Inspiration of the Week: rural romance in deepest Devon

For many, the word ‘cottagecore’ conjures up images of bare-footed beauties with Laura Ashley frocks and an obsession with picnicking. But, despite the term’s more saccharine connotations, we must admit to occasionally daydreaming about living out our georgic fantasies, baking breading and communing with our hollyhocks. And, when houses like The Square come on the market, that reverie feels like it could become a reality.

The Square is found in North Devon, in a place called Dolton – a village whose poetic name (it’s thought to refer to flocks of doves that called this farmstead home) feels fitting for a dwelling of postcard prettiness. Pleasingly symmetrical, with a portico, neat thatched roof and a charming front garden behind iron railings, the cottage is near archetypal in its… cottageyness, frankly. Inside, the story is the same: all inglenook fireplaces, dark wooden boards, hefty beams and lime-plaster walls, wonderful in their wonkiness.

The 17^th-century house is thought to be the oldest in Dolton. But while buildings of such advanced years can sometimes be dark and poky, this is quite the opposite. Here, white walls bounce light around the rooms, while contemporary finishes – smart tiling in the bathrooms, for instance – and well-chosen fittings, fixtures and furnishings save things from feeling stuck in the past. We’re particularly keen on those tangerine linen cushions dotted about the place.

In fact, we’re pretty keen on it all, not least as it feels like very little requires doing to it. All you need now is a pinny. Anyone for a picnic?