Cottages

In an idyllic corner of Sussex, Milli Proust and Ted Dwane are pursuing their twin passions of floristry and cider making, growing their own cut flowers and apples in several meadows around their 17th-century cottage

20 years of owning this fairytale cottage have made it into a beguiling blend of perfectly preserved English tradition and Central Asian colour and pattern

In an extract from Vendome's new book on the historic houses of Maine, 'The Maine House', native New Englanders Maura McEvoy, Basha Burwell, and Kathleen Hackett explore a shingled cottage inhabited by the same family for over a century

Some eye-catching interior design alchemy by Nadine Finnegan has transformed a charming old Oxfordshire property into a colourful and characterful family home

Tasked with combining two 18th-century cottages to create a coherent property, architect Kathryn Manning devised a contemporary extension to join them, while designer Anna Haines introduced a harmonious mix of colours, set off by antique and bespoke furniture

Faced with the daunting task of reviving this 17th-century cottage in the Cotswolds, Ben Adler and Pat Llewellyn enlisted the help of historic building consultant Hilton Marlton. Together, they restored its original features without losing sight of the need to make it a comfortable weekend base

On torrid days in Singapore, the mercury can rise to 40°C. This is when interior designer Elizabeth Hay, who relocated to the tropical city-state in 2013, dreams of home. She pictures the whitewashed kitchen of her thatched cottage, tucked into the quiet green fold of an isolated Devon valley. Lawns tumble down to a brook and blossom drifts across the orchard in spring – an idyllic vision of England that might have come from a Thirties guidebook

Having found this tiny cottage in Oxfordshire five years ago, Victoria Barker has reversed the effects of a characterless renovation to create an irresistibly pretty interior

With her signature approach to layering and clever use of colour, Lucy Cunningham has injected personality into her idyllic cottage

Antiques dealer Adam Bentley took on the 17th-century stone cottage adjoining his childhood home in West Yorkshire almost 20 years ago, sensitively and thoroughly overhauling it before filling it with an ever-changing mix of pieces

King Charles's first Welsh home, adapted from a former model farm in Carmarthenshire, bears witness to his philosophy of sustainable building, with a structure traditionally made from existing and locally sourced materials, an ecologically sound heating system, and elegant interiors that harmonise perfectly with the architecture

Drawn to this cottage in the Cotswolds by the charming additions made by its previous interior-designer owner, the current custodian was keen to make her own mark with a sympathetic extension and interiors that reflect elements of her life in Portugal and her Scandinavian roots

Interior designer Kathryn Tyler has renovated this Cornish cottage in a relaxed and contemporary style, opening up the layout and installing vast windows that frame the extraordinary sea views

So – you’ve either bought, inherited, begged, borrowed (or stolen) the idyllic, best-of-both-worlds urban cottage we all dream of living in. But now you have your hands on it, how should you treat the interiors?

Available to rent through Sand & Stone Escapes, Well Cottage combines the best of charming country decoration with a modern touch

Escape to the country with our round-up of the most beautiful cottages from our archives.

When interior designer Lucinda Griffith fell for a cottage that took her back to her Welsh heritage but was almost beyond her means, she cleverly employed all the tricks of her trade to furnish it in a thrifty, inventive and charmingly inviting fashion

Ceramicist Steve Harrison works from pared-back studios in London and Wales, where minimal concessions to modern life create the conditions that ground him

Decorator Victoria von Westenholz, working with her longtime friend Xenia Buckhurst, has infused the interiors of the cottage where Xenia lives with warmth and a welcoming atmosphere

This idyllic cottage in Oxfordshire was looking rather tired until a trio of creatives - designer Sarah Delaney, architects Barnaby Gunning and garden designer Butter Wakefield - gave it a characterful update, both inside and out