Designing The Shelter: The Inside Skinny with Ed from Outbuildings

Outbuildings
Oct 31
4 min read

Shelter 1: The newest cabin to join the Outbuildings' family

Hailed as our most luxurious rooms yet - which is fair, because it truly is next-level - The Shelter 1 launched this month against a backdrop of autumn leaves (it is the first of our Shelter rooms; Shelter 2 will launch later in the year).

Now the 11th room in our Outbuildings’ collection, The Shelter 1 has its own personality and vibe, like our other rooms. It too has been entirely designed and built by our family from the heart up - with mud, sweat and (a few) tears along the way!

Ed, interiors boss on The Shelter, gives you the low-down on how he styled the room and what level of glamour you can expect when you stay (spoiler: it is a lot).

Team: Every Outbuildings’ room has its own unique style,

what inspired the interior of The Shelter?

Ed: “One of the most important things for me is that each room at Outbuildings feels timeless, as well as sexy! This is the farm where I grew up, so all of the spaces here are meaningful to us as a family; we don’t want to create an interior that’s superficial or follows a short-term trend that’ll date later down the line. For me, the 70s’ oozes a timeless glamour so I wanted to capture that with this new space. Think of it like 70s’ chic with a rustic Outbuildings’ twist!”

Team: Can you talk us through the key design feature(s) of the new room?

Ed: “When we were planning The Shelter, we wanted the incredible countryside view to be the hero feature, so that you can see it wherever you are in the room. That’s why the front of Shelter 1 and 2 have wrap-around floor-to-ceiling glass doors from Bomen Architectural Glazing that slide all the way open. If you’re in bed or in the gold brass bath (which is a show-stopping piece in itself), you can bring the vista inside and really soak up the beauty of this part of Dorset.”

Team: Are there any standout materials, textures, or colours that define the space?

Ed: “Oh yes, lots. We try to use a seamless blend of reclaimed and upcycled materials along with opulent colours and textures from British and local suppliers to give our spaces a feel of quiet luxury. And The Shelter is no different.

For instance, the exterior is clad with galvanized tin that we reclaimed from a local scaffolding firm; we chose it purposefully to work with the rest of the hotel’s ‘outbuildings’ agri-aesthetic and the rural setting.

Inside, the cladding on the walls of The Shelter 1 is pre-loved pine beams from specialist sawmill Lawson Yard timber merchants. Some of our soft furnishings have an upcycled touches too: the velvet floral cushions have been handmade by my wonderful co-designer , Becky, from upcycled fabric; and the bathroom features beautiful earthy terrazzo flooring, made from a composite of recycled materials.

Of course, there are plenty of modern luxurious touches to the room also.. There’s a ruched antique rose velvet headboard topping the emperor bed; thick handmade velvet curtains framing the view; and fluted dark oak wood panelling showcasing the bed and the kitchenette.

In terms of colours, that’s where the interior design for this space really started for me. The colour scheme came from Burt & May green glazed tiles that I fell in love with! Handmade and individually fired, the tiles perfectly echo the stunning green countryside that surrounds us. I simply built the rest of the colours and design around them.

The show-stopping William Holland brass tub in The Shelter 1

Team: What’s your favourite piece or detail in The Shelter — and why?

Ed: “Well, it probably has to be the William Holland gold, round brass bath with bull’s head tap! We love William Holland baths and have them in 8 of our rooms. They are also a local supplier, based in neighbouring Dorchester; which is important to us because we are passionate about working with craftsmen and women from our region as much as possible (we always use Devon-based NaturalMat for our organic mattresses in our rooms, too).

I do also love the Soho Home chandelier in the room - it’s so decadently 70s - along with the two hanging bedside lights (which we hand-painted to match the chandelier). I adore the bespoke Ercol sofa too and the elegant taps by Francone (made in Italy but inspired by English design). You wouldn’t believe the amount of time I took deliberating over the right taps for guests!

Team: How did the surrounding landscape or local culture influence the design?

Ed: Obviously, as I mentioned, the final Shelter cabins had to work effortlessly with the landscape and the rest of our boutique hotel estate. So it meant I spent a lot of time before this space was built standing in the field trying to work out the perfect aspect and orientation!

I wanted to ensure that, whatever the weather was doing, guests would be able to fully enjoy the space and experience of the new rooms - and that the final structure worked with Outbuildings as a whole.

Team: What kind of experience or mood do you hope the interiors create for guests?

Ed: I want guests to feel completely relaxed and at ease in this space. As if they’re in a friend’s home in the country (albeit a rather plush one). Dom and I have stayed in many upmarket country house hotels that have beautiful high-end rooms but can leave guests feeling almost too scared to touch anything or relax and be themselves.

Outbuildings has been created to be the opposite of this: yes, we are luxurious but we are down-to-earth people; we are not billionaires or venture capitalists and don’t serve haughty looks if you wear ripped jeans to dinner! The Shelter - as with all our rooms - is an extension of our desire to make you feel spoiled AND fully welcomed by our family.