Darwin Escapes THTMM Lodge – Reveal*

Blogging has given me so many incredible opportunities & experiences; I am one of the few that wake up each day & feel genuinely excited to start work, I now couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Occasionally I’ll get an email land in my inbox which makes me do a little happy dance & being contacted by one of my favourite companies, Darwin Escapes, was probably the most incredible so far.

Darwin Escapes is a luxury lodge holiday company with 20 parks across the UK. We as a family have stayed at two of their parks; Cheddar Woods in September last year & then welcomed in 2018 at Wareham Forest for New Year. We’ve always had such an amazing time & couldn’t recommend it more so when they contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in designing my very own THTMM limited edition lodge, I practically bit their hand off.

If you’ve been following the journey so far you’ll have seen on Instagram stories that I have been working on this project for the past 6 months. It’s been a work in progress so I am SO beyond excited to share with you my finished lodge which is going to be going up for sale shortly.

The first port of call whenever designing is always to find inspiration which wasn’t particularly hard considering I live & breathe interiors. Obviously the thought of being let lose to design something was a daunting task but oh so exciting & gave me an opportunity to put down the paintbrush in my own home whilst I pushed my efforts in to making the lodge beautiful.

You can read my blog post about my overall vision, inspiration & influence here.

I was very conscious of the fact that this lodge should stick within my signature style of neutrals, however seeing as it was a home away from home which would be I decided to inject a few bolder colours with a play around of some blue hues.

With a million ideas bubbling away inside my brain, I visited the Prestige Homeseeker factory up in Northamptonshire to start the process from brain to paper then paper to manufacture. The day itself was absolutely crazy…having to pick everything from sofas to curtain fabric, paint colours & flooring in one day was intense to say the least. You can read about the day & see some of my shots from the factory here.

After final sign off upon the design, Silvano & his team then got to work turning my visions in to reality before the completed lodge was delivered down to it’s home at the Hawkchurch park site in Devon. This is one of Darwin Escapes best parks!

After construction at the site (the lodge was delivered in two halves so had to be put together then the decking constructed) we set a date for myself, the Darwin team & a film crew to travel down to Devon to see the lodge & get to work making it look pretty with lots of beautiful props & pretty bits to turn it from ‘house (or lodge) to home’.

Well today was that day & I’m really excited to show you the finished look! This lodge is SO big that they struggled to get it on to site. It consists of an open plan kitchen, lounge & dining area. It also has 2 double bedrooms (one with ensuite) & 1 twin bedroom plus a gorgeous bathroom.

As you walk through the front door, you’re met with a mini boot room. Inspired by a pinterest image (you can see on my inspiration post), this area was created as the perfect place to hang up your coats & take off your muddy wellie boots after a long countryside walk.

 

 

 Hooks – Dunelm

Cushions (my own) – Ikea

Wellies – Joules

Dog lead – Homesense

Dustpan & brush set – Matalan

 

 

This leads directly in to your open plan living space inspired by my own home complete with a large kitchen, a lounge area with feature fireplace & a dining area; the perfect entertaining or family space.

I wanted this lodge to be a part of me & take on some of the statement pieces that Baylyn House is best known for so that everyone would see it & instantly think of me. Seeing as this is a first of it’s kind & a brand new concept, I did this with accessories such as the big wicker heart from Melody Maison who kindly sent some beautiful bits, the chesterfield style footstool, the use of big white hydrangeas (these were a Homesense bargain, £3.99 a stem!) & then little bits like the food storage jars.

Glass storage jars – Ikea

Succulent – Hudson Home

Kettle & toaster – Breville, here & here.

Pots & pans – Mayfair

Wicker heart – Melody Maison

Table & chairs – MANUFACTURER SUPPLIED

Crockery – Ikea

Cutlery – Ikea

Wine glasses – Ikea

Vase – Ikea

Hydrangeas – Homesense

Table runner – Dunelm

Sofas – MANUFACTURER SUPPLIED

Cream cushions – Ikea

Navy cushions – Dunelm

Grey cushions – Dunelm

Footstool – Ebay (but I would not recommend this seller unfortunately..)

Throws – Homesense

Tray – Melody Maison

Mugs – Ikea

Coaster set – Melody Maison

Lantern – Melody Maison

Clock – Melody Maison

Wicker basket – Melody Maison

Lamp – Wayfair

Boxwood urn (3) – Hudson Home

Curtains – MANUFACTURER SUPPLIED

Fireplace – MANUFACTURER SUPPLIED

You then lead down the hallway to the 3 bedrooms; two doubles (one with ensuite) & a twin bedroom, just perfect for a family.

 

Blinds (& matching cushions) – MANUFACTURER SUPPLIED

Beds & headboards – MANUFACTURER SUPPLIED

Pom pom bedding – The Range

Feather prints – Etsy

‘Charlotte’ Floral wreath – The Secret Garden Company

Angel wings – Melody Maison

Radio – Aldi

Lamps – Dunelm

Peonies – Next (old)

Candles – Ikea

Glass bonbon jar – Home Bargains

Throw – Marks & Spencer

Finally we have the ensuite & then main bathroom…can you spot my hallway flooring?

