Skip to content
  • HOME
  • BlogExpand
    • Interiors
    • Travel
    • Seasonal living
    • West Country & Cotswolds
  • About
  • Work with me
  • PortfolioExpand
    • Interiors & seasonal living
    • Travel, nature & location
  • My booksExpand
    • Bring The Outside In
    • The Soft Minimalist Home
  • The Edit
  • Contact
Instagram Pinterest Threads
  • Sleeping in a heatwave with cooling bamboo bedding from Laud

    Sleeping in a heatwave with cooling bamboo bedding from Laud

    July 11, 2025January 23, 2026

    My review of Luff Sleep bamboo-silk bedding from UK bedding specialists Laud: what does it look like, is it good for your skin and does it really help you stay cool in a heatwave?

  • Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025 | The New Works Residence

    Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025 | The New Works Residence

    July 9, 2025January 23, 2026

    Another of my top picks from Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design: the New Works showroom, this year styled as the brand’s interpretation of a boutique hotel…

  • Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025 | Echoes of Texture by Linie Design & Karimoku Case

    Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025 | Echoes of Texture by Linie Design & Karimoku Case

    July 4, 2025January 23, 2026

    The ‘Echoes of Texture’ exhibition by Linie Design and Karimoku Case brought Japandi style, soft minimalism and a new collection of rugs to 3 Days of Design…

  • Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025 | Carl Hansen & Søn’s new showroom

    Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025 | Carl Hansen & Søn’s new showroom

    July 2, 2025January 26, 2026

    Another top pick from this year’s 3 Days of Design – classic and contemporary Danish design at Carl Hansen & Søn’s new Copenhagen showroom…

  • Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025 | Gestures of Home & Apartamento Secreto

    Highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025 | Gestures of Home & Apartamento Secreto

    June 27, 2025January 26, 2026

    The first of my highlights from 3 Days of Design 2025: minimalist decor, sculptural shapes, warm muted tones and natural materials at the Gestures of Home and Apartamento Secreto exhibitions…

  • Demystifying biophilic design with my latest book, Bring The Outside In

    Demystifying biophilic design with my latest book, Bring The Outside In

    June 12, 2025January 26, 2026

    Introducing my latest book: Bring The Outside In – Biophilic Design for a Naturally Beautiful Home…

