Get The Look: Shop April Cottage
*This post features Amazon affiliate links. April Cottage images © Alexandra O’Toole.
When we bought April Cottage, it had been vacant for a number of years and was in a fairly poor state of repair. I can remember the day we went to look at it for the first time as if it was yesterday. We approached by car from the small windy A-road just after the turn off for Cartmel. It was a beautiful autumn day and the trees bent over the road to form a tunnel of leaves overhead. As we rounded the bend at the edge of Millerbeck we saw the wooden wayfinding sign opposite a field of sheep and as we turned into the lane that dips down towards the side of April Cottage we were already hooked.
We have spent a lot of time restoring the property since we bought it, improving and upgrading the facilities as and when we could afford to. There’s always more to do! Over the years, to our delight, many of our guests have commented how much they love the decor at April Cottage and often enquire where they can purchase some of their favourite items.
Today, I‘m sharing a few items that are similar to some of the furnishings at the cottage that you can find online.
I have a real fondness for brass and floating glass picture frames and I love to put pressed flowers and leaves inside, that I change each season. These are similar and come in a range of sizes.
Bringing the outside in is a visual thread we have woven throughout the cottage. One of the first decisions we made was to use the stunning Woods and Stars wallpaper from Cole & Son which is no longer available on their website, but can be found through other stockists. It’s not cheap, but at the time there was nothing else like it on the market and I had my heart set on it. Since then, I’ve seen a few really good similar options including this gorgeous neutral silver birch wallpaper from Errisman for a fraction of the price and if you’re a little bit apprehensive about wallpapering, how about this amazing peel and stick version from JoliHome?
You’ll find lots of potted faux plants around the cottage. I’m very fussy when it comes to faux plants. They have to look as natural as possible. Ferns are my favourite and of course, you’ll find lots of the real thing dotted along the lanes and in the woods close to the cottage. I love the look of this little potted fern sitting on a shelf. Such a simple, beautiful look.
I also have a few faux plant or flower stems into pots and vases around the cottage. My favourite is the vintage brass pot sitting on the table at the top of the stairs. If you’re looking for something similar, this one from Melody Maison will do the job nicely.
You’ll also find quite a lot of art on the walls in the cottage - most of it contemporary photography and illustration. In the living room we’ve hung two large black and white botanical prints in simple white frames, whilst in the kitchen we’ve done a gallery wall of black and white nature based images. This set of six abstract flowers would fit in well.
Lots of guests love the bronze hare sculpture in the living room. I’ve only ever seen a hare in the wild once and that was up near Bassenthwaite Lake. It was mesmerizing. This sculpture is very similar. I also think this version in silver is beautiful.
To keep things cosy and homely, we use the softest fluffy cushions like these and these neutral check linen cushions.
And of course the most important thing, the decision we spent the most time making, was the beds. The main bedroom features a large oak framed kingsize bed with drawers at the bottom. It is the most comfortable bed. We bought it from a company in Barrow, but you can find a similar one here.
The twin bedroom is a fairly narrow room so we had to search long and hard for two single beds that would work. I had always loved the mental framed beds and eventually settled on some very similar to these.
These are just some of the furnishings and accents you’ll find at April Cottage. The truth is, furnishing and styling the cottage is an ongoing process. Rarely a month goes by that we don’t swap something out or add something extra because we want our guests to feel like it’s a home from home. I’m sure there will be more tweaks to come!
* This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.