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  • A weekend aboard Blackbird - a stylish houseboat rental on a peaceful North Devon lake | These Four Walls blog

    A weekend aboard Blackbird – a luxurious houseboat rental in North Devon

    June 6, 2022February 26, 2026

    For the perfect balance of luxury and nature, a stay aboard this stylish North Devon houseboat is hard to beat…

  • A relaxed seaside stay in Mousehole, Cornwall

    A relaxed seaside stay in Mousehole, Cornwall

    May 27, 2022March 10, 2026

    My review of Morvoren – a stylish self-catering cottage rental with sea views and simple coastal interiors in the harbour village of Mousehole, Cornwall…

  • Holloways of Ludlow – a new design destination in the heart of Bath

    Holloways of Ludlow – a new design destination in the heart of Bath

    March 14, 2022March 23, 2026

    Its largest yet, Holloways of Ludlow’s fifth showroom is home to a wide selection of European brands, with a particular focus on pared-back Scandinavian design…

  • A cosy Cotswolds minibreak at Wild Thyme & Honey

    A cosy Cotswolds minibreak at Wild Thyme & Honey

    January 19, 2022January 22, 2026

    [Advertisement – this post is based on a press stay, but all words and opinions are my own] Despite all the talk of new plans and a fresh start, I…

  • A foggy winter walk at Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire, South West England | These Four Walls blog

    A foggy winter walk around Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire

    January 5, 2022January 22, 2026

    Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’ve had a good start to 2022 so far. I’m back from a two-week festive break and I have lots of interesting interiors, travel…

  • Profile | Ceramicist Reesha Zubair

    Profile | Ceramicist Reesha Zubair

    June 29, 2021January 22, 2026

    Today I’m continuing my series of interviews with independent designers and artists by talking to ceramicist Reesha Zubair, whose work has captivated me ever since I first stumbled across her…

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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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