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  • Home tour | A modern mountain cabin in Sweden

    Home tour | A modern mountain cabin in Sweden

    February 11, 2025January 23, 2026

    A peek inside a contemporary cabin in Ottsjö, Sweden, that blends a pared-back Scandinavian aesthetic with a deep appreciation for nature…

  • The Briiv 2 Pro – my tried-and-tested Briiv air purifier gets an upgrade

    The Briiv 2 Pro – my tried-and-tested Briiv air purifier gets an upgrade

    February 7, 2025January 23, 2026

    Tackling indoor air pollution with the stylish and sustainable Briiv 2 Pro air purifier – my tried-and-tested review…

  • New design finds | February 2025

    New design finds | February 2025

    February 6, 2025January 26, 2026

    On my radar this month: flexible furniture that can adapt to your needs, and enduring minimalist design that will stand the test of time…

  • 15 of the best simple, Scandinavian-style chests of drawers

    15 of the best simple, Scandinavian-style chests of drawers

    January 31, 2025January 26, 2026

    15 of the best minimalist Scandinavian-style chests of drawers, with options for all budgets and sizes of space…

  • Tradition reimagined at the Dinesen Country Home

    Tradition reimagined at the Dinesen Country Home

    January 27, 2025January 26, 2026

    Tradition and modernity come together at the Dinesen Country Home, with rustic-minimalist interiors from Danish design duo Mentze Ottenstein…

  • New design finds | January 2025

    New design finds | January 2025

    January 13, 2025January 26, 2026

    Minimalist design finds this month include home textiles, ceramics, lamps and furniture, all with beautiful pared-back style and many with Japandi influences…

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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
Some stills of our beautiful new kitchen with time Some stills of our beautiful new kitchen with timeless slim-framed Shaker units and oak interiors from @nordiskakok.

The room isn't very big (3.4 x 3.2m), but it is roughly square - a big change from the narrow galley-style kitchens we've had in the past. We've kept the layout largely the same as it was, partly because it makes sense and partly because it meant we didn't have to spend money moving services around and could instead focus our budget on the units themselves. We did get rid of the upper wall-hung cabinets though, replacing them with a long open shelf that makes the space feel much larger and airier, and hid our boiler inside a tall worktop-mounted cupboard.

On the other side of the room, we replaced a huge radiator with a smaller one, making space for an integrated fridge-freezer and a full-height cupboard with pocket doors. The latter is perhaps my favourite feature in the whole kitchen, as the doors slide back into the frame and don't stick out into the room. This gives us valuable prep and storage space that we can open up or hide away as needed, with a fully usable section of worktop inside. 

The pocket doors also freed up enough floor space in the centre of the room for a small freestanding island unit. I liked the idea of something rustic made from gnarled wood, to reflect the countryside setting and provide an element of contrast with the smooth units and worktops. It took a lot of internet searching, but eventually I found a salvaged prep table that’s exactly the right size. We’re planning to add a couple of stools where we can sit down with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, but we haven’t found the right ones yet.

#shakerkitchen #shakerkök #cottagerenovation #cottagekitchen #moderncountrykitchen 

Shaker kitchen | Cottage renovation | Neutral kitchen | Minimalist interiors | Cottage kitchen | Pocket doors | Minimalist kitchen | Freestanding island unit | Kitchen renovation | Rustic minimalism
Pics from a wonderful day out in Shaftesbury in Do Pics from a wonderful day out in Shaftesbury in Dorset, and a beautiful drive down through Cranborne Chase to get there. We had a wander down the famous Gold Hill, explored the ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey, had a delicious pub lunch and accidentally bought three candles in @thebotanicalcandleco. See if you can spot me in one of the photos...

#thisprettyengland #visitdorset #shaftesbury #visitengland #dorsetlandscape
Here it is: our finished kitchen! The kitchen we Here it is: our finished kitchen!

The kitchen we inherited when we bought the house was tatty and dated, with broken appliances, ripped lino, chipped laminate worktops and cracked unit fronts (some of them literally looked like they'd been kicked). Now, it's a calm yet cosy room that channels the soft, rustic-minimalist mood that we're gradually adding throughout our little cottage. We've used timeless slim-framed Shaker units from @nordiskakok, which we've paired with white-pigmented oak interiors, quartz worktops and splashbacks with subtle veining, a long open shelf and a freestanding island unit made from salvaged wood. 

I'll share more details in a future post, but here are some before-and-after photos showing how the space has changed. We put most of our renovation budget into it, which means some other projects will have to wait, but we now have the kitchen we've always dreamed of and we couldn't be happier with it. 

#cottagekitchen #shakerkitchen #minimalistkitchen #cottagerenovation neutralhomedecor 

Shaker kitchen | Cottage kitchen | Minimalist interiors | Cottage renovation | Neutral kitchen | Soft minimalist interiors | Rustic minimalism | Neutral home decor | Freestanding island unit | Open kitchen shelves
[AD - PR products] Summer light falling across the [AD - PR products] Summer light falling across the dining room, our oak @quickstepfloors flooring and our lovely Carl Hansen Wishbone chairs from @hollowaysofludlow. I've been working down here for the past few weeks as it stays cooler than the office upstairs, and the chairs really are comfy enough to sit on for hours at a time. Bring on long, cosy meals and board games in here once the nights start drawing in!

#neutralhomedecor #scandinaviandecor #minimalinterior #minimalistdiningroom #cottagerenovation

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