12 Cotswold cottages with inspiring interiors
Without question, over the last seven months or so we have all seen far more of the inside of our homes than ever before. Feeling the need to change the décor and, in many cases, having to adapt homes for work and study, has most likely been the driving force behind the jump in sales of homeware products in the UK.
According to the UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS), spending on household goods was especially strong in August with retailers reporting a 9.9% jump in sales of homeware products compared with the pre-pandemic levels reported in February.
Time for an update but need some inspiration?
Are you craving a change to the colour scheme, thinking about upcycling the furniture or even contemplating adding an extension to accommodate a home office, but you’re just lacking the inspiration to get going?
You could buy an interiors magazine or look at Pinterest or Instagram for inspiration, but we think there’s an even better way to get fired up… Stay at a luxury Cotswold holiday home with a drop-dead gorgeous interior! Instead of gazing online or at the pages of your favourite interiors magazine, you can immerse yourself in the real thing, take notes and photos and use the ideas when you get back home. Ta-dah!
It would take a while for you to look at the interiors of all the properties we manage, so to make it easier for you we’ve highlighted 12 that we think could easily feature in any leading interiors magazine – from a bijou 1-bedroom bolthole to a 7-bedroom mansion house.
The 12 Cotswold cottages to visit
- The Old Manse, Little Tew, near Chipping Norton
- Old Oak House, Burnett, near Bath
- Singer House, Chipping Campden
- Mercia House, Winchcombe
- Lovell Cottage, Minster Lovell, near Witney
- Oldbury Barn, Elkstone, near Cheltenham
- The Coach House, Saintbury, near Chipping Campden
- Westerleigh Cottage, Cowley, near Cheltenham
- Brown’s Cottage, Charlbury
- Sycamore, Arlington/Bibury
- The Bothy, Arlington/Bibury
- The Hayloft at Walnut Farm, near Tetbury
The Old Manse, Little Tew, near Chipping Norton
The Old Manse is a handsome historic, three-story, red-brick, detached family home on a quiet country lane leading into the village of Little Tew. The super-stylish yet warm and welcoming décor and furnishings extend all the way from the orangery kitchen with its lantern roof, right up to the third-floor attic bedroom. The owners of the Old Manse have transformed the property into a beautiful home, with a blend of contemporary and antique furniture complementing the choice of Farrow & Ball paintwork and wallpaper used throughout.
Old Oak House, Burnett, near Bath
Architecturally stunning and idyllically located, Old Oak House is a fabulous property nestling in the sleepy village of Burnett, situated between Bath and Bristol. The property features oak beams and has clean lines throughout, glass and chrome furnishings, as well as plenty of natural light – ideal for lovers of country living with a modern twist.
Singer House, Chipping Campden
The Grade II-listed features of Singer House are expertly blended with contemporary furnishings and artwork for a distinctly boutique magazine-worthy feel. Best of all, the kitchen’s stunning glass doorway hides one of the prettiest courtyard gardens that you’re ever likely to see; a private little hideaway from the hubbub of the High Street, framed by Cotswold-stone walls and lush topiary at every corner.
Mercia House, Winchcombe
Mercia House is a stunning property that cleverly combines its original, mid-16th century character with a contemporary glass, steel, and wood central entertaining space, with luxury bathrooms and a fantastic garden, terrace and patio. The recent renovations have created a brand-new home with modern heating, insulation, wiring, plumbing, new foundations and sound proofing around the core and facia of a stunning medieval property.
Lovell Cottage, Minster Lovell, near Witney
Lovell Cottage is a beautiful, luxury Cotswold stone cottage in the picture-perfect village of Old Minster Lovell near Witney. Outside, the cottage looks typically olde-worlde Cotswold, with a wisteria climbing across the front, but inside the owner has combined the original features with super-stylish contemporary furnishing and décor, including a gorgeous living room and snug, sharing a double-sided wood burner.
Oldbury Barn, Elkstone, near Cheltenham
Oldbury Barn in the rural hamlet of Elkstone, close to Cheltenham, is a typical Cotswold stone barn from the outside. However, that slightly modest exterior conceals an interior that’s uber-stylish, comfortable and spacious. This stunning, detached, 4-bedroom barn conversion is decorated and furnished to a very high standard with light and bright décor that enhances the beautiful period features to create a contemporary feel. Check out the master bedroom with its deep green, sub-tropical feel.
The Coach House, Saintbury, near Chipping Campden
The owners have spared no expense in converting the Coach House in Saintbury near Chipping Campden into a luxury Cotswold holiday let, combining character features with state-of-the-art facilities and amenities. The vaulted ceilings, majestic beams, open log fire, polished Cotswold stone flooring with underfloor heating all sit perfectly with the Smart TVs, sound system, and contemporary kitchen.
Westerleigh Cottage, Cowley, near Cheltenham
Westerleigh Cottage has featured in a number of glossy magazines, and once you step inside you’ll see why. Decorated throughout in complementary Farrow & Ball earth tones, with unique contemporary twists on traditional country home grandeur, Westerleigh Cottage is a seamless melting pot of the old and new. There is a real sensory emphasis on raw materials in this property, from the exposed Cotswold stone walls, brick fireplaces, and original timber beams, to the copper furnishings in the kitchen and the velvet adorned sitting room furniture.
Brown’s Cottage, Charlbury
The owners have perfectly blended the cottage’s gorgeous interior design, beautiful palette of natural colours and textures, luxury furnishings and amenities with the 17th century oak doors, inglenook fireplace, internal exposed stone walls and oak beams. Guests will instantly notice the nod to the owner’s travels, with beautiful and interesting objet d’art throughout the cottage from the African continent.
Three inspiring tiny homes:
And finally, if you have a small annex or barn you would like to convert into a living space for friends and family, look no further than Sycamore, The Bothy and Hayloft: three gorgeous mini-retreats with beautiful interiors:
Sycamore, Arlington/Bibury
Sycamore is a well-designed, luxurious retreat for two in the popular Cotswold village of Arlington, in the parish of Bibury. The owners have spared no expense furnishing this tiny (65 square metre) bolthole, using a clever combination of contemporary building materials, oak flooring, sumptuous fabrics, gorgeous antiques and eye-catching artwork.
The Bothy, Arlington/Bibury
Once a basic, 17th century homestead built to house cattle and a herdsman, today simple elegance best describes the 33 square metres of the Bothy’s interior with its vaulted and exposed beams, grey and white colour scheme and combination of antique and stylish modern furniture. Downstairs is an open-plan, elegant sitting room with a well-equipped corner kitchen, while a spiral, contemporary staircase leads upstairs to a beautiful bedroom with an ensuite shower room.
The Hayloft at Walnut Farm, near Tetbury
The Hayloft’s natural tones of greys, whites and mushroom are set against the unique and verdant backdrop of the courtyard garden, peaking at you through the kitchen and French windows. The owner has very cleverly planned the 57 square metres of space to include an open-plan living-dining area with a double-height ceiling, a wood burning stove and a spiral staircase up to the glass and oak framed, mezzanine floor bedroom, while just off the open-plan living area is a spacious dressing room and a shower room.
If you feel you need to refurbish, revamp or renew your home, but you’re struggling to get the creative juices flowing, take a tour of these 12 inspiring Cotswold interiors… Better still, come and visit and bring your notebook too!
