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  • Early spring styling with Georg Jensen's 'Bloom Botanica' collection | These Four Walls blog

    Early spring styling with Georg Jensen’s ‘Bloom Botanica’ collection

    February 12, 2020February 12, 2020

    [Advertisement – this is a paid collaboration with Georg Jensen, but as always words and opinions are my own] I love living somewhere with distinct seasons, and I always relish…

  • A stay at Design Hotel Levi in Finnish Lapland | These Four Walls blog

    A stay at Design Hotel Levi in Finnish Lapland

    February 11, 2020February 11, 2020

    [Advertisement – this post is based on a press trip, but all words and opinions are my own] I’ve spoken before about my love of travelling to cold destinations, and…

  • The spring-summer 2020 collection from Northern | These Four Walls blog

    The spring-summer 2020 collection from Northern

    February 3, 2020January 31, 2020

    Happy Monday everyone! I’m currently on my way to Stockholm for the city’s annual Furniture Fair – always a great opportunity to soak up lots of Nordic design inspiration. It…

  • Sunset and starling murmurations on the Somerset Levels | These Four Walls blog

    Sunset & starling murmurations on the Somerset Levels

    January 31, 2020January 22, 2026

    Although I love living in a city, I always appreciate escaping to the countryside for a few hours, and I’m lucky that Bristol is within easy reach of some of…

  • The spring-summer 2020 collection from Menu | These Four Walls blog

    The spring-summer 2020 collection from Menu

    January 28, 2020

    Details of new-season interiors collections are coming thick and fast, and I have another beauty to share with you today – this time from Menu. Not only is it brimming…

  • A stylish chalet break in the French Alps

    A stylish chalet break in the French Alps

    January 23, 2020January 22, 2020

    [Advertisement – this post is based on a press trip, but all words and opinions are my own] I love winter travel – some of my favourite holidays have taken…

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I'm hoping to share our finished living room soon I'm hoping to share our finished living room soon but it's too hot to photograph - I don't want to move more than a couple of metres from the fan! So here's a sneak peek snapped a few weeks ago - needless to say we haven't yet tried out the bioethanol stove! #neutrallivingroom #neutralhomedecor #cottagerenovation #softminimalstyle #simplehomestyle
Snippets from the first few days of yet another he Snippets from the first few days of yet another heatwave... Late-evening walks around our little town once it's cooled off enough to actually go outside, Loki falling asleep in front of the fan with his mouth hanging open, and a visit to the beautiful @walledgardenatmells in Somerset. And if they see this, hi to the couple I got taking to while queueing at The Walled Garden. I didn't catch your names before the queue moved, but your kind words about my books made my day! #visitwiltshire #thisprettyengland #visitsomerset #slowsimpleseasonal #summermoments
[AD - PR product] From one Loki photobomb (see my [AD - PR product] From one Loki photobomb (see my last post) to another... I love this view through the doorway from our dining room to the living room. And it perfectly frames the 'Ecru' throw, designed by @ceciliemanz for @elvangdenmark, that I've draped over our CH25 chair. The subtle stripe detailing along the edges is gorgeous, and it's made from super-soft baby alpaca wool. #neutralhomedecor #simplehomestyle #cottagerenovation #rusticminimalistdecor #softminimalstyle
Thought I'd have fun doing a little summer still l Thought I'd have fun doing a little summer still life yesterday evening - an hour of creative play, just for the fun of it. Loki decided he wanted to join in too. #cottagekitchen #summermood #summerstilllife #lightandshadow #seasonaldecor
[AD - features PR products] After months of floori [AD - features PR products] After months of flooring, sanding, priming, painting and juggling different trades, the ground floor of our little cottage is pretty much finished. And that means I can finally reveal some completed rooms! I'm starting with the dining room, as it’s the first space you enter after coming into the house through our tiny vestibule (I’m not sure it even counts as a hallway) and it sets the tone for the calm, cosy mood we want to create throughout. We wanted a rustic-minimalist style: pared-back yet textural, with subtle nods to the countryside setting. Like the rest of the cottage, the dining room has beautiful light. It faces west, so it’s illuminated by a golden glow later in the day, but it also gets morning light from the east-facing living room behind. And the ground floor as a whole has a wonderful sense of flow: each room leads directly to the next, creating the ideal balance between separation and connection, openness and cosiness. To enhance the light and the sense of flow, we’ve painted all walls, ceilings and woodwork in one colour, @farrowandball's ‘Slipper Satin’. It’s a chalky off-white that’s neither too cool nor too warm, and it interacts brilliantly with everything from bright sunshine to flickering candlelight. We’ve also used the same pale oak engineered hardwood flooring throughout the ground floor. It’s the ‘Wintry Forest Oak’ colourway from the @quickstepfloors ‘Cascada’ range, which is extra-matt for a soft, organic look. We’ve laid it continuously, with no thresholds between rooms, to lead the eye seamlessly from one space to the next. [PR product] The ground-floor layout did present some challenges, though. The dining room essentially acts as a transit space from the front door to the rest of the house, so we had to leave clear paths to move through it while also ensuring it has a defined function of its own. To achieve this, we positioned the table towards one corner of the room and anchored it within the wider space with a large jute rug. We also moved the pendant light to hang over the table rather than in the centre of the room and added a big linen shade from @baileyshome. This creates an intimate d

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