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  • Improving home air quality with the Tag Ultrasonic humidifier from Duux | These Four Walls blog

    Improving home air quality with the Tag Ultrasonic humidifier from Duux

    February 2, 2022February 1, 2022

    [Advertisement – this is a paid partnership with Duux, but all words and opinions are my own] Living in a Victorian house with a ground-floor damp issue (one of the…

  • The 'Frame' collection from Kristina Dam Studio | These Four Walls blog

    The ‘Frame’ collection from Kristina Dam Studio

    February 1, 2022January 31, 2022

    Normally the first week of February would see me heading off to Sweden for the Stockholm Furniture Fair – one of the biggest trade shows in the design calendar. That’s…

  • A cosy Cotswolds minibreak at Wild Thyme & Honey

    A cosy Cotswolds minibreak at Wild Thyme & Honey

    January 19, 2022January 22, 2026

    [Advertisement – this post is based on a press stay, but all words and opinions are my own] Despite all the talk of new plans and a fresh start, I…

  • Cosy reading nook in a minimalist beige and white bedroom, with Carl Hansen & Søn' timeless RF200 table lamp and CH25 chair | These Four Walls blog

    The RF200 table lamp – versatile design for spaces large & small

    January 12, 2022January 10, 2022

    [Advertisement – this is a paid partnership with Carl Hansen & Søn] For the next instalment in my ongoing partnership with Carl Hansen & Søn, I’m focusing on the latest…

  • Runo - a new Finnish hotel from interior designer Joanna Laajisto | These Four Walls blog

    Runo – a new Finnish hotel from interior designer Joanna Laajisto

    January 10, 2022

    I’m starting the week with a bit of interiors and travel inspiration courtesy of Runo – a new boutique hotel designed by Helsinki-based Joanna Laajisto. It recently opened its doors…

  • A foggy winter walk at Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire, South West England | These Four Walls blog

    A foggy winter walk around Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire

    January 5, 2022January 22, 2026

    Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’ve had a good start to 2022 so far. I’m back from a two-week festive break and I have lots of interesting interiors, travel…

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[AD - PR product] A new candle discovery - 'Night' [AD - PR product] A new candle discovery - 'Night' by @koadescentedcandles. It's a deep, lingering blend of dark rose, oud wood, leather and oak that's prefect for this time of year, when the evenings start to draw in. I love the steel vessel too - it fits beautifully into our living room, where I've played on contrast by mixing cool metals with gnarled wood and other natural materials. 

This is just one of my picks of the best scented candles for autumn, which I've updated for 2026 with some new finds alongside old favourites. You can see the full selection on my blog. 

#autumnhome #candleseason #cosyseason #neutralhomedecor #softminimalstyle 

Cottage living room | Neutral living room | Rustic minimalist decor | Cottage renovation | Neutral home | Beige interiors | Autumn styling | Scented candles
I've hung the dried autumn wreath I made last year I've hung the dried autumn wreath I made last year on our front door, and it looks so pretty next to the Bath stone walls.

We also have a visitor on the door - a little moth, which has camouflaged itself perfectly against the paint and has been quite happily sunning itself all day. 

#autumndecorations #autumnhome #autumnwreath #falldecorating #cottagecorestyle 

Cottage renovation | Bath stone cottage | Front door style | Autumn decor | Autum home style | Seasonal styling | Seasonal living | Cottage life
[AD - features some PR products, which are marked] [AD - features some PR products, which are marked] You've seen the kitchen and the dining room, and now it's time to share the living room - the missing link in our newly renovated trio of downstairs rooms.

This room appealed to us the moment we viewed our little cottage, as it has two windows and gets lovely light. But it was also the trickiest space to get right: not only is it a through space, it had also been stripped of most original features, leaving it looking bland and soulless. 

The first thing we did was build a new stud-wall chimney breast and commission a Bath stone fireplace from @christopheremerystone. It gives the room a much-needed focal point using a local material (the same as the house is constructed from, in fact), and we've added a clean-burning bioethanol stove to help create a calm, cosy sanctuary.

Swipe through the photos and captions for more... 

#cottagerenovation #neutrallivingroom #minimalistlivingroon #cottagedecor #softminimalism

Cottage renovation | Neutral living room | Cottage decor | Soft minimalist interiors | Neutral interiors | Neutral decor | Simple interiors | Stone fireplace | Beige living room 

The doors to the dining room and kitchen are in one corner, so we set up an inviting seating zone away from the main traffic area, with the furniture slightly pulled out from the walls and anchored by a large rug. The space by the doors hasn’t gone to waste, as we’ve added a slimline console table (which sat in the hallway in our previous house).

Sadly neither of the sofas that we had in our previous living room were the right size for this one, and the larger of the two wouldn’t even have fitted through the narrow doorway. So, the hunt was on for a new one. I really liked the idea of a linen slipcover design to fit with the rustic-minimalist aesthetic, and IKEA’s ‘HYLTARP’ model proved ideal. It’s long enough for both of us to sprawl out in comfort, and it comes as a self-assembly flatpack so there were no worries about how to get it inside! I also like the fact that the covers are removable, meaning we can take them off to wash them, replace them if they wear out or even change them entirely if we fancy a new look. 

We've
A beautiful September sunset sky snapped from our A beautiful September sunset sky snapped from our front door yesterday evening. I'm starting to sense hints of the seasons changing around me, and it's wonderful after that long sweltering-hot summer! 

#sunsets_captures #thisprettyengland #visitwiltshire #septembermood #cotswolds
Some moody flower photos, taken at @gchalfield (al Some moody flower photos, taken at @gchalfield (always one of my favourite National Trust places) last weekend. We're gradually gathering inspiration for our little cottage garden, and slightly wild-looking white blooms will definitely feature (these are some of my favourites - climbing roses, Japanese anemones, guara). It's a next-year project though, as replacing our leaking bathroom and fixing our broken drain will have to take priority. 

#gardeninspiration #cottagegardenflowers #flowerphotography #moodyflowers #naturephotography

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