A little girl's dream A little girl's dream come true come true; Designed to be a dream come true.

ASHOWHOME turns a property into a home. Prospective buyers can see just how a house or apartment will work and see the space and possibilities to get a real feel of how each room could work for them. And they can see the fixtures and fittings available from the builder.

So the role of an interior designer is key to the success of a new homes development. Builders Keepmoat Homes has recently appointed Claude Hooper to dress their showhomes and sales offices. And the first home to benefit from the interior specialist's touch is the three-bedroom Oakhurst at the developer's Parklands site in Bowburn, County Durham.

Adopting a cream and ivory colour scheme with accents of silver, grey, mauves and soft greens, the two-and-a-half storey townhouse has been dressed to demonstrate its flexibility and practicality, whilst showing buyers how they can achieve a warm, friendly and modern interior. By maximising natural light within the home and using soft floral and textured wallpaper, silks, velvets and linens the designers have added a touch of luxury to the showhome. Downstairs the Oakhurst has a lounge with French doors which open out to the garden, a kitchen/diner and cloakroom. The first floor landing includes a study area.

Upstairs the children's bedroom has been dressed for a young girl, with a mural of the well-loved Angelina Ballerina on a feature wall - creating every little girl's dream room. Bedroom two has been decorated as a guest room in cream tones with complementing oak furniture. The pice de rsistance is the master bedroom with en suite, which occupies the top floor and features a double bed with deep buttoned headboard, a feature mirror and bedside tables.

The Parklands development is in the village of Bowburn, south east of Durham city, offering a rural setting with city amenities nearby. It has good transport links to the A1M and A690, linking to Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle city centres. Parklands has a range of properties, including the three-bedroom Oakhurst, Ambrose and Clarendon as well as the four-bedroom Ludlow. Prices start from pounds 127,995. For more details, tel: [phone] or go to www.keepmoathomes.co.uk

CAPTION(S):

DRESSED TO IMPRESS The child's bedroom in Keepmoat Homes' new Oakhurst showhome at Parklands, Bowburn, County Durham. WELCOMING The inviting living room, above, of the Oakhurst showhome and, right, the dining kitchen.