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  • My minimalist Christmas decor – the first few touches

    My minimalist Christmas decor – the first few touches

    November 29, 2021November 28, 2021

    I don’t normally start decorating the house for Christmas until December, but with the weekends falling the way they do – and with the days getting increasingly gloomy – I…

  • Minimalist Christmas decorations in blush pink, beige and grey | Three colour scheme for timeless Christmas style | These Four Walls blog

    Three nature-inspired colour schemes for timeless Christmas style

    November 23, 2021August 11, 2022

    I often get design inspiration from nature, and it’s no different when it comes to Christmas. So, to give you some ideas for your own festive decor, I’ve put together…

  • Simple Christmas table styling with dried foliage and grasses | These Four Walls blog

    Simple Christmas table styling with dried foliage and grasses

    December 11, 2020

    Christmas is going to be a smaller, more intimate affair for many this year, and it certainly will be for us. A couple of very important people will be missing…

  • How to make an asymmetrical Christmas wreath | These Four Walls blog

    How to make an asymmetrical Christmas wreath

    December 1, 2020

    Making wreaths is one of my favourite things to do in the run-up to Christmas. There’s something very mindful about getting stuck into seasonal crafts, and surrounding yourself with winter…

  • Simple, Scandinavian-inspired Christmas decorations (+ giveaway!) with Cox & Cox | These Four Walls blog

    Simple, Scandinavian-inspired Christmas decorations (+ giveaway!) with Cox & Cox

    November 7, 2018June 20, 2019

    [Advertisement – this is a paid partnership with Cox & Cox, but all words and opinions are my own] I know it’s only November, but there’s a distinct chill in…

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[AD - PR product] From one Loki photobomb (see my [AD - PR product] From one Loki photobomb (see my last post) to another... I love this view through the doorway from our dining room to the living room. And it perfectly frames the 'Ecru' throw, designed by @ceciliemanz for @elvangdenmark, that I've draped over our CH25 chair. The subtle stripe detailing along the edges is gorgeous, and it's made from super-soft baby alpaca wool. #neutralhomedecor #simplehomestyle #cottagerenovation #rusticminimalistdecor #softminimalstyle
Thought I'd have fun doing a little summer still l Thought I'd have fun doing a little summer still life yesterday evening - an hour of creative play, just for the fun of it. Loki decided he wanted to join in too. #cottagekitchen #summermood #summerstilllife #lightandshadow #seasonaldecor
[AD - features PR products] After months of floori [AD - features PR products] After months of flooring, sanding, priming, painting and juggling different trades, the ground floor of our little cottage is pretty much finished. And that means I can finally reveal some completed rooms! I'm starting with the dining room, as it’s the first space you enter after coming into the house through our tiny vestibule (I’m not sure it even counts as a hallway) and it sets the tone for the calm, cosy mood we want to create throughout. We wanted a rustic-minimalist style: pared-back yet textural, with subtle nods to the countryside setting. Like the rest of the cottage, the dining room has beautiful light. It faces west, so it’s illuminated by a golden glow later in the day, but it also gets morning light from the east-facing living room behind. And the ground floor as a whole has a wonderful sense of flow: each room leads directly to the next, creating the ideal balance between separation and connection, openness and cosiness. To enhance the light and the sense of flow, we’ve painted all walls, ceilings and woodwork in one colour, @farrowandball's ‘Slipper Satin’. It’s a chalky off-white that’s neither too cool nor too warm, and it interacts brilliantly with everything from bright sunshine to flickering candlelight. We’ve also used the same pale oak engineered hardwood flooring throughout the ground floor. It’s the ‘Wintry Forest Oak’ colourway from the @quickstepfloors ‘Cascada’ range, which is extra-matt for a soft, organic look. We’ve laid it continuously, with no thresholds between rooms, to lead the eye seamlessly from one space to the next. [PR product] The ground-floor layout did present some challenges, though. The dining room essentially acts as a transit space from the front door to the rest of the house, so we had to leave clear paths to move through it while also ensuring it has a defined function of its own. To achieve this, we positioned the table towards one corner of the room and anchored it within the wider space with a large jute rug. We also moved the pendant light to hang over the table rather than in the centre of the room and added a big linen shade from @baileyshome. This creates an intimate d
So how is everyone doing in the heat? It's been un So how is everyone doing in the heat? It's been unbearably hot and humid here all week, and I don't manage well in this kind of weather anymore (neither does Loki, as you can see). But we've also had tremendous storms, with some of the heaviest rain and most intense thunder I've ever experienced on Monday evening. #summermood #naturephotography #sunsetsky #lightandshadows #chasinglight
Time to do another post sharing a little bit about Time to do another post sharing a little bit about myself, as a lot has changed since the last one - not least a house move and a new renovation project! I'd love to know more about you, if you feel like sharing a fact or two in the comments below... #cottagerenovation #interiorsblogger #travelblogger #freelancewriter #softminimalstyle

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