Tucked away down a side street in the honey-coloured streets of Bath, there's a charming cottage that feels like a scene from a storybook. This idyllic two bedroom house has been completely renovated by founder Lexi, where every detail has been thoughtfully curated to tap into what we at Always Sunday call The Boltholes - places to stay in the very centre of Bath that are so luxurious that you immediately feel right at home. Each of our Boltholes are idyllic retreats to escape to after a day visiting the wonders of this UNESCO world heritage city.
Twisting wood panelled staircases, dark floral wallpaper by British designers Divine Savages and peppered with Always Sunday homewares like our bestselling enamelware, we spoke to founder Lexi about why this is the perfect place to stay if you're visiting the beautiful city of Bath.
Why did you choose to acquire Daylily cottage? What attracted you to it?
Daylily Cottage was an attractive opportunity to purchase because it has this incredible location, close to Queens Square and Green Park Station and so pretty much in the centre of everything in Bath. It was the personality of this cottage though that was the real draw for me - although many of the true period features were hidden like original beams and traditional fireplaces (we didn't uncover them until after renovation) we could see the signs during an early tour that this property clearly had unmatched development potential. It was downtrodden and the best bits of it masked over, we just wanted to bring it back to life.
What was the inspiration behind the decor of Daylily Cottage?
Every one of our Always Sunday places to stay in Bath has a signature colour. Primrose Cottage is our romantic getaway decorated in a soft floral pink and we have a new Bolthole we're working on which will be Periwinkle Blue, but when I walked into this serene little cottage which is just a short walk from the botanical gardens in Victoria Park I knew I'd be choosing the colour green.
You can see that we have used this in obvious avenues like the blocked green ceiling in the living room but also in more subtle ways like our bestselling Velvet Throws and Cushions in Eucalyptus Green on the beds, the vintage-inspired bright green light switches and the ode-to-nature wallpapers throughout. It is a unifying factor that gives me a starting point, stops me going off track (because I do love colour) and ties every room together to create a cohesive environment and ultimately makes it feel more relaxing as a whole.
In the Bedroom at Daylily Cottage
Our original concept was to put a bath tub in the front window of this room, but when we actually got past considering the need to crane it through the window we threw in the towel on this for fear that it might fall through the floor! We evolved the design and since the water access was there we thought let’s make a wash stand based on an old cottage wash stand with running water. It creates an opportunity to release some of the pressure on the only bathroom in the house being the only sink for morning or evening prep and fits into the historic cottage feel.
I chose the Divine Savages 'Kyoto Blossom' in sage green because it’s overcast with green, but also has a soft sheen to bounce the low level lighting through the room and give it a more boutique feel which was on point with my inspiration from Parisian hotels that often feature bold wallpapers in compact rooms.
The Master Bedroom at Daylily Cottage in Bath
This is the king of the castle (or cottage) if ever there was one! We chose to uncover the original beams and despite our decorator’s concerns he papered the whole eaves of the ceiling with Divine Savages paper which meant we could really show off the full scale of the design. An antique chandelier gives the eye the chance to wander up and take in the old beams, it’s a combination we put into our original bolthole Primrose Cottage and I still think it’s exceptional.
A Rustic Bath Stone Kitchen
We inherited a dark and depressing kitchen space with one redeeming feature in the original service fireplace. Large in scale, it became the inspiration and the leading lady of the room. We kept the palette neutral to allow the Bath stone to be really seen. We also inherited not original but very practical stone flooring in a mix of deep autumnal colours, an unusual combination but it was wasteful to remove it so we let it be the foundations for the rest of the room by choosing a similarly toned terrazzo backsplash.
Instead of trying to shoehorn green into the space, it felt natural to make use of small accessories to carry on the green so you’ll find some artwork of my late grandmothers and cafe curtains offered privacy from the shared communal space outside and mellowed the hardness of all that stonework. It’s important to remember texture and contrasting materials can make or break in a function space like this.
A Completely Green Colour Drenched Living Room
We ran into complications here due to the length and narrow nature of this room. The feature fireplace is flanked by two inset opportunities and we wanted to offer a mini bar area to indulge in.
In this room I decided to forgo my favourite wallpaper in favour of an unexpected flip of paint colours and attempt to widen the room by colour drenching from the ceiling down. Choosing the right shades of green made all the difference here to make it feel rich and warm. I received a frantic message from our tradespersons after the first coat was done in which they were less than impressed with the combination and didn’t think it was what I was after but eventually they saw the vision! Sometimes it’s worth taking a risk especially when the layout defies expectations.
An Ugly Cool Bathroom Idea
I sometimes refer to things as “ugly cool” and no it’s not a technical term, but it does explain some of my more bold choices. This petite bathroom needed to feel luxe so we battled all the layouts and decided on the more unusual choice of a toilet closet (something I don’t think I’ve seen since the 90’s), alongside bold tile choices that utilised the green scheme.
I worried for a moment that my ugly cool choice of swirling retro tile might overwhelm the space, but more pattern and texture in a small space is a strong choice that has proven to pay off time and time again for me. Choosing a plain scheme would have left the space feeling lifeless and just plain boring and I think that’s not what guests get away for - travel is escapism, we all need escapism from the blandness of everyday and this tile is certainly not bland!
What is it that makes this cottage in Bath so cosy?
The cottage proportions mean it can’t help but feel cosy but then you have stone fireplaces, rich enveloping wallpapers, painted floorboards and Always Sunday Store homewares. Daylily Cottage is the experience of staying in an authentic period property in the beautiful city of Bath for those looking to take in the historical icons of the Royal Victoria Park or the Royal Crescent (just a short walk away from both). Our boltholes are designed to be just that - somewhere you can’t wait to return to and hole up in at the end of the day.
