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  • Minimalism meets traditional crafts at Milan Design Week exhibition ‘Still Life – The Art of Living’

    Minimalism meets traditional crafts at Milan Design Week exhibition ‘Still Life – The Art of Living’

    April 27, 2023February 17, 2026

    This collaborative Milan Design Week exhibition from Ariake and other brands fused Scandinavian minimalism with traditional crafts from Japan, Portugal, Ethiopia and more…

  • Home tour - a minimalist Japandi apartment in Stockholm | These Four Walls blog

    Home tour | A minimalist Japandi apartment in Stockholm

    October 31, 2022February 18, 2026

    This Stockholm apartment is a wonderful example of soft, minimalist Japandi style, with cosy lighting, muted neutral decor and layers of texture…

  • Calming neutral bedroom with minimalist beige lounge chair from Danish design brand Muuto's Oslo seating series | New finds - May 2022 | These Four Walls blog

    New finds | May 2022

    May 6, 2022March 10, 2026

    Design finds this month include minimalist art, sustainable furniture from a new British name, relaunched 1971 icons and a twist on a contemporary classic…

  • Home tour - a minimalist cabin in a Swedish forest | These Four Walls blog

    Home tour | A minimalist cabin in a Swedish forest

    February 23, 2022

    For today’s home tour we’re heading deep into the Swedish wilderness, to a beautiful cabin that’s just been remodelled by Copenhagen-based Norm Architects. Perched on top of a ridge and…

  • The 'Frame' collection from Kristina Dam Studio | These Four Walls blog

    The ‘Frame’ collection from Kristina Dam Studio

    February 1, 2022January 31, 2022

    Normally the first week of February would see me heading off to Sweden for the Stockholm Furniture Fair – one of the biggest trade shows in the design calendar. That’s…

  • New pieces from Menu

    New pieces from Menu

    October 18, 2021

    It’s not long since I last featured Menu, but it’s recently added even more designs to its collection and I couldn’t resist sharing them. As always, they’re gorgeous – and…

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[AD - PR product] The flooring was the first thing [AD - PR product] The flooring was the first thing we chose for the renovation of our little cottage. We knew we wanted to use the same flooring throughout, to enhance the sense of flow that we love so much and to make what's actually quite a small home feel a little bigger than it is. The 'Cascada' hardwood flooring from @quickstepfloors was the perfect solution, as it's watertight and so can be used in every room, even the kitchen and (when we get to it) the bathroom.

We chose a pale oak colourway called 'Wintry Forest Oak’. It has a light and airy appearance, but there are visible knots and tonal variations that lend it character – perfect for a rural cottage setting and the rustic-minimalist aesthetic we’re aiming for. What’s more, it’s finished with an extra-matt lacquer, which gives it a natural look and a lovely tactile feel, and a protective coating to guard against stains, scratches, dirt and dust.

We've already fitted the flooring downstairs, where we've laid it continuously, with no thresholds between the various rooms, to lead the eye seamlessly from one space to the next. It's also in the main bedroom and the home office, and I can't wait to install it in the remaining areas. It looks beautiful, it feels fantastic underfoot, and it's coped with all sorts of spillages, from red wine to coffee. It's also withstood everything Loki the cat has thrown (and thrown up!) on it!

#cottagerenovation #rusticminimalistinteriors #woodenflooring #neutralhomedecor #simplehomestyle

Stone cottage renovation | Oak flooring | Waterproof flooring | Pet-friendly flooring | Soft minimalist interiors | Neutral interior | Cottage aesthetic | Cottage living room | Minimalist living room
I always think pears are the prettiest of the autu I always think pears are the prettiest of the autumn fruits, and I love the way they look displayed in this vintage stone bowl. Just don't ask me to put them in a crumble or anything similar - I love cosy season, but I don't have much of a sweet tooth and find cooked desserts and stewed fruits far too stodgy! Any pears I get go into salads, pasta or risotto with cheese. 

#cottagekitchen #cottagekitchendecor #neutralkitchen #autumnishere #autumnhomestyle 

Shaker kitchen | Cottage renovation | Autumn home decor | Autumn kitchen styling | Autumn fruits | Kitchen details | Neutral home decor | Cottage interior | Modern country kitchen
[AD - PR product] A new candle discovery - 'Night' [AD - PR product] A new candle discovery - 'Night' by @koadescentedcandles. It's a deep, lingering blend of dark rose, oud wood, leather and oak that's prefect for this time of year, when the evenings start to draw in. I love the steel vessel too - it fits beautifully into our living room, where I've played on contrast by mixing cool metals with gnarled wood and other natural materials. 

This is just one of my picks of the best scented candles for autumn, which I've updated for 2026 with some new finds alongside old favourites. You can see the full selection on my blog. 

#autumnhome #candleseason #cosyseason #neutralhomedecor #softminimalstyle 

Cottage living room | Neutral living room | Rustic minimalist decor | Cottage renovation | Neutral home | Beige interiors | Autumn styling | Scented candles
I've hung the dried autumn wreath I made last year I've hung the dried autumn wreath I made last year on our front door, and it looks so pretty next to the Bath stone walls.

We also have a visitor on the door - a little moth, which has camouflaged itself perfectly against the paint and has been quite happily sunning itself all day. 

#autumndecorations #autumnhome #autumnwreath #falldecorating #cottagecorestyle 

Cottage renovation | Bath stone cottage | Front door style | Autumn decor | Autum home style | Seasonal styling | Seasonal living | Cottage life
[AD - features some PR products, which are marked] [AD - features some PR products, which are marked] You've seen the kitchen and the dining room, and now it's time to share the living room - the missing link in our newly renovated trio of downstairs rooms.

This room appealed to us the moment we viewed our little cottage, as it has two windows and gets lovely light. But it was also the trickiest space to get right: not only is it a through space, it had also been stripped of most original features, leaving it looking bland and soulless. 

The first thing we did was build a new stud-wall chimney breast and commission a Bath stone fireplace from @christopheremerystone. It gives the room a much-needed focal point using a local material (the same as the house is constructed from, in fact), and we've added a clean-burning bioethanol stove to help create a calm, cosy sanctuary.

Swipe through the photos and captions for more... 

#cottagerenovation #neutrallivingroom #minimalistlivingroon #cottagedecor #softminimalism

Cottage renovation | Neutral living room | Cottage decor | Soft minimalist interiors | Neutral interiors | Neutral decor | Simple interiors | Stone fireplace | Beige living room 

The doors to the dining room and kitchen are in one corner, so we set up an inviting seating zone away from the main traffic area, with the furniture slightly pulled out from the walls and anchored by a large rug. The space by the doors hasn’t gone to waste, as we’ve added a slimline console table (which sat in the hallway in our previous house).

Sadly neither of the sofas that we had in our previous living room were the right size for this one, and the larger of the two wouldn’t even have fitted through the narrow doorway. So, the hunt was on for a new one. I really liked the idea of a linen slipcover design to fit with the rustic-minimalist aesthetic, and IKEA’s ‘HYLTARP’ model proved ideal. It’s long enough for both of us to sprawl out in comfort, and it comes as a self-assembly flatpack so there were no worries about how to get it inside! I also like the fact that the covers are removable, meaning we can take them off to wash them, replace them if they wear out or even change them entirely if we fancy a new look. 

We've

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