LAKE DISTRICT'SGREATtrST BOOKSA CELEBRATION OF CUMBRIAN LITERATURE

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After years of makingtelevision documentaries,

Rachael Polkinghornehas turned her visual

talents to interior design.Writer Mary lngham andphotographer Phil Rigbymeet her in one of the

luxury apartments she'sdesigned in her home

town of Keswick

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e are in a five-star self-cateringapartment in Keswick, just a fewminutes' walk from the shops.

There are views across the gushing RiverCrer,r and firz Parl to skiddau and Latriggto the north and Catbells and Grizedale Piketo the south.

So faq so very Lake District: the mix ofspectacular countryside and a bustling,visitor-friendly community which drawsmillions of visitors to Cumbria each year. Butinside the holiday home is full of originaltouches courtesy of designer RachaelPolkinghorne, of Polkadot Interiors.

lr'' one ol the 'rx Riverside Park holidayapartments in Otley Road owned anddeveloped by local businessman KeithGraham, who asked Rachael to do thedetailed design. The homes have picturewindows and skylights, balconies over theGreta, solid oak floo$ and Italian-stylekitchens with Siemens appiiances from thetown's Southey Interiors,

1n the open plan living room and kitchendiner of the apartment we are in, Rachael hascreated a 'fireplace' out of a solid oak benchfrom KeswickJoinery Co, setting the electricfire against nine mirror panels rather than achimney breast. There's a flat screen TV onone end ofthe bench and a striking seagullsculpture from Keswick china shop and artgallery. Treeby & Bolron. which n owned byKeith Graham\ wife Sue Hoffrnann.

In the window a Libra wicker cocoonchair and table, with a lamp from Dwellarching over them, form an ideal retreat for aquiet few moments with a glass of wine and agood book. The dining table and wickerchairs are also from Libra and the sofa andlights over the table from Dwell. On a Libraside table theret a Teac CD player and aniPod docking station and all the pictures comefrom Treebyt.

Rachaei uses local suppliers as much as

possible. The French window curtains comefrom Textures in Keswick. "They'r:e reallygood, made in herringbone iinen andinterlined to give heaviness," says Rachael.The chunky tufted rug "to add a bit ofwackiness" is from Floor Choice, Keswick, asare all the carpets, and the blinds are fromEiliot and Black of Cockermouth.

The white lamps on the oak bench cost afiver each from Dunelm, proving Rachael'stheory that you don't always have to sourcethe priciest items for a quality look providedeverlthing is used in the right way. In thekitchen, the splashback's glass mosaic tilescome from Wickes, in Penrith, as do prettywall lights, installed in pairs

"Using less expensive products in bulk canlook really good," says Rachael. "With a bitof vision, you can combine beautiful artworkard , heaper thrngs. That . \ har makes itexciting for me. It gives me a buzz to achievereally stylish interiors without blowing mybudget."

Ar open rtatr.are lead) lo the relJxinggallery-style 'music room', with black leatherreclrner- and sota from DF\, cowhide .earingcubes from Libra, a walnut coffee table fromDwell, lamps and mirrors from Treeby's, andIkea display shelves.

There are two double bedrooms, abathroom and an en-suite shower room andlavatory. All the bedding is in Egyptian cottonfromJohn Lewis. A room with a Chinesestyle bed has bedside tables from India Jane,Italian larnps from Treeby's, and raw siikcr.rrtains from Textures, a perhaps unlikelybut highly successful blend of styles which,says Rachael, is "about making it all hangtogether".

The barhroom, irom \ourhey Interiors.has Italian floor tiles - black with a goldshimmer, a suspended toilet and semi-pedestalsink for maxinum space, and chrome showerfittings. There's also a 'Hollywood star' r|'

Jlne 2009 CUN,IBRIA LIFE 103

illuminated mirror fiorrr B&Q "a bit of funrr.rilr. rr hi.h \ r'nportJrr 'rr rrtcr,or de'tg t .

