We have a small cottage next to our farmhouse, a little two roomed building that I have decided will be the perfect writing and photography den.

Sometimes you need your private quiet space. I know my husband would agree. There are times we spend too long in each other’s company, working on the buildings all day, travelling, shopping and business, being directors of our companies together.  The cottage was perfect.  I could slip away to for a few hours leaving Tony the farmhouse study for his own quiet time. I wanted a very French room, slightly decadent, to home my two huge oak desks and collection of tapestries.

Rummaging through boxes of brocante finds, I started to plan the style, colour scheme and what objects would work with the oak and settled on a burnt orange and turqoise for the walls and a soft pink hued grey for the ceiling and beams. I knew I had fabrics somewhere in my stash that would work with these shades, so off to the local Brico to buy the paint.

Back in England I had bought a paint called GoodHome by Kingfisher who own B&Q and Castorama in France. It comes in matt or satin and has great coverage, working on wood, plaster and metal. I bought a pallet load across to France a year ago as the paint in Brico Depot was expensive. Then as luck would have it, this paint arrived in France too. At about €29.00 for five litres, it’s not a bad price.

The floor of the cottage is tiled. It’s in good condition and will just need a large rug to make cosy. There is a pretty cast iron stove for heating and the upstairs is under the eves and just needs tongued n grooved timbers to line the ceiling. All very quaint with a view across the rose garden and fields beyond.

I think the desks will be limed. Unlike the study desks that I chalkpainted in a sharp yellow, my strong colour scheme, needs these to be light and liming really brings out the grain too. Nothing seems to spell out French style so well as chalk paint or liming and I want this to be very French.

It will be a late autumn project, so no final photos for a while yet. Hold your breath for now but there will be snippets of progress shortly and for liming, please follow this link to my recent desk renovation.