Hidden Herefordshire: A Rural Retreat Roadmap for 2021/2022

Are you like us feeling that Summer is nearly over? Don’t despair there is still time to sneak in a rural countryside break before the madness of Christmas is upon us; Autumn is one of our favourite times of year for enjoying the great outdoors. Evenings are still light and the landscapes in full bloom, a perfect time to venture our beautiful landscape for a well deserved staycation. As a brand born and bred in Herefordshire we cannot recommend coming to one of this country’s best kept secrets enough. Aside from wonderful walks, some very tasty cider and the best natural paint…..there are some outstanding places to visit and stay – we have put together a couple of our favourite rural retreat spots hidden here in Herefordshire.

We love nothing more than to see a project that gives an old building a new lease of life. At Wall End Farm, the owner, Camilla Bengough, has converted a traditional farm building into stylish holiday lets; in the main Farmhouse there is a spacious guest room with its own sitting room and then The Hop Kiln and The Hayloft have been converted to create two comfortable, unique properties sleeping up to six guests. The renovation project began in 2018 and continued for the next 2 years. The owners were keen to use local craftsmen, architects and suppliers, making sure to stay true to the original architecture which consists of traditional exposed beams and brickwork. They have kindly opened the doors to give you a tour of this beautiful farmhouse renovation in which Edward Bulmer Natural Paints were used throughout.

In the main bedroom in the Hay Loft Camilla paired a vibrant headboard using Manuel Canovas fabric with ‘Pomona’ and continued this light green into the ensuite. The green walls and pink fabric are a match made in heaven and such a simple way of lighting up and space using beautiful contrasting colours. ‘Pomona‘ is the perfect green here as it brings colour to the room whilst acting as a soft and complementary backdrop to the vibrant pink.

Due to the natural darkness of the Hop Kiln, see lower images, Camilla wanted to achieve a lighter and airy finish. For this she chose Pale Smoke Grey for the Master Bedroom and Eau de Nile for the Guest Bedroom (right), the use of a lighter blue and green here makes the space feel more open without feeling cold and sets the perfect tone for some deeper pops of colour in the furnishings.

In the kitchen and living room space of The Hop Kiln Camilla opted for a combination of ‘Pearl Colour‘ and ‘Silver White‘, keeping the space clean and bright as well as complementing the amazing original beams. Guy Philips Build from Leominster completed the project; they are talented craftsmen, and the exposed beam work and plaster finish is technically and carefully sculpted.

In the kitchen of The Hayloft, ‘Laylock’ has been used for both the living and kitchen space with our deep aubergine ‘Tyrian‘ as a feature wall surrounding the kitchen worktops. The use of a feature wall in this space is a brilliant way of appearing to separate the kitchen area from the living area. Colour blocking like this, especially for studio spaces, really utilises colour to segregate the space and make it feel bigger without using partitioning furniture.

Dreaming of a rural gastro getaway? Pensons Restaurant have opened two beautiful bedrooms at their Michelin-star restaurant on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire Border. The bedrooms are situated in an idyllic courtyard just across from the restaurant so after your 5 course tasting menu you can enjoy a wonderful night’s sleep and delicious breakfast in the morning!

Much like our natural paints, the menus at Pensons are ingredients-led, focused on quality, seasonality, freshness and where possible all sourced from the local area.  With head chef, Chris Simpson in place, Pensons has been booked out since it opened and now the new rooms make it an absolute gastro and boutique stay bucket list must!

The bedrooms have also been created using local craftsmanship, designers and products and they have also been named after the chefs favourite herbs! ‘Sorrel’ bedroom is painted in our ‘Azurite’ blue with lighting by the talented Hector Finch Lighting in Leominster, curtains by Jennifer Kate. The furniture for the bedrooms is made by Coleman Joinery who are based on the Netherwood Estate and the headboards are made by Martin Greaves in Bromyard. We are definitely in great company and couldn’t be more thrilled to inject the walls and panelling with some glorious blues!

‘Lovage’ Bedroom is painted in the soft, lighter blue that is ‘Ethereal Blue’. Edward has based this colour on Prussian blue therefore and true to its name, created a colour that hovers between blue, green and grey. Like all of our colours this beautiful shade is made from plant-based resources and natural earth pigments. It is a grown up shade that provides a great background for works of art and is also a really original trim colour used with deeper, or even lighter, shades. In this bedroom it goes perfectly with the red tones in the cushions and headboard.

If you need any ideas for what to do while you are in Herefordshire, check out the Visit Herefordshire website for a host of family activities, date night spots or countryside walks. For a teaser of what your trip could entail is this beautiful video advert below, created by our talented friends at Orphans Press.

One last top tip – take a visit to the literary capital on the edge of the Herefordshire county – Hay-on-Wye. Whilst you are there do pop in and say hello to our friends, The Great English Outdoors. The shop is full of beautiful things for yourself and your home, all made from natural materials. Our favourites are the old Welsh antique tapestry blankets, seen pictured against our ‘London Brown’ and ‘Light Olive Green’, and don’t miss the much coveted heritage woollen jumpers.

We hope this has inspired you for your next rural retreat, Herefordshire truly is a hidden gem amongst some beautiful period villages and towns. Don’t forget to click here and sign up to our colour club if you have not done so already, so you don’t miss out on our news, latest collaborations, competitions, how to’s on our blog and much more. There is plenty more in store for you!

What are you waiting for, our beautiful county awaits your visit.