Reader's home of the month
This month's £150 Habitat giftcard goes to lindsaydglasgow's 'terrace on a teeny budget'...
Hotel of the month: Stoke Place
Recharge and pick up some decorating tips in a 17th-century country house hotel that's more fab than trad...
WHY VISIT? Giving our homes the hotel treatment normally means downlighters, streamlined bathrooms and fluffy towels, rather than recreating a bolthole's way with wallpaper or fabulous furniture finds. But this is exactly what Livingetc loves about Stoke Place. Sure, the towels are heavenly and the en-suite, with its freestanding tub, is nothing short of bathroom bliss, but you're so busy stealing the rest of the hotel's style that these things don't even nearly make the grade of things-to-do-a-la-Stoke-Place.
STYLE STEAL The Buckinghamshire hotel has the whole contemporary country thing down pat. Bundles of firewood and exposed beams are brought bang up to date with lacquered furniture, spun floor lamps and painted radiators. Look out for the feature wall of wooden frames, each filled with a single butterfly, and the lampshade covered in fabric to match the wallpaper.
ROOMS WITH A VIEW The website says that relaxing in the rooms in promoted. Don't dismiss this as PR bumph. We could barely lift our legs off the leather sofa to order afternoon tea. You can pick a flick from the library of DVDs think Breakfast at Tiffany's or Pride and Prejudice or order a CD or two Frank Sinatra perhaps? to listen to while you work your way through a pile of the latest his n' hers mags.
THE GROUNDS However, taking a stroll outdoors is equally as soothing. Slip on a pair of the wellies to be found in reception and go for a wander before taking a breather on a bench beside the lake and watching the deer at play.
DINING AND DRINKING Feeling terribly country after that, why not head to the bar or take your tipple outside on the lawn, before dinner in the Vyse Room upstairs. Rabbit and bacon terrine seems extra decadent when served beneath an oversized black chandelier. A slap-up breakfast in the garden room, too, feels special when taken in an energising environment of sunshine yellow floor lamps, glossy green dining tables and foliage-inspired wallpaper.
OUR VERDICT The train ride from London may not leave you with time enough to more than skim your newspaper, but once there, Stoke Place feels far further from the madding crowd. After checking out, we chose a British Classic from the library to pore over lazily in the snug. Anything to stay a few more hours and reflect on the decorating ahead
STOKE PLACE WEEKEND ESSENTIALS
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STOKE PLACE SPECIAL OFFER FOR LIVINGETC READERS
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STYLE STEAL The Buckinghamshire hotel has the whole contemporary country thing down pat. Bundles of firewood and exposed beams are brought bang up to date with lacquered furniture, spun floor lamps and painted radiators. Look out for the feature wall of wooden frames, each filled with a single butterfly, and the lampshade covered in fabric to match the wallpaper.
ROOMS WITH A VIEW The website says that relaxing in the rooms in promoted. Don't dismiss this as PR bumph. We could barely lift our legs off the leather sofa to order afternoon tea. You can pick a flick from the library of DVDs think Breakfast at Tiffany's or Pride and Prejudice or order a CD or two Frank Sinatra perhaps? to listen to while you work your way through a pile of the latest his n' hers mags.
THE GROUNDS However, taking a stroll outdoors is equally as soothing. Slip on a pair of the wellies to be found in reception and go for a wander before taking a breather on a bench beside the lake and watching the deer at play.
DINING AND DRINKING Feeling terribly country after that, why not head to the bar or take your tipple outside on the lawn, before dinner in the Vyse Room upstairs. Rabbit and bacon terrine seems extra decadent when served beneath an oversized black chandelier. A slap-up breakfast in the garden room, too, feels special when taken in an energising environment of sunshine yellow floor lamps, glossy green dining tables and foliage-inspired wallpaper.
OUR VERDICT The train ride from London may not leave you with time enough to more than skim your newspaper, but once there, Stoke Place feels far further from the madding crowd. After checking out, we chose a British Classic from the library to pore over lazily in the snug. Anything to stay a few more hours and reflect on the decorating ahead
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