Page navigation

Previous PagePrevious 1 … 6 7 8 9 10 … 113 Next PageNext

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM

So here it is: this year's Halloween fireplace, an So here it is: this year's Halloween fireplace, and the first in our new home. This looks tricky to do but it’s actually incredibly easy. Just arrange the pumpkins how you want them, tuck branches and dried ferns (or whatever foliage you prefer) in between and behind them, and use pine cones to fill any gaps. Nothing’s stuck down, so there’s no tape or glue involved, and as there are no fresh leaves or flowers you don’t need to use any unsustainable oasis foam or other water source. I find displays like this look best when there’s an odd number of pumpkins (for some reason, the human eye tends to prefer odd numbers over even ones) in a variety of sizes. I also like the foliage to look a little wild and unruly, with swooshy bits pointing up and down. I’ve gone for an asymmetrical display on one side of the mantelpiece only, but you could centre things or run pumpkins all the way along. #halloweenfireplace #pumpkinseason #autumnhomedecor #seasonalhome #naturalhalloweendecorations Autumn home styling | Natural Halloween decor | Halloween mantelpiece display | Neutral home decor | Cottage living room | Neutral living room | Soft minimalist home | Seasonal living | Stylish Halloween decorations | Minimalist interior
From a lovely afternoon pumpkin picking yesterday. From a lovely afternoon pumpkin picking yesterday. It's become a bit of an annual tradition, although we had to skip it last year as we thought we were about to move house (turns out we weren't and had another month to wait). Anyway, the last photo in the carousel is my haul - 'far too many' according to Chris, but I can't wait to show what I'm doing with them all! #pumpkinseason #spookyseason #halloweendecorations #autumnmood #pumpkinpicking
A few people asked how effective the flame on our A few people asked how effective the flame on our bioethanol stove is, so here's a peek - and I reckon it's pretty good. Obviously you don't get the lovely woodsmoke smell that you have with wood-burners, but you can always recreate that with a scented candle - 'Smoke' by @essenceandalchemy, 'Tinder Box' by @thebotanicalcandleco and 'Winter Embers' by @charlesfarrislondon are ideal. And of course no smoke means no nasty particles in the air... #cosyseason #autumnhome #cottageliving #cottagerenovation #neutrallivingroom Bioethanol fire | Cottage living room | Rustic minimalist interior | Neutral home decor | Cosy home | Soft minimalist decor | Minimalist home | Cottagr renovation
[AD - the flooring is a PR product] We've had a br [AD - the flooring is a PR product] We've had a break from renovating over the past couple of months, focusing on enjoying the finished ground-floor rooms rather than starting on any others. But that's about to change, as work on our bland, tatty and dated bathroom kicks off on Monday. We had originally planned to leave it until next year, but the bath has started leaking through the ceiling of our newly painted living room so we've brought things forward. It's a small space and there isn't really any other way to lay it out, but otherwise we'll be giving it a total overhaul. We're going for a timeless, pared-back look with a hint of rustic cottage charm, mixing tongue-and-groove panelling with beautifully imperfect Zellige tiles and a linen shower curtain. We'll be using the @quickstepfloors pale oak 'Cascada' flooring that we're fitting throughout the house (it's totally watertight and ideal for bathrooms), and adding some much-needed storage by concealing the toilet cistern within a built-in floor-to-ceiling cupboard. The taps and shower will be the same gunmetal finish that we've used in the kitchen, as I love the way it patinates and ties in with the overall palette. I'm also thinking of painting the bathroom in a darker colour than we've used elsewhere - probably @farrowandball's stony 'Light Grey', which we chose for the front door. Swipe through the carousel to see my digital and physical mood boards for the bathroom, and a peek at what it looks like at the moment. Flooring: @quickstepfloors [PR product] Tiles: @bakedtiles Taps and shower: @abiinteriors_uk Shower curtain: @fermliving Wall lamps: @corstonarchitecturaldetail Mirror, travertine accessories and towel: Zara Home Vase: already owned #cottagerenovation #interiormoodboard #bathroomrenovation #neutralhomedecor #minimalistbathroom Batheoom renovation | Neutral bathroom decor | Cottage bathroom | Minimalist bathroom | Bathroom panelling | Neutral interior | Neutral home | Soft minimalist home | Simple interiors
The pocket-door cupboard is perhaps my favourite f The pocket-door cupboard is perhaps my favourite feature of our new kitchen. We dithered about having the pocket doors as they're more expensive than normal ones, but I'm so glad we decided to go for them. They're perfect for a small-ish kitchen like ours, as they slide back into the frame when open rather than jutting out into the room. That makes the kitchen so much easier to use and circulate around, and it's freed up enough floor space for a little freestanding island unit in the centre. We've added a section of worktop inside the cupboard to give us some handy extra prep space, and we can open it up or hide it away as needed. It's turned out to be particularly useful when we've prepared food in advance and need to shut it away from a curious and rather greedy cat... #shakerkitchen #cottagekitchen #minimalistkitchen #cottagerenovation #neutralhomedecor Minimalist cottage interior | Shaker kitchen | Cottage kitchen renovation | Scandinavian kitchen | Soft minimalist interiors | Neutral home | Neutrak kitchen inspiration | Pocket doors

DISCLAIMER

This site occasionally contains paid-for content, gifted products and affiliate links. All such content is clearly marked.

Simple, relaxed living at home & beyond

Instagram Pinterest Threads

Copyright 2026 © Abi Dare

  • Privacy Policy
Scroll to top
  • HOME
  • Blog
    • Interiors
    • Travel
    • Seasonal living
    • West Country & Cotswolds
  • About
  • Work with me
  • Portfolio
    • Interiors & seasonal living
    • Travel, nature & location
  • My books
    • Bring The Outside In
    • The Soft Minimalist Home
  • The Edit
  • Contact
Cart Shopping Cart 0
This site uses cookies to give you the best possible web experience. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with this.