A festive Fairytale

Sarah Stanley has given an idyllic thatched cottage a gorgeous Scandi interior that's perfect for celebrating...

I thought it was magical,' says Sarah Stanley of the first time she saw the fairytale-painted rubble and cob cottage with its wheat reed thatched roof near the north Cornish coast. 'It was such a pretty cottage and I fell in love with it there and then.' Sarah and her husband Andy had been looking for a holiday home in Cornwall when Sarah's niece spotted the property online and alerted her. 'Inside it had a lovely farmhouse feel with its large kitchen, which was part of the original dairy. The cottage felt surprisingly spacious and it had a warmth that we loved.

Although the house was in a good state structurally, it was rather dated. 'It had a deep purple carpet going up the stairs and a light pink one in the living room,' says Sarah. 'But although the decor wasn't right, I knew we could transform it into something special.'