Hot buttered Toast

I love autumn – the chill in the air, the clear sunshine and the anticipation of my annual pilgrimage to the Lake District. This week has been hectic, exciting, energising and exhausting in equal measure and has left me yearning for time cocooning at home. If only my weekend could look a little something like this…

Parchment floral duvet cover £99 / Ticking duvet cover, £79

Half glaze tableware from £14

Cushions £55 / £59

Socks from £25

Terracotta tableware from £22

I never had myself down as a patterned bedding kind of girl, but I think I might’ve just changed my mind! There’s so much more loveliness on the Toast website.

A whitewashed and woody Italian retreat

I’m suffering from a serious bout of Olympic fever here in London and am almost delirious with excitement, but if you’ve already had enough and are looking to escape I have the perfect spot for you.

This old mill belongs to Katrin Arens who designs and makes rustic furniture from reclaimed wood. It’s set in the Lombardy region of Italy, right in the north where it borders Switzerland. It’s not an area I knew anything about, but one look at this website and it’s now firmly on my ‘to go’ list – rolling hills, thermal waters and lowland rice fields producing the main ingredient for the region’s speciality saffron risotto… si grazie!

Given her job, it’s hardly surprising that Katrin made lots of the furniture in the house herself. If her style is your thing you should definitely check out her shop, where she sells lovely handcrafted, natural homewares.

I love the tiny flash of yellow in the picture on top of the wardrobe in this otherwise white/wood room. And I’m sure I’d sleep like a baby every night in the room below knowing I could throw open the window and start the morning with breakfast at the little table.

{via The Style Files}

You know what, this house might just have wrestled away the award of my dream home from this Cornish cottage – I can absolutely see myself living here. Forever!

Back to nature at Bivouac

Here’s another addition to my cavegirl travel list. Bivouac not only has a great name, it sounds like a great place to stay, eat and explore too.

Bivouac is a posh, eco-friendly holiday camp in the Yorkshire Dales, which aims to be ‘all things luxurious and rustic’ – my dream combination! I’d choose to stay in one of the charming Woodland Shacks (above) which are built with chestnut wood frames, sheep’s wool insulation and a private veranda with views through the trees. Inside, the furniture is a mixture of handmade and upcycled bits and pieces, and each shack comes complete with a traditional Windy Smithy stove for drying out your walking boots or cooking up a tasty stew. The only thing that’s missing is electricity!

Even if you’re not staying in one of the Woodland Shacks, Meadow Yurts or the Bunk Barn, you can still enjoy a taste of Bivouac life in the café. The interior is just gorgeous – I really like the warm blend of wood, combined with pastel-painted vintage chairs and bare industrial lightbulbs. It reminds me of a slightly more refined version of the Town Mill Bakery in Lyme Regis, which I visited last summer and can’t stop dreaming about!

{all Bivouac}

Staying at Bivouac costs from £18 per person per night for a bed in the Bunk Barn to £565 to rent a seven-bed Woodland Shack for four nights in summer. The Bivouac Café is open everyday and sometimes has special events like pottery painting, folk nights and wine tasting. Check out the website for all the details.

R is for Rustic

I can’t decide if ‘rustic’ is one of those annoying decorating adjectives that people splash about when they can’t think of a better way to describe a room that’s woody, natural, comfortably rough and beautifully worn.

However, after a loooong week and a glass or two of Pimms, I can’t think of a better word either so I’m afraid this collection of very lovely pins goes under this heading for the time being…

R is for Rustic

{Lopelilla via my Pinterest boards}

{via Sinnenrausch via my Pinterest boards}

{William Waldron via my Pinterest boards}

{Eldrids via my Pinterest boards}

{via Arbitrary Inclination via my Pinterest boards}

Don’t forget, you can join me on Pinterest for daily inspiration and ideas and as if that’s not enough, I’m on Twitter too!

Have a jubilicious long weekend everyone. I’m giving it every ounce of patriotism I’ve got and braving the hoards to watch the flotilla on the Thames. If you’re there too, give me a wave… I’ll be the one wearing red, white and blue :-)