Mirabelle was a labour of love. Bringing a 200-year-old cottage back to life — honouring its past while making it genuinely comfortable — was never going to be simple. Here is the story, room by room, season by season.
Use the Before / During / After toggles to see the transformation.
The Bathroom
The original bathroom had done its time — dated blue walls, an old suite, and a tired floor. We stripped it back to the bare bones and rebuilt it entirely, fitting a freestanding slipper bath, walk-in shower, patterned encaustic floor tiles, and classic metro wall tiles. The result is a proper bathroom suite worthy of a luxury retreat.
The Kitchen
The original kitchen was a mishmash of dated units, tiled worktops, and a jarring yellow-green colour scheme. We stripped it back to bare stone and original beams, then fitted a completely new kitchen — bespoke blue-grey shaker units, solid oak worktops, metro tile splashback, and slate flooring. The exposed stone wall was uncovered and left beautifully raw.
The Stairs
The staircase had a dark herringbone carpet and bright teal walls — functional, but lacking character. We repainted throughout in warm, muted tones and replaced the carpet with a classic woven stripe runner, adding warm Edison-bulb lighting to create an inviting atmosphere on the way up.
The Dining Room
The dining room had tired lime-green walls, a glass-topped iron table, and a floor that turned out to be hiding something dramatic underneath. We stripped back to bare earth, relaid the subfloor from scratch, and laid new solid wood flooring throughout. The room was repainted in warm cream tones, given a pendant light, and a fireplace was revealed and restored.
The Living Room
The living room already had wonderful bones — a characterful exposed stone fireplace with original oak beam and a cast iron log-burning stove. We stripped out the dated leather sofas and laminate flooring, fully replastered and painted, and laid beautiful slate flagstone tiles. The room was then dressed with a plush sofa, a pair of emerald green velvet armchairs, a new coffee table, warm Edison cage pendant lighting, and a sleek designer column radiator — cosy, stylish, and made for long evenings by the fire.
The Master Bedroom
Already a calm, grey-blue space with a lovely iron bed, the master bedroom was refined and elevated throughout. We upgraded the lighting to warm pendant and bedside lamps, replaced the old radiator with a sleek designer column radiator, added coastal seagull wall art, and dressed it in crisp white linen — turning a pleasant room into a genuinely restful retreat.
The Second Bedroom
Originally a teal-walled room with mismatched pine furniture, the second bedroom was cleared and refreshed throughout. We kept the deep colour palette but shifted to a richer sage green, added warm Edison pendant lighting, fitted new carpet, and dressed the room with coastal touches — including a pair of fish wall ornaments that feel entirely at home by the Devon sea.
Behind the Scenes
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