she said... home away from homey ...Oak House No 1

'He' turned 30 on Tuesday and as a birthday surprise I planned a little trip away to the Cotswolds. Whenever booking a trip away I spend endless hours on the net trawling through the hotel options, confusing myself with too much choice and making the entire process much more painful then it needs to. However the hours of searching really did pay off this time.

I found the guest house 'Oak House No 1' via i-escape, it looked cosy, friendly and completely unique, all the things I look for when choosing a hotel.  As soon as you walk through the door the lavish decor and interiors blows you away. To give an idea, there are huge pieces of contemporary art work placed next to a row of wellies, with so much gorgeous stuff to look at we were not sure what to do first... 

...actually we did know what to do first which was to eat the amazing cakes waiting for us. A hotel that has afternoon tea and cake on arrival as standard is my kind of place.

Fruit cake, followed by scones, followed by a walnut coffee cake. yum. 

We booked the Cavalier room (as you would expect for a place like this each of the 3 rooms is completely different) which came with a four poster bed, a TV in the bath tub and had more pieces of art to look at then the V&A.

The detailing on the four poster bed.

Even with all its eggstrvangace the bedroom still had a warm and cosy feel. I can't stay that all the pieces of art and furniture were too my taste but if I wanted a hotel room to be filled with the same things I have in my own bedroom well I might as well stay at home.

Breakfast was another eggstavangent affair which was served in the dinning room. Like the bedroom it was another feast of art work, antique and contemporary furniture and so many details I almost forgot about my food (almost....) There was so much art across the guest house I felt like a tour should be given on the side of my 4 course breakfast, yes thats right 4 courses. 

A lavish chandelier hung over a very grand and beautifully set dinning table surround by a mix of chairs, each one more fabulous then the next.  I love the used of mix/match chairs but have only seen it used its for rooms with a shabby chic or minimalist look but having seen how its been done at the Oak House it shows as long as you pick the right chairs for the setting it can work with any style.

Just one of the many clocks dotted around, I am thinking I need to add
a clock like this to my wish list, man that list is getting long (and expensive).

My absolute favourite item in the house was a silver tray with deer heads either side, there were several dotted around with various purposes. In a recent blog post (Monday served up on a tray) I was eyeing up several trays but now none of the seem right, I need this one. Kash's recent birthday gifts of several bottles of scotch would look perfect on one of these.

On paper The Oak House interiors may sound a little overpowering and stuffy but in reality it felt very beautiful, relaxed and colourful.  Even though it housed some very grand and eccentric items that most people wouldn't dear put in their homes it still felt completely homey and genuine. The owners Gary and Nicky have spent many years collecting each detail and although it has probably been a very long process it has totally paid off. Staying at this guest house has reminded me that making a home beautiful it has to a process that needs to be given time, lots of it, so I need to have patience. 

I wish we could have stayed more then one night but I am sure we go back again soon, if only to find out how I can get my hands on one of those trays!

Other non interior related details: The owners are super lovely and very helpful planning your trip around the cotswolds. The guest house is in Tetbury, a gorgeous little town with lots of antique shops and plenty of restaurant options.