Rachael rvorked in rclcvision for nanvyears bctirre a nerv career opened up fbr herin which she uses the sane instilcts for thevisual which she brought to her TV rvork."I'm not a trairrccl irrtcriol dcsigner," she s:r1's.

"i\ rionple of years ago I bought tu,o corragesil Kcslvick, r'enovated them rnd marketedthem furnished lvith mt'own stuff. In both..r.e'. r\e I'rr-.1- ''.f l-.'uqlrr lhrlor 'iJ\rrgme with no furniturc!"

Ker.h L'rlL rrrr h.rd.ee r lhe.olrr!e..'L,lhrn l(csrvick and both norv holiday lets, andasked R:rchael to do Rivcrsidc Park.

"I'lrr star.ti g to specialise in the holidavrrld -LUITJ l,,rlc r".rrk.t.eir\ef fen,,rJri-Eor decorating," sats Rachael. Over the yearsshe has become somervh:rt :rddictcd to doingup houses :rnd selling them on. "My son,Josh, is sir end has lived in nine houses. I'r,efinally bougirr a housc ro livc iu and the nextprojcct is our homc."

. rought Lrp in Kes$.ick, Rirchael rvorkedJS ,r nJnn) r.t utnl orrecti)f l\eL-tRussell, ltfore going to media school

in I ondon and s'orking for Ken for nvo orthrcc vcdrs on various projects and on theSourh Bank Shog'.

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104 CU[,4BR|A LIFE Jure 2009

The open staircase leads from the living area t0 the gallery-style 'music room'

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A r00m with a view over the Greta and Fitz Park ... and the bathroom with Hollywood-style mirr0r from B&Q

Jlne 2009 CU[.4BR|A LIFE 105

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I It was a good launch pad, she says, whcnshe decided she wanted to makedocumentattes,

She went to Border TV as a tesearchetthen worked at BBC Manchester, wall to!(all in London, and Yorkshjre TV. Shcpresented Tracks from the BBC! Pebble Millstudios with Ray Mears - "I didn't like it, Iwas too self-conscious" and had her bigbreak wl,en, through Yorkshire TV, shebecame a producer-director for thc DiscoveryChannel.

;i -'r he returned to Border where her first:, ,'._ Jocumentlry. abour ( uml'ria ba.edLr ,ii pelar explorer Robert Swan OBE, woltbest factual prograrnme in the RoyalTelevision Society's awards for the north-eastand the borders.

Ovel the next five or six years she made 60or 70 half-hour programmes for Border. Shegave up working in TV when Josh was born,rarrghr r,," .r wh ile rr r he r hen CumbriaInstitute of the Arts in Carlisle (norv theUniversity of Cumbria), and did a couple ofTV series for Border

As well as holiday homes, Rachael has alsobeen working on hotels and bed andbreakfasts and says some outlets now realisethey nced to become a bit more boutiqueJike

She recently turned a three-star holidayapartment into a five star witb only anodest budget to work with. "l boughtall sorts of accessories and it\ selling leallywell. Cushions, rugs and throws make aheck of a difference as does going big - bigmirrors, big lamps, and big pictures,"says Rachael.

As someone who "did alDhat glamorousbit working in films" but was happy to comeback home to Cumbria, Rachael loves addinga touch of big city style to her interiors."People can have a traclitional holiday in theLakes and stay in a wowey contemporaryapartment," says Rachael. |EEl

l:: For 1orc ilTformation seewLulu.pol kadot-interiors.col11 or contdctRachael on teL: 07771 982314, etudilra cb a elp ctl k@ b ti nte r net. com

'106 CUMBRIA LIFE June 200S

The creta flows past the apartments, the exterior 0f which Rachael also helped to design

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-L_ffiC0ntemporary and relaxed - solid oak floors and an ltalian-style kitchen with wicker dining chairs

Aview from the flattakes in Keswick and the mist-shrouded Catbells in the distance