the painted furniture and all the muted colours that run alongside, anything with chipped and peeling paint that looks like its been unloved – I can’t resist it. | 
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