Retirement for Will and Coral Paton was never going to be about taking it easy; they have far too many plans for that. One plan was moving to the Borders, and in 2004 it came to fruition when they took up residence in a small village near Jedburgh. Their four bedroom property dates back to around 1700 and at one point was in such a state of disrepair that the National Trust for Scotland stepped in to halt its decline. When the Patons purchased it, the renovation work had been finished for a number of years but there was still plenty of opportunity for them to put their own inimitable stamp upon it. As former antique dealers, although former is used in the loosest sense, they promptly filled the house with their collectibles. Furnishing the property certainly didn’t pose a problem, but there were lots of other changes they wanted to make as well. On the agenda were a new bathroom, central heating system and kitchen. ‘We ripped out the kitchen thinking we’d get around to it quicker than we did,’ says Will. ‘After eight months of horrific estimates and Coral cooking on a two ring hot plate, we heard about kitchen specialists Jill and Bruce Craigie at Knowesouth. ‘They did everything – flooring, units, all the appliances and for a third of the prices we’d been quoted. We were incredibly lucky, as we have been with our workmen, who were all local.’

Making a home

With the larger jobs accomplished, the couple started decorating and making the place a home. Their love of antiques means that everything in this house tells a story. They even met in a junk shop and knew very quickly that they were kindred spirits. ‘Coral used to do antique fairs and I had always dealt in antiques and made a living out of it.

Today it’s to a lesser degree, and we tend to buy more than we sell and keep more than we should. ‘We still enjoy antiques, and it is an excuse to go and buy, really,’ Coral continues. ‘Dealers are nearly always collectors first and they only turn dealers because they don’t have any room left!’ Between them, the couple cover most of the antique market, but, there aren’t too many disagreements about who gets to buy what, as Will explains: ‘I specialised in furniture, china and paintings. I was never into glass or jewellery, which Coral is. However, Coral opened my eyes to glass and I introduced her to china. I can’t imagine our lives without antiques in them – it would be boring. I’m aware that the house isn’t to everyone’s taste, it’s over packed and we do have too much, but that’s the way we like it. I’ve been doing this for over 40 years and I can still walk into a sale room and my heart starts pumping.’

Four poster forays

Technically, the couple are supposed to be retired but that doesn’t deter them from visiting sale rooms and making the odd purchase... as in the case of the four poster bed which Will recalls rather sheepishly: ‘We’d been looking for a four poster for a while. I’ve always wanted one, and I thought even though the proportions weren’t that grand here, one would work. As I had no intention of paying £20,000, I eventually decided to make my own. We already had a bed with a carved oak headboard and footboard and we started buying old furniture like hall tables and wine cabinets with carving that were in a sad state of repair. We saved these up until we had enough to put a bed together. When it was finished I was delighted with it. ‘Then a colleague called and said a four poster was being sold from a private house and did I want a look? I said no, if I come and have a look I’ll buy it. The bed was duly sent to auction. We went to said auction and bought it! That’s the reason we now have two – we never do anything by halves.’ Creative thinking

This inventive streak runs throughout the house, and although the couple admire excellent craftsmanship they’re not averse to taking apart pieces to create exactly what they want. ‘There was originally a Formica-topped vanity unit with an avocado sink in the master bedroom,’ says Will. ‘We couldn’t live with that! So, we bought a sideboard in the St Boswells sale. I thought it was a bit tight to fit up the stairs and it was. We returned it and luckily found another piece that fitted. I cut out the hole for the sink and that’s what you see now.’ Coral continues: ‘We try to make use of what we have or recycle and improve. I’ll see something and think, I’ll use that, but in a different way. There’s always a project on the go.’ Speaking of which, the Patons are half way through their next renovation. The couple have acquired the barn at the side of their house and are turning this into a thatched roof garage.

Exciting and garage don’t usually make good bedfellows, but when Coral mentions a fireplace, wood burning stove and mezzanine floor one gets the impression that this will be no ordinary garage. ‘It’s going to be a garage and workshop, but quite a luxurious one. Somewhere we can do projects but don’t have to tidy up,’ says Coral. Will adds: ‘It’s hard to step off the treadmill but people who retire and have nothing, die. We’re too busy for that nonsense!’