This post was supposed to be about my recent short break to St Merryn in Cornwall, and although I will include some places-to-go recommendations I am actually far more interested in sharing the renovation and subsequent interior details of the beautifully designed Bodhi’s Beach Hut, our self-catering accommodation for the trip.

Mr O’Shea and I have a habit of visiting Cornwall for a winter getaway and thus far we have been blessed with dry (sometimes even sunny) weather. As you will all know, the flooding and torrential rain on the south west coast is devastating, we were in two minds whether to even attempt the 3 odd hour journey from the Midlands.

As it happens we were ok, a few detours and a stop off for a chocolate twist from Costa later we arrived pretty much on schedule.

The transformation of Bodhi’s Beach Hut was a labour of love for Jo and her husband Tom, and rather than subjecting you to my continued waffle about what a lovely relaxing stay we had (honestly – despite the howling winds it was such a tranquil environment to completely switch off) I will hand over to Jo who will take you through the entire process.

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Tom and I bought the property back in 2012 and as much as the plot was amazing – we knew that we’d have our work cut out making the property into what we wanted. The main house needs a complete renovation but we decided to concentrate on Bodhis Beach Hut first. The property seemed rather run down and when we analysed the space and its position, we felt that an extension would really give it that extra floor space and wow factor, which is what we really wanted. I have always loved the look of wood cabins and beach huts for a holiday – so we began with this thought in mind, trying to make it feel like a cabin but also luxurious at the same time.

Firstly we laid out our plans for the extension and then began the fun bit which was stripping out the whole interior. It’s unbelievable what a mess we created and it was rather daunting to think that we had to put it all back together again! We altered two small small spaces into becoming one large spacious bedroom, with the en-suite shower room. This room is now amazing because there is so much more light flooding through, and makes the bedroom feel really luxurious. The shower room was desperatly in need of updating so again, we wripped everything out and chose simple but luxurious fittings.

The rustic kitchen is my favourite and was made by my husband who has a real passion for making furniture. He loved making the kitchen so much so that he then went on to make some amazing pieces for the property such as the large mirror in the bedroom, the coffee table in the lounge as well as the dining table and rustic side tables. We’ve had such positive feedback about his furniture that Tom will be making all the furniture for my interior shop which opens this summer too which is such an exiting project.

To help create that cabin feel throughout the property, we placed cornish slate floors down in the kitchen, but lovely solid oak floors throughout the lounge. We also covered the walls in Bead and Butt Match which works well to bring in texture. We painted the whole property in Farrow and Ball’s Wimbourne White as it helps to make the rooms feel light but warm and the kitchen cabinet was painted in Farrow and Ball’s Pigeon as well as the exterior of the extention. The real luxurious addition was the scandinavian wood-burner from Contura. It really kicks out an amazing amount of heat!

Once the extension was finished, we decided to develop the outside to provide our guests with a large decking area so that guests can make the most of the sun throughout the day. We even put in a hot outdoor shower for guests returning from the beach and Tom has made a large log and surfboard cabin within the private garden. In the summer it will be such a lovely private place to relax and chill out.

We hope that we’ve provided everything that couples need to make their stay both luxurious and comfortable but practical too. I may be biased but I think it’s a real unique little property and one where you can really relax and be yourselves rather than staying in a hotel or bnb – definitely a must for a honeymoon!

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{What To See & Do}

Shopping: St Merryn is a few miles away from Padstow, a pretty fishing town with cute cafes and quite a few interiors shops that are worth a look.

Eating: We went to Rick Stein’s The Cornish Arms which is family friendly, good typical pub type food at reasonable prices and Rafferty’s which is more Gastro, really fab food and often has live music.

Site Seeing: The beautiful Constantine bay is just a stones throw away and Cornish favourite Watergate bay is a fifteen minute drive.

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If you would like to see more of the renovation project from start to finish you can visit Jo’s personal blog, the Bodhi’s Beach Hut website also has lots more information on the surrounding area and things to see and do should you fancy a trip yourselves.

What’s your favourite Cornish getaway? do share, we’re considering booking something for the summer before we attempt anything that requires an aeroplane trip with a new baby!

And although my own home is Victorian and doesn’t lend itself to this type of styling per se, I am definitely stealing some of Jo’s paint suggestions and general colour palette for our own current (slightly-out-of-control) decorating mission.