Autumn 2023

20 | LUXlife Magazine s an interior designer, Beatriz Freijeiro knows this a little too well, as her career has been centred around restyling homes, hotels, yachts, and more. She is able to look at a room and see past the existing design, instead focuses on size, lighting, and layout to see how it can be utilised. Throughout her career, Beatriz has created excellent designs tailored to each client's style. Her passion for interior design is reflected in all of her projects and she prioritises her client's requirements and meets them with timeless results. Beatriz's latest project is her new home and this one is very different to any she has ever worked on before. She had always dreamt of living in the English countryside and in 2021, when searching for her new home, she came across a 400-year-old English cottage. The cottage, at first sight, did not look the part, it had rotted fences, shutters that needed repainting, its front door was wonky, and the rooms inside were just as bad. There was a lot of work that needed to be done, but Beatriz was not fazed by it - in each imperfection, she saw the opportunity to create something truly special. She shares, “At the start, I feared for the unpredictable challenges that restoring the cottage could bring, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from taking a leap of faith. I saw the opportunities behind the possible difficulties, and I liked the feeling and the energy of the house." “I guess it is that you just know when a house could be home." As Beatriz embarked on the journey of making this 400-year-old cottage her new home, she took the time to learn about the history that she was soon going to be surrounded by. She says, “It is important to learn about the cottage. How it was built, and the materials you need to use. I also have loved learning about its history and how life once looked inside these walls." Decorating a cottage must be thought about differently than a regular house as it carries a character that needs to be worked with. Beatriz adds, “It is not the kind of house where you can just use any furniture. Everything needs to fit and find its place, even the colours must give you this cottage feeling”. Beatriz has a beautiful outlook on the cottage's restoration as she explains, “I am taking it slowly, searching for the right furniture and Two worlds under one thatch: A Spanish interior designer living in a 400-year-old English cottage. When looking to purchase a home, you face endless viewings that are often disappointing. It isn't easy to imagine yourself living in a house that still has someone else's belongings everywhere. The vision that you are searching for lives behind what meets the eye. details I imagine for each space. I hope to continue to fill the Cottage with a mixture of its personality and mine but always respecting each other. It is somehow like being a guardian of something full of life and history, there is a responsibility I feel, and I am very grateful for it”. Overcoming unexpected challenges is something that Beatriz was already used to, but her cottage has uncovered a new level of adaptability as she has faced the uncertainty that comes with restoring a house with so much history. The before and after pictures that she shares on her Instagram page (@mythatchcottage) show how her expertise, alongside a little love, patience, and time can transform a neglected house into a wonderful home. Contact: Beatriz Freijeiro Company: Beatriz Freijeiro Interior Design Web Address: https://www.instagram.com/mythatchcottage/ A

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