North Yorkshire interior designer completes £3.75m York city centre apartment scheme

York property developer, Northminster Ltd, and North Yorkshire interior designer Rachel McLane Ltd partnered up to transform a city centre car showroom into a brand new apartments scheme.

The former 1927 showroom and warehouse at 34 Piccadilly has been renovated into 10 modern loft apartments at a development cost of £3.75m.

Rachel McLane already provided provided interior designs for several major schemes including The Feversham Arms Hotel, Helmsley; The Devonshire Arms Estate and the Chatsworth Trust, Derbyshire; Arsenal Football Club, The Mere Golf Resort and Spa, Knutsford and The Star Inne The City, York.

Her most recent work at 34 Piccadilly included the interior design of mover 70 rooms throughout the ten loft apartments, including the communal lobby and corridor, mezzanine areas, bathrooms, en suites, open-plan kitchens, dining and living rooms, bedrooms, utility rooms and entrance hallways.

In addition to rearranging dozens of room layouts, Rachel and her staff of four specified all the bathroom furniture, including de-misting mirrors; kitchen units and appliances; flooring, including use of engineered hardwood; tiling to reflect the building’s heritage; carpets, bespoke joinery including shelving, wardrobes and benches, and lighting with more than 30 different styles and specifications of fittings in more than 500 installations.

The apartments will be put on the market by York estate agents Hudson Moody, which are hoping to make a sale between £250k and £450k for each apartment. Northminster Ltd expects the scheme to kick start further development in that part of the city centre.

Commenting on the refurbishment apartments, Rachel McLane said: “I saw the fantastic potential of Piccadilly Lofts immediately. The challenge for us was understanding the three-dimensional space so we could make the most of the best attributes of each apartment including the use of light and space.

“We wanted to ensure that the finishes and design enabled prospective purchasers to imagine themselves living there with their own possessions. We kept to a neutral pallet but highlighted features within each apartment.

“The properties are unique but with wide appeal. The way the conversions have been achieved means each dwelling is individual. They will make superb homes. I don’t believe there is anything else like them in the area, certainly in York. It was refreshing to work with Northminster Ltd which genuinely cares about detail and was prepared to take guidance. It was a great scheme to work on.”

George Burgess, Northminster Ltd managing director, added: “Piccadilly Lofts is our first residential scheme for 12 years as we have been busy developing Northminster Business Park.

“The nature of the original structure and the architectural design created the potential for us to deliver highly distinctive properties and we commissioned Rachel McLane to maximise their design potential The whole scheme is full of character and no two rooms are the same.

“For us, this has been about creating the most attractive, efficient, practical and comfortable homes and we have been very impressed with Rachel McLane and her team right from her initial response.”

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