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  • Tregulland – a large & luxurious house rental in Cornwall

    Tregulland – a large & luxurious house rental in Cornwall

    October 19, 2024January 28, 2026

    Eclectic interiors, beautiful views, a wood-fired hot tub and an indoor pool – Tregulland is the perfect Cornish house rental for groups and celebrations…

  • Minimalist design in a historic setting – Casa Grande Hotel in La Rioja, Spain

    Minimalist design in a historic setting – Casa Grande Hotel in La Rioja, Spain

    October 8, 2024February 3, 2026

    A review of La Rioja boutique hotel Casa Grande, where minimalist design meets historic architecture and delicious food…

  • A guide to visiting La Rioja, Spain

    A guide to visiting La Rioja, Spain

    October 4, 2024February 3, 2026

    What to see and do in La Rioja, Spain, from wine and walled towns to tapas trails – plus how to get there, when to go and where to stay…

  • A stay at Koto at The Point – minimalist eco cabins in Cornwall

    A stay at Koto at The Point – minimalist eco cabins in Cornwall

    October 1, 2024January 28, 2026

    My review of Koto at The Point – a cluster of minimalist Scandinavian-inspired eco cabins near Rock on the north Cornwall coast…

  • 10 things to see & do in Bilbao, Spain

    10 things to see & do in Bilbao, Spain

    September 17, 2024February 3, 2026

    My top 10 things to see and do in the vibrant city of Bilbao, northern Spain – from pintxos bars and boat tours to the stunning Guggenheim Museum…

  • How to pack lightly & travel with carry-on luggage only

    How to pack lightly & travel with carry-on luggage only

    August 29, 2024January 29, 2026

    I have packing lightly down to a fine art, and it’s years since I last checked baggage. So, here are my top tips for travelling with cabin luggage only…

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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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