Cosy Cotswold Summer Nights
We came back from Menorca at the start of June and moved into our cottage. We were exhausted from renovating on the island, had been on the road for two months and were then greeted by freezing temperatures and lots of rain for the first few weeks back home. To add insult to injury the boiler at our new cottage had been written off just before the purchase went through. We thought that we would be able to survive the summer without it and change it when we start the extension work later in the year, but those first few weeks were freezing. Anyway, long (moany) story short, it was all a bit stressful when we first arrived, and it has taken some time for us to get sorted…
The cottage is so sweet and charming, and I can’t wait to share more of it with you soon. We are currently waiting to have the first cupboards built in the sitting room and dining room (no exaggeration when I say there are literally NO cupboards or drawers in the house!). Even the kitchen is open shelves and Patrick and I are keeping our clothes in storage boxes under our bed. Lily has a hanging rail in her room though, so she’s all good :)
And a quick update with regard to our main house search – we have looked and looked and looked. Lots of different locations from Bath to Cheltenham and Oxford, but the right house has been eluding us so far. We have now switched our search to the Oxfordshire countryside, as we are loving where we are at the moment and getting into London for work is so much easier than it was from Dorset. I am really hoping that we find something soon...both for practical reasons and I’m also longing to get designing again and have lots of new rooms to share with you!
I also have lots of blog content that I’m keen to share with you though soon and I’m hoping that will happen more over the next few weeks. We have a wonderful part-time nanny and she has been away climbing mountains (first Nepal and then Pakistan) for the last few months, which has meant time to work has been somewhat limited. But she’s almost home and we are almost settled, and I am so pleased to be back online and writing again :)
This is the first glimpse of our cottage that I am sharing with you – a gorgeous corner of our garden. We have spent SO much time here since we arrived (once the weather changed for the better), and it really has been a much-needed extra room. When I was offered the chance to try an outdoor bioethanol fireplace from Imagin Fires, I jumped at the chance. It runs on bioethanol fuel and doesn't need any installation, so it's super easy to set up. You literally just unpack, pour in the fuel and light it. I also love that it can be indoor or outdoor - we have already used it so much this summer.
It is so lovely to have the warmth later in the evening when the temperature cools and I also love the atmosphere that a live fire creates. Once the summer is over we can just move it indoors...as we have fireplaces in the sitting room and dining room, I’ve earmarked for our bedroom - it will be a really cosy addition there. I chose the Burford style, but there are lots of lovely designs and there’s currently 25% off, so here is the link if you are interested.
Laura Butler-Madden's Cotswold Cottage Garden
We styled this corner with this beautiful sofa set from Garden Trading – I have been in love with it since I first spotted it last year, but they have a wonderful selection of different styles as well as this one.
To add a bit of luxury I dress the table with flowers (this large vase from White Company is my current favourite) light a candle and of course, add a chilled bottle of wine :) I LOVE scented candles and was kindly sent this one to try by Lumira – it smells amazing and I love the sophisticated branding as well. They have an amazing range of beautiful scents exclusively at Selfridges - I have included a selection below.
A cosy summer evening wouldn’t be complete without a cashmere rug. I adore this one from Jonathan Adler that I bought a few years ago and I have linked it to some other options below. I also love the quality of the cashmere throws from Johnstons of Elgin and they have a range of prices too.
Laura Butler-Madden's Cotswold Cottage Garden
I hope you’re all enjoying/surviving the heatwave! We are spending a lot of time in Lily’s paddling pool, which sadly didn’t make the cut for this shoot. I ended up choosing one that was very bright and garish, but it has a roof to keep her shaded, which the plain silver one didn’t :)
Have a lovely evening!
Laura x
Some of the items in this post were gifted to me by the brands, some links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you then buy.
As always all thoughts, opinions and styling are my own.
Photography by Patrick Butler-Madden