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  • Simple Christmas decorating ideas using paper stars

    Simple Christmas decorating ideas using paper stars

    November 29, 2019November 28, 2019

    Paper stars have to be some of the simplest, prettiest and most versatile Christmas decorations around. They’re inexpensive to buy, quick to put up, and you can fold them up…

  • Georg Jensen's 2019 'Christmas Collectibles' | These Four Walls blog

    Minimalist festive styling with Georg Jensen’s 2019 ‘Christmas Collectibles’

    November 27, 2019November 28, 2019

    [Advertisement – this is a paid partnership with Georg Jensen, but all words and opinions are my own] I always enjoy getting creative and dressing my house in a different…

  • The 'Fusion' collection from Georg Jensen | These Four Walls blog

    The ‘Fusion’ collection from Georg Jensen

    September 18, 2019September 25, 2019

    [Advertisement – this is a paid post in collaboration with Georg Jensen, but all words and opinions are my own] I always think it’s worth investing in timeless homeware when…

  • A few thoughts on minimalism

    A few thoughts on minimalism

    August 19, 2019August 21, 2019

    I often refer to minimalism on this blog, but it was only when I gave an interview about it to Domino recently that I realised I’ve never really shared what…

  • 10 independent magazines to inspire your travels in 2019 | These Four Walls blog

    10 independent magazines to inspire your travels in 2019

    January 7, 2019March 5, 2019

    Hello and happy new year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas break? Mine was just what I needed it to be – simple and laid-back – and I’m starting…

  • Merry Christmas from These Four Walls!

    Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

    December 20, 2018June 20, 2019

    Just a short post today to wish a very merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it, and a happy New Year to you all! I also want to say a…

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Snippets from a wonderful Halloween weekend, inclu Snippets from a wonderful Halloween weekend, including a riverside walk, a visit to the always-atmospheric village and abbey of Lacock, and our little town's annual fireworks display. The last slide is when my phone camera refused to focus, but I quite like the effect! #halloween #cosyseason #visitwiltshire #autumntrees #englishcountryside Wiltshire villages | Lacock village and abbey | Bradford on Avon | Autumn landscape | Autumn colours | Autumn foliage | Wiltshire countryside | Autumn countryside | Halloween decorations
I've just settled down in front of the bioethanol I've just settled down in front of the bioethanol stove for a cosy Friday evening, so in honour of Halloween tomorrow, let me tell you a (true) fireside ghost story... When I finished university back in 2005 I moved in with Chris, who owned a small end-of-terrace house in north Bristol. The adjoining house was empty at the time - it had been lived in by an elderly lady, but she'd died before I arrived. I never met her, but Chris told me she was lovely and often popped in to water his plants when he was away. A few months later her house was bought by a young couple, and we became good friends with them. I never saw anything odd in our own house, but I often got the feeling someone was there. I'd often be home alone with both our cats next to me, and I'd get the sense there was someone moving about upstairs or in the next room. After a couple of years Chris and I bought a new home together and moved to a different bit of Bristol, and eventually our friends from the house next door moved too, relocating to a totally different part of the country. We stayed in touch with them, and it was only years later that I happened to mention the strange feelings I'd had. It turns out they'd often experienced similar things in their house, and a visiting family member staying on their sofabed had once woken in the night to find an old lady standing on the stairs looking down at him. I like to think it was Chris' kind former neighbour, still keeping an eye on her home and occasionally drifting over to check on his, just as she had in life. #ghoststory #halloween #cottagerenovation #livingroomdecor #fireplacedecor
[AD - press stay] Earlier this week I showed you S [AD - press stay] Earlier this week I showed you Sessile, the room we stayed in at @holmsomerset. Now here's a peek at some of the others, which I got to have a quick look at between guests. They're all gorgeous, but Elm was a standout with its four-poster bed, arched niches, egg-shaped bathtub and gently warm colour palette. I also loved Osier, with its fireplace and lovely natural light, and the cosy Hornbeam, tucked beneath rafters in the loft. If you fancy treating yourself to a stay at HOLM this autumn and winter (and I would wholeheartedly recommend it), there are mid-week deals starting from £149 per room, Christmas 'Stay & Dine' packages from £496 (the festive menu launches on 23rd November), and various walking experiences. I particularly like the idea of a relaxing Twixmas stay, or coinciding with the Wednesday and Friday morning yoga sessions. Thanks again to @curatedspacesclub and the whole team at HOLM for our fantastic visit. We absolutely loved it. #boutiquehotels #ukstaycation #uktravel #winterbreaks #countryescape Somerset travel | UK boutique hotels | West Country places to stay | Somerset places to stay | UK minibreaks | Country hotels | UK travel | Restaurants with rooms | Stylish places to stay | Autumn breaks | Winter breaks | Twixmas travel ideas
Yep, the pumpkins are everywhere in our house... Yep, the pumpkins are everywhere in our house... Last year's Halloween was marred by house-move stress (although I was lucky enough to go to the live recording of the Uncanny Halloween special with @tiffanygrantriley after winning audience tickets in the ballot), so this year I'm making the most of it. Chris and I are going to see the new Ghosts film on Thursday, we have a table booked at our favourite haunted local restaurant for Saturday lunch, and we're having spooky candlelit drinks and nibbles on Saturday evening. I can't wait! #pumpkinseason #halloweendecorations #naturalhalloweendecor #autumnhomedecor #seasonalhomedecor Minimalist Halloween decorations | Pumpkin display | Halloween styling | Autumn home | Shaker kitchen | Minimalist cottage interior | Neutral home | Cottage kitchen
[AD - press stay] A favourite of mine to bookmark [AD - press stay] A favourite of mine to bookmark for a relaxing West Country getaway: beautiful restaurant with rooms @holmsomerset in the pretty village of South Petherton. I've eaten at HOLM a couple of times before and I've always wanted to go back for an overnight stay. Last week Chris and I got the chance, and it definitely lived up to expectations. The interiors are gorgeous - calm, cosy and softly minimalist, with tactile plaster walls, vintage mid-century modern furniture, abstract artworks and handcrafted pieces by local makers. The seven guest rooms are all named after trees (we stayed in Sessile, shown in the first few photos here) and come with lots of treats, including super-comfy beds, snuggly linen throws and homemade cookies; some also have freestanding in-room tubs and four-poster beds. Downstairs is a candlelit dining room and bar, warmed by a fire in autumn and winter and spilling onto a lavender-fringed terrace in spring and summer. The food from Chef Director @nicholasbalfe and his team is delicious, with tasting menus and à la carte options based around local, seasonal produce. This time around we sat at the informal 'chef's counter', watching activity in the open kitchen as we tucked into Westcombe cheddar fries with pickled walnuts, trout tartare, goats' curd-filled pasta with girolles, local venison and more. The wine was excellent, too - especially as we were lucky enough to have our visit coincide with one of the regular wine-tasting events! Thanks to everyone at HOLM for a wonderful stay (the perfect break from renovation chaos at home!) and to @curatedspacesclub for organising it. We'll be back, for sure. #boutiquehotels #ukstaycation #uktravel #somersethotels #countryescape Somerset travel | UK boutique hotels | West Country places to stay | Somerset places to stay | UK minibreaks | Country hotels | UK travel | Restaurants with rooms | Stylish places to stay

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