This compact cabin home is big on style – and packed with clever design features

Interior designers Stacey and Guy Sibley didn’t have to venture too far from home for their most recent property purchase. They are based in Cornwall and, finding the popular coastal areas too busy in summer, wanted somewhere that would be an investment but also a place they could escape to with friends and family. 

They had been looking for a long while when they found a three-bedroom wooden cabin in a great location. 

The timber house was built around 10 years ago as part of a small holiday village and barely anything had been done during that time, so its white walls were a welcome blank canvas for a pair of designers. They set out to give it a modern country look that’s a little eclectic and with a relaxed feel. The results are impressive, and a great source of inspiration, particularly for those looking for great bedroom ideas.  

Stacey and Guy, who own design studio, Beau Sala have used all their design skills to get the best from the existing space and create a scheme that works all year round, and feels especially cozy and welcoming in fall and winter. 

Living room

The downstairs open-plan living room layout was restrictive in places due to the beams and pillars. Stacey was already trialling layouts and drawing up plans before they picked up the keys, although buying during a global pandemic meant most materials, furniture and accessories would be mail order and quite often subject to shortages and delays. She cleverly transformed this living room zone with bespoke seating so all guests can relax together in comfort. The solution was a smart bespoke L-shaped sofa designed to fit the space perfectly – worth bearing in mind if you're looking for small living room ideas.

Kitchen-diner

The cabin's compact kitchen-diner will inspire anyone looking for remodelling ideas for small kitchens. Stacey added an extra, freestanding work bench which they use as an island to boost storage and preparation space. Having a house that slept six but a dining space that only seated four didn’t make sense, so dining chairs were replaced with benches that neatly tuck away when not in use. 

Having bought the property in November, the race was on to get the cabin family-ready for Christmas. Stacy painted throughout. The pitch of the roof gives beautiful A-shaped bedrooms and Stacey devised a clever way to soften the effect of the wooden beams in the two bedrooms up here. ‘Because they come all the way down to the floor and were quite an orangey pine color, they dominated the room. I created my own wash by watering down regular white paint. It’s knocked them right back but you still get the beauty of the grain,’ she adds. A similarly orange-toned floor downstairs was treated with three coats of wood stain.

Bathroom

Guy worked on the bathrooms, creating a smart monochrome wet room with Crittal-style shower screen and black shower fittings. The couple refreshed the old floor tiles by painting them with an anti-slip epoxy floor paint.  

Bedrooms

The bedrooms are all about comfort, and like the stairs are now carpeted for warmth. The smallest bedroom on the ground floor was given paneling to add character and Stacey has layered textures and fabrics to create a cocooning effect and add depth to a scheme. All three sleeping spaces offer some great bedroom ideas. 

Layering up soft furnishings and textiles makes this an inviting space. 

Twin beds offer flexibility in a holiday home, and add symmetry in this high, narrow room. Although blue is introduced to the palette in this room, the base is still Stacey and Guy's favorite neutral textured look. 

Having had the cabin for just a short while, there are a few small things they’d like to change in the future such as replacing the kitchen worktops but, for now, they are happy to sit back and enjoy watching how it changes with the seasons.