Stunning Cotswold Cottage House Tour

From time to time, I come across a home so lovely, so beautifully put together, that I feel compelled to drop what I'm doing and share it with you. Today was such a day, and this is such a home, a classic Cotswold cottage with gorgeous Modern Country interiors....

Based in Burford, a small town in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, The Brewery is a perfect blend of old and new, of Modern and Country style.

Shall we take the full house tour?

The tour bus is waiting, hop on in...

Let's begin downstairs in this beautiful open-plan living space....

Tucked at one end is a cosy sitting area...

...perfect for Christmas time!

And at the other end is a slightly more formal seating arrangement around a low table, piled with books...

Although this is a holiday rental, one of the ways in which the owners have stopped it seeming too clinical, is by including lots of little reading nooks in tucked away spaces...

It was the dining area that first caught my eye. I am obsessed with the mix of rustic and luxury in this Cotswold home. They've walked that line brilliantly, don't you think?

The kitchen is rather small, it's true...but who wants to do lots of cooking on holiday?!

A small walled courtyard provides lots of light into the interior: by day....

...or by night!

Let's take a look upstairs now at the stunning bedrooms....

Masses of natural light floods in and the super-restful colour schemes continue here....

Feast your eyes on that gorgeous paint colour! Is it pink or is it cream?!

Are you tired after all that walking?! Well, you're in luck! Look what I've saved till last...

Are you ready to move in to your new Modern Country home!!

Take care until next time,

Sarah xx

Images via Luxury Cotswold Rentals

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The Best Front Door Colours To Paint Cotswold Stone Houses (Part 3: Classic With A Twist)

Welcome to the final part of the very best paints for the front door of your Cotswold Stone house. This is a question I'm asked so often by clients because its an easy way to really oomph the curb appeal of your home. It's also pretty cost effective because it's only the front door and windows that need painting, rather than the whole house, as with many rendered properties. Cotswold Stone just keeps on getting better with age.

The last suggestion I want to make when choosing paint colours for Cotswold Stone front doors is to veer towards the traditional. If in doubt, choose classic....but with a twist.

So, while I'm certainly not knocking black, it can look gorgeous, though it's best if you have a house that has oodles of natural charm like the one below.....

..., you might, for example, consider choosing Farrow and Ball Railings....

...Fired Earth Mercury...

...or Farrow and Ball Pelt, for a slightly smarter look...

The same goes for classic white front doors. Yes, if the house has more than enough welly of its own, then plain white can be a good way to go...

...but for those looking for a way to stand out from long lines of same old, same old, how about the softest pink?

...or the gentlest of greens....

{Marston and Langinger's Silver Lavender would be great for this Cotswold home....}

I'm currently so obsessed with this property that I feel it's only fair to give you three images here... It's called Soho Farmhouse and is part of a full-on luxe Country Club based in the Cotswolds.

Pure White on all doors and windows looks utterly anachronistic on period properties: they never had access to the technology that gives us the whitest of whites that we're used to today; going down a softer route will give you a more authentic feel...

Off-whites, putties and stones will all hit the mark...

...or even a soft white like Fired Earth Dover Cliffs...

And for those of you looking to create the perfect Country idyll, classic cream should most certainly be on your list...

Little Greene Woodbine is lovely...

I hope that gives you plenty of ideas to dream about if you have a front door to paint and a Cotswold Stone house. Three distinct routes to travel if you: the neutrals, the green-grey-blues, and here the classics with a twist.

Which is your favourite?  

Images via The Burford Experience, unknown, unknown, Farrow and Ball, unknown, Money Week, unknown, Soho Farmhoue, Soho Farmhouse, Soho Farmhouse, Home Way, Character Cottages, Coates Mill Cottage, unknown, Helena Bernald

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Modern Country Cotswold House And Garden Tour: The White Hart by Sims Hilditch

A completely perfect example of a Cotswold stone house that has been gorgeously restored by Neptune's Emma Sims-Hilditch is this:  The White Hart. 

I'm completely besotted by the way the soft honeyed tones of the Cotswold stone exterior harmonise so stunningly with the scheme chosen for the amazing interior. 

Take a look and see what I mean...

Parts of the building, which functions as a business centre, feel like a real home!

And could there be anything more inviting than the workroom?!

Emma Sims-Hilditch cleverly combines her interior design work with her strong input into the Neptune range so that both synthesise with the other.

This is not only true for the stunning kitchen areas....

...but many of the accessories too. 

And the paint! Who could forget their paint? Totally yummy shades. The cupboards below are in one of my favourites: Neptune Moss.

Rattan chairs outside complete the Modern Country garden look...the stone walls, the gentle blue-green-grey of the large door and windows, the Modern Country planting: a blend of formal structure and informal softness....bliss!

The picture above is when the garden was first planted, which will always look a little on the bare side but, below, you can see the Modern Country garden softness in all its glory!

G:O:R:G:E:O:U:S

Images via Sims-Hilditch

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The Best Front Door Colours To Paint Cotswold Stone Houses (Part 2: The Greens)

Cotswold Stone sings out so gorgeously and so eye-catchingly that many people find it difficult to know where to start so we shall we take a peek today at Part 2 of my series on the very best paint colours to paint the front doors (and windows, and drain pipes...!) of Cotswold Stone homes to give that Modern Country feel to your front door.

Dulux Lizard is the quintessential green paint for Cotswold Stone front doors

Last time we looked at gorgeous neutral paints but today let's look at that classic Modern Country combination: Cotswold stone and the perfect Cotswold green! Sometimes green, sometimes grey, sometimes blue...you know the style I mean, right?

Try Farrow and Ball Cooking Apple Green and Oval Room Blue for this combination

Now, this is where it gets slightly technical. If your front door gets lots of sun, the you have to bear in mind that sunshine will make any front door appear much paler than it does on the the colour chip.

Little Greene Slaked Lime will help give the putty green tones of this front door

Plus the sun bleaches paint like nobody's business so, unless you want to be painting the front of your house every couple of years, you might like to consider a lighter, more muted colour, for WOW-factor longevity!

Paint and Paper Eucalyptus is a gooooorgeous grey green

Don't just be swayed by pretty pictures of perfect Cotswold stone houses. Try to find images of fornt doors that match the light levels of your own. A house that faces North, for example, will look very different to a home in full-on sun. The same hue will appear much bluer in the shade. 

Farrow and Ball Blue Gray will help create this look

North-facing front doors give their paint a much easier time of itwith very little sun leeching away colour, which means that your chosen paint colour will stay true for many more years. Hooray!

Farrow and Ball Castle Gray is a strong contender or this deeper shade of sea green

On a shady front door, you may want to choose a paint colour that's a little darker, a little bolder but will still make the most fo your gorgeous Cotswold stone!

Fired Earth Ultramarine Ashes is a keeper, And what a perfect name! 

The same rules also apply to many French stone houses, with their heavenly shutters and dreamy farmhouse architecture. Take a look at this stunner. ..

Salvia by Paint and Paper Library woul work a treat here...

Can you see the same honey tomes emerge from the stone, just like with Cotswold houses? Actually, what's going on here is that the sun bings out the orange tones of the stone and then those scrumptious chalky sea shades act as complementary colours, creating a very muted version of a thoroughly pleasing pairing.

Farrow and Ball Green Blue will crate this warm aqua tone

The complimentary colours bring a visually exciting stimulus but by using very gentle, greyed tones, you can create a softness that is pure eye candy!

Images via:

Exteriors: Modern Country on Pinterest.

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