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Our cottage renovation – an update

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[Advertisement – the flooring and radiators referenced below are PR products, but all words and opinions are my own.] This week marks three months since we got the keys to our new home, so I thought it was time to share an update on our renovation progress to date. You can read more about our house-buying journey and why we decided to move here , but to cut a long story short we’ve relocated from Bristol to a 19th-century stone cottage in the small town of Bradford on Avon, just outside Bath on the edge of the Cotswolds. The building itself is structurally sound, and we won’t be extending or making any major changes to the layout, but it’s still a big project. It had lain empty for almost two years and been rented out to a succession of different tenants for decades before that, so it’s tatty, dated and in desperate need of some TLC. Our aim is to breathe some life and soul back into the place, and reveal its period character. The decor will be neutral and pared-back, but in keep...
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Vipp’s latest guesthouse: a minimalist mountain retreat in Austria

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I’m glued to coverage of the Winter Olympics at the moment and dreaming of a holiday among majestic snow-covered peaks. And Montafon Haus, the 14th addition to the growing portfolio of bookable guest accommodation from Danish design brand Vipp, would fit the bill perfectly. Perched high in the Austrian Alps, amid soaring mountains and forested slopes, it extends the company’s approach of integrating its furniture, kitchens and lighting into radically different settings. The result is a beautiful blend of minimalist Scandinavian style and local character, with lots of soul and a strong sense of place. Located in the village of Vandans, within the 39km-long Montafon Valley in Austria’s westernmost Vorarlberg region, the house dates from 1836 and passed through generations of the same family before beginning a new chapter with Vipp. The area’s centuries-old building traditions, shaped by the harsh realities of Alpine life, are evident in its thick outer walls, pitched shingle roof and...
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