Pastel celebration

CHARLOTTE COLEMAN'S WILTSHIRE COTTAGE IS A BEAUTIFUL MASHUP OF COLOURFUL CURIOSITIES

All-round creative Charlotte Coleman, aka @wiltshire wonderland on Instagram, spent her childhood growing up in Dorset. After living in London for 10 years, where she met husband, Chris, the pair decided that a move back to the countryside would be the soul nourishment they needed after so much time in the city, eventually setting their sights on rural Wiltshire. "Wiltshire is a wonderful place to live," says Charlotte. "We actually live on the Wiltshire-Somerset border, so get to enjoy both counties." Close by are the fantastic cities of Bath and Bristol, plus attractions such as Longleat and The Newt. "We love being surrounded by countryside."

Their home, which they share with children, William, six, and Cecelia, four, is a beautiful cottage, part of which dates back to the late 1800s. The back is an extension put on by the previous owners. "I wish we had found the house before the extension," says Charlotte. "We would have done a few things differently, like have higher ceilings in the extension, not low cottage ceilings."

The hunt for the right space for the family took around three months - but Charlotte knew as soon as they came down the driveway that it was the perfect place for them. Set away from the road and surrounded by trees, she describes it as their "little slice of paradise".

The couple bought the cottage knowing it was going to need a lot of work. "It was a dump," Charlotte says frankly. But walking round the house, she instantly knew what she would do to improve each area. "I could see past all the faults and I knew it would make a wonderful home," she says. "We had a new kitchen put in before we moved in, but if we had our time again I would have lived here first to get a feel for the house before doing any work, and I would have moved the kitchen to a different room."