Towels – all Christy

Toiletries – Heathcote & Ivory

Do not disturb sign – Melody Maison

Wicker basket – Melody Maison

Hanging mirrors (set of 3) – Melody Maison

Succulent – Hudson Home

Flooring – MANAFACTURER SUPPLIED (but you can find here)

Tiles & suite – MANAFACTURER SUPPLIED

What do you all think? I’m so pleased with the finished look.

The only thing that’s left to do is to finalise a name for my beautiful lodge & the Darwin team & I have decided to hand that decision over to you lovely lot!

If you think you’ve got the perfect name to take pride of place on a plaque outside of THTMM limited edition lodge then all you have to do is visit https://www.darwinescapes.co.uk/blog/name-a-lodge-and-win-a-holiday/ & you’ll be automatically entered into a giveaway to win a weekend break to one of their 20 parks! For full T&C’s please see their page.

Finally, a huge thank you to the incredible teams I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside on this collaboration; from Sam & Sarah at Darwin Escapes to Silvano & Victoria at Prestige & Paul (x2) & Joby the film crew who had me laughing for 2 days straight. Everyone has made this experience so enjoyable!

Love,

*This is a collaborative post

22 Comments

  1. Helen Johnson
    May 18, 2018 / 7:38 pm

    Hi I think the new lodge looks stunning infact even good enough for the newly wedded royal couple to stay in. For this reason and In honour of the wedding of Megan & Harry I think it should be named Windsor Lodge .

  2. Jodie Whittle
    May 18, 2018 / 7:59 pm

    Omg it looks beautiful well done
    I think you should name either Lottie lodge
    Or the home that made a lodge
    Thanks Jodie

  3. Rachel B
    May 18, 2018 / 8:17 pm

    Ah Charlotte it’s beautiful. Have followed intently on your IG account. Beautiful design lovely lady. When can you come and do my house?? Well done to you. Xx

  4. Emma
    May 18, 2018 / 8:34 pm

    It is BEAUTIFUL!!! I want to live in it ❤ well done ??❤

  5. Cath Jeffrey’s
    May 18, 2018 / 8:43 pm

    I love what you’ve done at the lodge, it’s just dreamy. Can I ask where you purchased the dining chairs, they’re just what i’m after.
    Thanks x

  6. Lucie Morrison
    May 18, 2018 / 8:50 pm

    Absolutely stunning, a job well done. Every room looks so inviting and relaxing. Fingers crossed that my lottery numbers come up so I can buy it. You should be very proud of yourself.x

  7. Emma
    May 18, 2018 / 8:51 pm

    Just wondering if you would let us know where you got all of the accessories!

  8. May 18, 2018 / 8:59 pm

    Charlotte you should be so proud of yourself you have done a fabulous job . Your holiday place looks amazing so clean cut but so homely with great taste lolalaya xxxx

  9. Julie Gardner
    May 19, 2018 / 6:06 am

    Wow, what a fabulous job! Well done 10/10. Love this. You make me want to book a Lodge ?.

  10. Nicola
    May 19, 2018 / 7:27 am

    Simply beautiful but how could it not be…x

  11. Lynne
    May 19, 2018 / 8:21 am

    Wow that’s looks amazing! I live in Devon and shall be looking out for this park.

  12. Alex Green
    May 19, 2018 / 11:23 am

    It’s beautiful! I think The Hygge Lodge would suit it perfectly because it looks so cosy and relaxing, being there would definitely give you that Hygge feeling! ?

  13. Trina
    May 21, 2018 / 11:42 am

    Charlotte, can i ask the colour of the sofas? Is it grey or a beige? And the rug underneath the sofas. Trying to work out if grey and beige work together?

    • Charlotte Amor Valentine
      May 21, 2018 / 11:48 am

      Hi Trina, the sofa’s are beige. No rug under the sofa’s though so not sure what you mean. I use beige & grey (& ‘greige’) in my home, if done right they definitely do work well x

      • Trina
        July 23, 2018 / 10:17 pm

        Thank you Charlotte. Where are the sofas from?

        • Charlotte Amor Valentine
          July 27, 2018 / 8:40 am

          They were from a trade company the manufacturers use I’m afraid so not sure but lots of places sell similar, it’s a bit like the one in my playroom x

  14. Beth
    May 21, 2018 / 4:09 pm

    It looks amazing! Would love to visit just for the interior. Keep up the good work x

  15. Dawn
    May 21, 2018 / 9:50 pm

    It looks amazing ? the new owner is going to be thrilled with it! Would you mind me asking where the chrome light fitting, and the mirror in the bedroom are from?

  16. Karen Horsley
    May 22, 2018 / 1:39 pm

    Only one word needed for the lodge “WOW”, I’ve entered the competition via Darwin Escapes website, I think it should be named ‘LULLABY LODGE’. Thank you for all the very useful information you supplied on the interior.
    We have stayed at Wareham Forest and cannot praise it enough, keep up your fantastic work.

  17. Jan
    May 31, 2018 / 3:20 pm

    The Meghan Lodge – elegant, fun, classy and sophisticated.

  18. Allana Simpson
    July 12, 2018 / 8:02 am

    Love love your style, well done. I’ve been looking for a bluey toned colour of paint for ages but can’t find the correct tone. Could you please tell me what paint was used for the lounge/kitchen area. Love it.

    Well done, lodge is beautiful.

    • Charlotte Amor Valentine
      July 12, 2018 / 8:27 am

      Thank you so much! It’s Dulux ‘Almond White’, I wouldn’t say it’s got blue tones at all though….x