Discover this Cornish cabin’s rustic, reclaimed charm
This dreamy bolt-hole, decorated in a cosy, cabin-like style, offers the perfect weekend escape for its owners.
Image: Colin Poole
Sarah Stanley is the founder of Unique Homestays, so it’s not unexpected that her own home should be something out of the ordinary.
We took a tour of her weekend bolt-hole on the Cornish coast and found out all about the awe-inspiring rustic interior scheme she’s created within in.
Words: Natalie Osborn
The house
Image: Colin Poole
When Sarah and her partner Andy got the keys to a higgledy-piggledy cottage just a short stroll from the Cornish coastline, it was the expansive garden plot that captured their imagination. ‘We wanted to build something that would be very different from our home, but still feel in-keeping with the surrounding hamlet,’ recalls Sarah. ‘It needed tobe somewhere that could be rented out as a holiday let, but also a bolthole for us, too.
Sarah lived in Australia while her three now grown-up children were toddlers, so she took a lot of inspiration for the design from the country’s Queenslander-style properties, with their large wrap-around verandas, corrugated iron roofs and sleek timber cladding.
The kitchen
Image: Colin Poole
Sitting in an L-shape, the kitchen doesn’t impose into the living area and rather acts as a stunning showcase of bespoke furniture, from the timber cladding to the grey-washed cabinetry, that doubles as a workspace. ‘I actually found the doors for the top cupboard at a reclamation yard for just £40,’ says Sarah. ‘They’ve turned out to be a real feature.’
The living room
Image: Colin Poole
‘While it’s a really light-filled space during the day, I planned layers of subtle lighting so that after dark it feels cosy and cocooning,’ Sarah says. Industrial-style wall lighting provides a softening base, accented by candlelight and the glowing logburner in the heart of the room.
The bedroom
Image: Colin Poole
Texture comes to the fore with draped linens, woven cushions and a macramé wall hanging. ‘We opted for one striking piece of artwork so as not to clutter the space,’ says Sarah. Vintage lobster pots and buoys add visual interest.
The bathroom
Image: Colin Poole
In the bathroom, geometric tiles travel from floor to ceiling, and frame two traditional-style showers. ‘My thinking behind this room was that we needed somewhere to relax in after a day of stomping the coastal path,’ she says. ‘The bath was a reclamation yard find, which we had re-enamelled, and pairs really well with the high-level toilet cistern and vintage taps. The cabinet in here was made on site by our very hard-working carpenters.’
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