Now and again we love to showcase country homes in other parts of the world, because Normandy does not have the copyright on the country home concept!
Today I want to show you the home of Bee Osborn who has this charming little cottage in the British countryside. I discovered Bee and her universe via her instagram account, where she shares shots of her home and her work. Bee works as an interior designer on beautiful projects all over the world, but when she gets home to Oxfordshire she likes some cosy, truly British charm.
We asked Bee a few questions about her own interior design, and here is what she told us …..
Your house is just picture perfect, and I’m sure that everyone tells you it looks like the house from the film The Holiday. Can you tell us a little bit about the history of your home? Yes, a lot of people tell me that! It is funny because when I bought the house I couldn’t even see the front as it was so overgrown and it was only when we cleared the garden and it started snowing that I thought… Oh my goodness it looks like ‘The Holiday’!
The house is actually an old Cotswold Stone thatched cottage built in 1540 complete with a shepherds seat and old bread oven where they would have done all the cooking!
Who do you share your home with? My husband, my 11 year old daughter, and two Sealyham Terriers called Alfred and Humphrey … plus my older daughters who come down at weekends….
How did you “meet” your house? It was a very spontaneous moment! I popped into the tiny village shop next door for a sandwich and saw a ‘For Sale’ sign in the undergrowth and fell in love on the spot, so knocked on the door, I had made an offer within ten minutes of seeing it!
What is your favorite room or space? For the moment it is my daughter’s room because of the vaulted ceiling but once we redo the kitchen, I think that will take preference.
How would you describe your style in decorating? Classic with a modern twist.
29 comments
Beautiful I live in a beautiful stone house in Bucks county Pennsylvania.
Sharon that was such a treat!! Thanks for introducing us to Bee and her warm and lovely home.
Beautiful love the quaint look of this home.
The photo looks like the house used in The Holiday. The movie starring Jude Law, Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet ( 2006) Lovely!
Love it!! So warm and welcoming. I want that bedroom!! I think I need to watch The Holiday, for the umpteenth time!!
My dream cottage.
I live inFrance but still hanker from time to time the real English cottage.
My dream cottage.
I live inFrance but still hanker from time to time after the real English cottage.!!!
Charming, inside and out! Love the snowy wreath. And you just know it’s cozy and warm indoors. Thank you again, Sharon, for giving us a sweet peek at French style.
Such a charming house. I just mentioned I would like to spend Christmas in England with ou son, daughter in law and granddaughter…..
What a dear little house. Although the snow did give me a moment’s pause, especially after this winter. The bedroom shown seems particularly charming.
So beautiful….and seems so serene. Thank you for sharing. Just what I needed after a week of paperwork and taxes!
Charming and cozy and romantic…. I live in a huge stone house in South Africa, but I feel a warm connection between stone and stone….
Even though I’m tired of winter (and we never even had snow, so it wasn’t that rough), the photos are so charming and cozy, I wish I were there.
Besides the tasteful decor, what makes it such an interesting space are the imperfections–the wooden lintel that long stopped being straight, the beam in the bedroom that’s full of gashes from having been hewn by hand.
Just perfect for a relaxing week away!
Well of course I am biased! Much though I adore France and her houses from Manoir to tiny cottage, I will always love English houses and cottages, where you have to stoop to get through a door, the charm of all the imperfections. I grew up with them, their familiarity is always comforting! I also follow her on IG, love her photos, but this was a real treat this morning. Thank you and have a lovely weekend x
So inviting… warm and cozy… it does look like the cottage in The Holiday… thanks for sharing… will try to find her on Instagram…Teresa
Love this ! Just received my new Victoria magazine and am delighted to see the spread on you, your home and blog ! What a nice surprise. Thanks for sharing the beauty of our earth on your side of the pond!
So lovely. .my dream to have a country cottage….one day !
The Holiday is exactly what I thought when I saw the photo. Built in 1540 Yikes! and still standing. Living in the States if something is 300 years old and still standing it is pretty old and pretty rickety. Something to be said for stone homes I guess. I am interested to know what you heat with.
so enchanting!
You got me at “country” Sharon! Love these introductions to country spaces, no matter where in the world they may exist. Bee is new to me, happy to follow. Thank you for the introduction! Hope you are enjoying your lovely Spring weekend…xx
Thank you for sharing this home – it is lovely.
Tudo de bom para vocês que nós favorecem um conteúdo de grande informação..
Oh I absolutely adore Bee’s home – i’ve long been a fan of her Instagram page and decorating style. Lovely interview too Sharon. Best wishes,
Paula x
I just received my ‘Victoria’magazine and after reading the article about you, I signed up for your newsletter today. I noticed the snaw , then the windows and the the age, brrrrr I thought, but then noticed an interesting detail that looks like she has a rolled up heavy curtain that can be let down on cold, blustery days. Great idea. The rooms appear all light and airy. I am sure now that I will really enjoy your newsletter.
Intriguing. Charming. I love stone houses…I want one! No matter what country I am in, the stone houses and cottages speak to me. They must speak to others also. I would love to sit in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate…or in England a cup of tea.
Thank you for sharing.
Just beautiful, love it. My little cottage dates back to 1630 and has a priest hole which was opened up by the previous owner, which is a shame.
Dear Sharon,
Well, what a lovely home.
I was particularly intrigued to read that the owner keeps sealyham terriers. I’ve been close friends with a woman in Virginia who’s kept them her entire life Hers have always been, in the nearly forty years I’ve been staying in that house, rather grand looking, with wildly unpredictable tempers. They’re also admirably stubborn dogs (I’ve kept terriers, myself, for years, but only the comparatively docile West Highlands). My elderly friend’s sealyhams RULE that roost (which is a big, rambling, crumbling, 1850’s house). I hold the record for being the only constant guest of family member who’s never been attacked (you never know what will set these particular dogs off) and bitten….don’t ask me why, since I’m not aware of having done anything more than keeping my hands and feet to myself when they’re in the same room.
They were enormously popular during the thirties and forties here in the USA; predictably enough, several movie-star had one, so that was enough to set of a fad for them….for a while, until folks learned that, like many other working breeds, they’re not exactly mindless lapdogs. It’s been at least fifteen years since my friend began bemoaning the breed’s dying out (apparently, no one in America wants one). She’ll gravely/sorrowfully announce to a room full of guests that the breed is disappearing….ending with “Did you know thaat only FOURTEEN sealyhams were born last year in the entire country???”.
The guests, who by this point generally (and advisedly) have their legs tucked up under them to void confrontations, just nod and try to appear sympathetic.
Personally, I like the dogs a great deal and have painted them many times over the years, but, then, I’ve never been one for lapdogs.
Well, thanks for this posting, which i’ll be forwarding to my friend. As an Anglophile (her middle name is “Newby”….after Newby Hall) and a sealyham fan, she’ll be thrilled by this,
Best Holiday wishes,
David terry
quail roost farm
rougemont, nc
usa
You are a beautiful young lady, you also have your mothers talent for writing. We are so glad she shares the beauty of France with us, let’s me see things I will never get to see in person.