CROSS the threshold of Bibi Klamer’s farm cottage and prepare to be surprised. The Danish mum of two has transformed this traditional Yorkshire house into a light and airy open-plan space in the best Scandinavian tradition.

Walls have been knocked down and glass doors installed at the front of the house to create an enormous window with unspoilt views over the fields just south of Selby.

Light floods into the dining/kitchen area, where Bibi has unleashed a hotchpotch style that has become her trademark.

Slate flagstones a wood burning stove create a rustic feel that is softened by oversized printed lampshades, hanging in tandem above the kitchen table, and a pink Fifties-style Smeg fridge.

In the lounge, pale blue walls contrast with mustard yellow wallpaper, while wooden shelves are adorned with blue ceramics and an artfully displayed collection of vintage children’s toys.

Stacks of cushions, in a variety of fabrics, lie invitingly on two armchairs – picked up second hand, like many of the items in the four-bedroom cottage.

This love of colour and juxtaposition not only shapes Bibi’s living space, but her living, too. She makes children’s clothes, selling them at her smart boutique, Bibi Klamer, in Brook Street, Selby.

Using fabrics sourced in Denmark, Bibi’s designs feature clashing colours and daring mixes of fabrics. There are children’s fleeces in brilliant hues; green with pink and orange flowers, purple with yellow hearts, lime with turquoise stars. Dresses have simple A-line or smock shapes and pretty details such as lace trim or a felt or wool corsage.

Bibi set up the business four years ago with her mother-in-law, Anne Fear, an enthusiastic seamstress who had retired but uprooted from Somerset to get on board.

The women run a small cottage industry from the workshop at the back of the shop; when they are not making clothes and dealing with customers they are attending to their burgeoning online business.

“My mum taught me to sew,” says Bibi, 37, who moved to England from Copenhagen 15 years ago after meeting her partner, Nick Osborne. The couple have two children, Victor, ten, and Olive, six.

Bibi was brought up learning traditional skills, sewing from her mum, Annette, and knitting from her aunt, Kirsten.

“I’ve definitely got my creative streak from mum,” says Bibi. “She was always making our clothes, cushions, or knitting. I love being creative and doing things with my hands. I always have to have some project on the go.”

Bibi decided to set up the shop – which sells quality Danish clothes as well as Bibi’s own designs for newborns to children aged eight – after spotting a gap in the market.

“My kids were always dressed in these clothes and people would always mention how nice they were. I thought there might be something in that.”

Her hunch was proved right. Clients come from across the region to buy her wares, and further afield via the online shop.

Keeping true to her roots, all the fabrics are sourced in Denmark, often ordered by mum Annette.

“The fabrics there are a lot more colourful and brighter,” says Bibi. “When I looked at fleece fabric for children here it had teddy bears and sheep on it. I wanted bright colours but without the teddy bears and sheep. Luckily, mum found some for me in Denmark.”

The business is a genuine family affair, what with Anne sewing designs in the workshop and helping out in the shop.

The 67-year-old said the business had given her a new lease of life. She had lived in Somerset for 40 years before moving to Selby, where she lives above the shop with husband, John.

“I have always sewed, making clothes and curtains,” says Anne. “It’s been lovely to come up and do this with Bibi and be nearer my grandchildren. This is heaven as far as I am concerned.”

• Bibi Klamer, 17 Brook Street, Selby. Tel: 01757 241845. Web: bibiklamer.com