If you’ve ever watched The Holiday, poured yourself a mug of something warm, and sworn that one day you’d disappear into a tiny Cotswold village to live your best cottage-core life… well, allow me to introduce you to your next obsession.
Nestled in in Oxfordshire, one of those postcard-perfect Cotswolds villages, sits a stone-thatched daydream: The Old Post Office, an Osborn Interiors masterpiece that feels equal parts storybook and sophisticated sanctuary.
And friends… this little cottage just won the most prestigious British Institute of Interior Design award — and the story behind it is pure joy.
A Career Highlight: Winning BIID’s Most Prestigious Award
Osborn Interiors described it perfectly:
“The highlight of my career today as we won the most prestigious @thebiid award for this cottage. I could not believe it! We were up against massive competition and yet the judges, which ranged from @elledecorationuk @thetimes to many other institutions, chose our little cottage. They said the combination of old & new, the textures, use of materials, attention to detail, overall feeling of soul & depth, is why they chose us, over hundreds of other entries… they also recognised the complications of working with a grade II listed cottage. I collected the award in floods of tears… I’m completely overwhelmed and grateful and off to double park some.”
Tell me your heart didn’t melt.
A tiny thatched cottage beating out “massive competition” is the kind of underdog win we root for around here.
A Grade II Listed Treasure, Reborn
Dating back to the 1530s, The Old Post Office began as just four small rooms and a derelict attached barn — charming bones but barely habitable. The complete renovation required ingenuity, respect for history, and the kind of perseverance that only comes from designers who are deeply in love with a building.
The team’s guiding philosophy?
To honour every whisper of its past.
“Our focus was to maintain and highlight the existing historical features of the property, such as the original stone walls, low-beamed ceilings, and an inglenook fireplace. We used sympathetic design and materials throughout the renovation, such as raw timber, natural linen, and a refined palette of neutral colours that all nod to the tones found in the local landscape.”
And when you see the images — the warm stone, the layered textures, the glow of candlelight bouncing off limewashed walls — you feel that soul they’re talking about.
Rebuilding History While Creating a Home for Today
One of the most extraordinary parts of the renovation was the creation of an extension that connects the original cottage to the barn, transforming the once-fragmented layout into a seamless, modern home.
What the extension now holds:
- A beautiful new kitchen with reclaimed timber cladding on its vaulted ceiling
- A light-filled dining room framed by Crittall-style doors
- A utility room and boot room (absolute countryside essentials)
Because the barn sat slightly lower than the cottage, the team dug down — literally restructuring the ground itself — to make the floor levels flow naturally. The lowered foundation also gifted the kitchen a ceiling height that feels almost cathedral-like, an unexpected luxury in a centuries-old cottage.
The reclaimed timber cladding from the kitchen ceiling was later echoed in the new master suite, creating a quiet, cohesive rhythm between old and new.
The Palette: Earthy, Quiet, Authentically Cotswolds
Featuring Osborn Interiors paint in collaboration with Fenwick & Tilbrook, the cottage’s palette is a masterclass in restraint — all chalky whites, stony taupes, soft soot blacks, and warm natural textures. It feels like stepping into a hug.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Linen-draped seating nooks
- Raw woven textures
- Weathered woods
- Layers of wool and cotton
- Ancient stone paired with contemporary clean lines
It’s the sort of interior where nothing shouts — everything whispers.
The Rooms That Took My Breath Away
The Living Room
A low-beamed cocoon anchored by an inglenook fireplace and a modern wood-burning stove. Candles everywhere. Woven baskets. Softly rumpled textiles. It’s practically begging you to curl up with a book.
The Cozy Snug
Moody charcoal walls, a constellation of circular mirrors, and plush linen-slipcovered seating. A stormy-evening-movie room if ever there was one.
The Kitchen
A blend of rustic and refined — bleached timbers, natural stone, and organic pendant lights that look like hand-formed pottery bells.
The Dining Room
Stone walls, huge glass doors that swing open to the garden, and that giant woven pendant — the kind of room where every meal feels both casual and ceremonial.
The Master Suite
Wrapped entirely in reclaimed timber. Soft, quiet, earthy. You wake up in this room and forget what century it is.
The Bathroom
A sculptural metallic bathtub sits under the pitched, timber-clad ceiling — poetic, serene, somehow both medieval and modern.
For more cottage interior design ideas, check out:
- A 1940s Cottagecore House Bursting with Color, Character, and Charm
- Inside a 16th-Century Suffolk Cottage: How Lizzie Best Turned History into a Timeless Home
- This Seaside Cottage Is A Rustic Haven
- A Lovely Cottage Retreat
- 10 Steps to Create a Cottage-Style Bedroom
The Soul of the Cotswolds, Perfected
If a home can feel like a storybook, a museum, and a modern retreat all at once, The Old Post Office by Osborn Interiors, manages it. It’s respectful without being precious, contemporary without losing its centuries-old soul. And it’s no wonder the BIID judges — from Elle Decoration UK to The Times — fell for it.
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