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  • Home tour | Stylish small-space living in Madrid

    Home tour | Stylish small-space living in Madrid

    October 9, 2025January 23, 2026

    Decorated in earthy neutrals and tactile materials, this studio apartment is proof that small homes can be as beautiful and liveable as large ones…

  • New design finds | October 2025

    New design finds | October 2025

    October 7, 2025January 23, 2026

    Catching my eye this month are beautiful lamps, reinterpreted Scandinavian design classics and a new paint collection inspired by the natural world…

  • Hotel Schloss Schauenstein – contemporary design in a Swiss Alpine castle

    Hotel Schloss Schauenstein – contemporary design in a Swiss Alpine castle

    September 29, 2025January 23, 2026

    Historic Swiss hotel and restaurant Schloss Schauenstein has been given a stylish and sensitive revamp by Danish design duo Space Copenhagen…

  • Home tour | Rustic minimalism on the Danish coast

    Home tour | Rustic minimalism on the Danish coast

    September 23, 2025May 14, 2026

    The latest project from Norm Architects is minimalist yet full of warmth and character, with neutral colours, natural materials and a deep respect for the architectural and historical context…

  • The best scented candles for autumn – updated for 2025

    The best scented candles for autumn – updated for 2025

    September 16, 2025January 23, 2026

    A round-up of the best scented candles for autumn, from deep, woody aromas that evoke forests and firesides to comforting fragrances for cosy nights in…

  • Home tour | Scandinavian minimalism meets Belle Époque elegance in France

    Home tour | Scandinavian minimalism meets Belle Époque elegance in France

    September 10, 2025January 23, 2026

    A look inside the Belle Ėpoque house of interior designer Sara Mengesha, which combines Parisian charm with pared-back Scandinavian style and a beige Shaker kitchen from Nordiska Kök…

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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
So how is everyone doing in the heat? It's been un So how is everyone doing in the heat? It's been unbearably hot and humid here all week, and I don't manage well in this kind of weather anymore (neither does Loki, as you can see). But we've also had tremendous storms, with some of the heaviest rain and most intense thunder I've ever experienced on Monday evening. #summermood #naturephotography #sunsetsky #lightandshadows #chasinglight

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