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  • Danish design in Bath: a Carl Hansen takeover at Holloways of Ludlow

    Danish design in Bath: a Carl Hansen takeover at Holloways of Ludlow

    April 27, 2026April 27, 2026

    Carl Hansen & Søn’s 2026 installation at Holloways of Ludlow’s Bath showroom is a dream for fans of timeless Scandinavian design. I took a look around…

  • Stylish countryside hotels & pubs for cosy getaways in the West Country & Cotswolds

    Stylish countryside hotels & pubs for cosy getaways in the West Country & Cotswolds

    March 13, 2026March 13, 2026

    Ten stylish rural places to stay in the West Country and Cotswolds, all with cosy rustic-minimalist interiors, delicious food and lots of character…

  • Embracing the beauty of winter in my new home town

    Embracing the beauty of winter in my new home town

    February 2, 2026February 9, 2026

    Winter is a season of beauty, and I’ve been capturing foggy, frosty mornings in and around the West Country town of Bradford on Avon that I now call home…

  • A new home and a new renovation project: plans for our 19th-century stone cottage

    A new home and a new renovation project: plans for our 19th-century stone cottage

    November 25, 2025February 9, 2026

    Why we’ve moved out of Bristol to the beautiful town of Bradford on Avon, and our plans for the renovation of our 19th-century Bath-stone cottage…

  • An autumn break in the Forest of Dean

    An autumn break in the Forest of Dean

    October 23, 2025January 23, 2026

    Autumn walks, stunning foliage, seasonal activities and cosy relaxation at Tudor Farmhouse Hotel in the Forest of Dean…

  • 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…

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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 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 they 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
The hills on the edge of Bath - like everywhere el The hills on the edge of Bath - like everywhere else, they're looking both beautifully golden and scarily parched at the moment. We've had several wildfires around here over the past couple of weeks, so I'm longing for some rain. And although I don't like to wish time away, please bring on autumn! 

#bathengland #theprettycities #bathskyline #thisprettyengland #visitbath
One of the things I love most about our house is t One of the things I love most about our house is the natural light, but it does have one downside. We face directly east-west, so in summer there's always strong light coming from one direction or another - and some rooms like the main bedroom shown here are dual-aspect, so they get it all day long. It's starting to cause UV damage to furniture and surfaces, even with the curtains closed for much of the day. I think we're going to have to look at adding UV-reducing film to the windows, while we save up to get them replaced properly. If you've used it yourself and have any thoughts on whether it actually makes a difference then I'd love to know!

The photograph on the wall, by the way, is one of my own images that I had printed out and framed. It was taken nearby, on a foggy morning not longer after we moved in, and it's one of my favourites. 

#cottagerenovation #neutralbedroom #naturallight #rusticminimalism #cottageinterior

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