A COUPLE who lived in the south of France have brought a taste of the Continent to Consett.

Karen Rutherford, 46, has opened Rutherford Interiors in Medomsley Road, Consett.

It specialises in decorative French, Belgian and Dutch antique furniture. Mrs Rutherford had the idea for the store after spending two years with her husband, Dave, in Montpelier.

She said: "I always wanted to open a shop, but didn't know what I would sell. After living in France for a couple of years, I really fell in love with their furniture.

"We brought a lot of it back and that has got me started.

"They make everything out of solid wood, so it is not as square or box-like as English furniture."

Mrs Rutherford is helped in the store on weekends by her daughter, Kerry, 24. Along with selling pieces, they offer a restoration service and furniture painting.

After years away from the region, Mrs Rutherford hopes the family is back to stay.

"My husband is from Portsmouth and there have been a few times over the 26 years we have been married that we have moved down south," she said.

"But I always get homesick, and we always come back."