‘It’s the perfect FESTIVE SETTING’

During our first Christmas here, the house was still very much a work in progress,’ says Marie. ‘I remember posting a picture on Instagram of a tiny Christmas tree sat among the building site with a caption along the lines of “we may not have central heating or hot water but we do have a Christmas tree!” We’d originally hoped to have much of the ground floor completed in just six months (in time for Christmas), but, in reality, the renovations ended up taking over two years to complete.

We bought the cottage back in the summer of 2012. Simon and I are seasoned renovators