VetmediUK founder Charlotte Innes discovered a flair for interior design when she bought her first home

“I was so focused on being a vet and studying that was all I was interested in, that along with horses,” says Charlotte.

The countless hours she put into getting to university and qualifying have stood her in good stead.

They enabled her to work as an equine veterinary surgeon in Britain, and to explore and hone her skills as an equine chiropractor who also uses acupuncture and state of the art gait analysis.

More recently, it led to her founding an online veterinary pharmacy, www.vetmedi.co.uk, which makes medicines much more affordable for animal owners by cutting out the mark-up added by vets practices.

“All of our medicines are licensed in the UK and prescribed by veterinary surgeons registered with the Royal Veterinary College and if you buy them from us then they are generally 60 to 70 per cent cheaper and we aim to post them out within one working day,” says Charlotte, who is also able to source approved medication that is not stocked in the UK.

Working for herself also meant she could be based in her native Yorkshire and could buy a house in God’s Own County, another box she wanted to tick after working in Australia, Hong Kong and Staffordshire.

Her dream location was Skipwith, an idyllic village close to York and Selby, where she grew up, though she had almost given up hope of finding “the one” when on Christmas Eve, a for sale sign went up on a property that ticked plenty of boxes and what it lacked was made up for in potential.

The period house belonged to the Escrick Park Estate and had been tenanted before being left empty for five years but Charlotte could see that it could be made into a beautiful home so an offer was made in 2018 and the keys to the door were hers, though she didn’t move in until a year later.

Architect Andrew Burningham drew plans for an extension, along with a programme of work to the existing house, which included a new roof, repointing and new floors.

“We were really lucky because we were able to use two inch clamp bricks from old buildings that had been demolished on the estate for the extension and so that is in keeping with the original house,” says Charlotte, who adds: “The whole house was stripped back.”

Ridding the property of previous modernisations was also high on the “to do” list and it brought some lovely surprises, including an inglenook that had been bricked up and hidden so a gas fire could be fitted.

What was a separate kitchen and sitting room were knocked into one. The kitchen cabinets are from www.diy-kitchens.com in South Kirby near Pontefract.

“We took inspiration from a top notch kitchen we had seen and designed it with that in mind but the cabinets we chose were really good value and we had them hand-painted and put good quality worktops on them, which we bought from Stone Connection in Wheldrake.”

The flooring is from Monks Cross Tiles and Bathrooms and the farmhouse table originally belonged to Charlotte’s parents.

“It first went to my brother’s home in London and then came back up to Yorkshire to me,” she says.

Other bargains include the sofa, which she found on eBay for a quarter of the retail price and the Aga wine fridge.

This allowed her to splurge on an electric Aga cooker and the Kartell chairs around the island.

There are references to horses everywhere, including the large photograph in the living kitchen by equestrian photographer Victoria Robertson.

The snug and its beautiful inglenook was treated to a wood-burning stove and faux fur throws make the old sofa look a million dollars.

The front sitting room is one of Charlotte’s favourite places and has a includes a new stone fireplace and items that belonged to her grandmother, including an antique cabinet and an Alfred Munnings signed print.

Upstairs, which was cleverly reconfigured, now has four bedrooms, which feature a mix of second hand buys and bargains including bedside tables from

Dunelm and investment items like the bespoke curtains and blinds throughout the house, which were made locally.

The bathroom, which is narrow and high is a triumph and includes a bath from Monks Cross Bathroom and Tiles and the montage of framed prints that turned the blank wall into a work of art.

Outside, a new oak garage was designed and made by Joe Tyson from Troutsdale Oak in Snainton.

Charlotte’s next plan, along with growing Vetmedi, is to have a dedicated live-work home with land where she can base the Vetmedi HQ and staff and also offer rehabilitation and pre-emptive treatment for horses, which will allow her to use her skills in equine chiropractic, acupuncture and gait analysis to help prevent injuries and alleviate and cure them.

To that end she put her home on the market recently and, not at all surprisingly, she got an offer immediately.

She is now preparing to say what will be a teary “goodbye” to her much-loved home after finding a place

“I have loved living here but I have found a place with land and it will give me everything I need. It’s not too far from here but I will miss this house and living in Skipwith.

“I am very attached to the village. It’s a hidden gem and Skipwith Common and the quiet lanes are perfect for riding out plus it’s just a 20 minute drive from York.”

Useful contacts: VetMedi, www.vetmedi.co.uk