When Harron Homes launched their new show home at The Lawns in Osbaldwick they brought in magician Nigel Francis to entertain visitors to the project.

We’re sure that Nigel was indeed hugely entertaining and provided lots of fun for house-hunters.

But he wasn’t the only magician at work. As we discovered when, once the crowds had died down, we paid a visit to the development.

The showhome is a Kerry Sovereign-style house – one of a range of different styles of house on offer at The Lawns.

It’s a stylish, modern family home with three good-sized bedrooms on the first floor and plenty of living space downstairs.

And, in this instance, we were wowed by the trendy interior design that very nicely sets off the contemporary feel of the house with a fascinating use of aubergine, purple and ivory colour schemes.

There is always a dual purpose, in our view at least, to looking around show homes.

The first, obviously, is to see what the completed houses will look like – and the second is to get ideas on how you could decorate, furnish and put together your own home once you have bought it.

Here, there is a great example of house style and interior design working in perfect harmony. The work has been done by interior design specialists Vogue. Their designer, Claire Hayes, says: I used this particular colour scheme to create a glamorous and luxurious feel. The house style is contemporary family home and I wanted to reflect this by using a cutting edge colour scheme.

“I used certain interiors, such as mirrors and velvet furnishings, to accompany the striking modern atmosphere created by the colouring.”

Fascinating stuff, but perhaps we had better move on before we are accused of being overly interested in soft furnishings… Let’s return to the house itself. As we mentioned, the Kerry Sovereign has three bedrooms, with the master having an en-suite shower room, and there’s also a smart house bathroom.

Downstairs, there is a well-fitted kitchen and a good-sized lounge/dining area – and then there is the added extra of a big family room. Patio doors from the lounge open up on to a garden and, in the case of the show home, capture plenty of lovely light.

We thought it would be an ideal home for a young professional couple but, as sales manager Mandi Doyle who took us on the tour is keen to point out, there has also been plenty of interest in the development from older people.

“We think there is something for everyone here,” she said.

And she could be right. The other house styles on offer include several types of five-bedroom detached houses, a series of four-bedroom, three-storey detached homes and three-bedroom town houses, as well as the three-bedroom Kerry Sovereign.

In all, there are 23 plots on the development, but sales are steadily ongoing. Of the homes on offer at present the prices range from £304,995 for a five-bedroom detached house with garage to £229,995 for a three-bedroom mid- town house (with several price categories in between).

We would suggest that, in the present market, that looks like decent value for money.

Especially as Harron Homes have some money-saving part-exchange schemes on offer on some of the homes.

Magic, as it were.

• For further details of the The Lawns, contact the sales information centre on 01904 426477.