Some cottages are lovely and some cottages are absolutely, utterly gorgeous and stand out from the crowd, both inside and out. And if they are located in a rural village surrounded by rolling countryside, even better.
Welcome to Half Penny Cottage that is so pretty and comes with so many features and a garden full of surprises you would surely be happy to spend many, many pennies on buying this fabulous house.
From the front this Powys property is an intriguing mix of a stone and brick facade, with detailing over the windows, and joined by a cute little porch and a mass of foliage that add to the charm and kerb appeal.
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In fact the front garden is such a sweet spot, a slice of a classic country cottage garden, that there's a strategically placed bench for you, a visitor and even the postie to park themselves and admire the blooms and the rural view that blossoms above the hedge.
It's a great start to a cottage tour, that the outside has had lots of love and care afforded to it, and is an exciting indication of what is waiting for you at the back of this house.
The rear garden is as pretty as the front garden, but bigger and boasting some surprising extra features. This outside space can enchant you with an area of lawn, a collection of trees and cottage plant flower beds that are the pretty foreground to the backdrop of rolling views of Cordon Hill and Kerry Ridgeway, all enjoyed from the well-placed benches.
But as wonderful as this area of the garden is, there is another section that will entice you to wander. An intriguing set of stone steps leads up an area that is super special because it contains an old piggery that has been converted into a workshop.
But after a hard day's carpentry, the adjoining area wants to welcome you with a sauna and a spacious summerhouse with a log burner so winter visits are not just possible but encouraged.
The summerhouse has a covered relaxation area on its front terrace that is the perfect place to pop a hammock or relax on a bench surrounded by nature - it feels like a secret, secluded slice of heaven, away from the world and deeply connected to its wildlife surroundings.
But at some point you will have to gracefully depart from that garden hammock, with your dignity still intact if possible, and go into the cottage, but this is not a hardship - the house is as fabulous as the garden.
Through the front porch and you are straight into a choice - right to the lounge or left to the dining room and thanks to the open doorway in the dividing wall you can be greeted and impressed by both spaces at once.
The living room is a very pleasant space, white-washed walls and beams give it a fresh and light-filled feeling. The quarry floor tiles, natural tactile fabrics and tones of rich red as well as natural earthy shades, all effortlessly bring visual warmth to match the actual heat pumping out of the log burner that sits within the charming fireplace. It's classic cottage interior design.
Into the dining room next door and it is another welcoming space, this time with a flagstone floor and wine storage in the fireplace as well as ample shelf storage to accompany the continuing white-washed walls.
This room has its own door out onto the front garden which pretty much seals the deal as to why the front facade is constructed from two different materials - brick and stone - initially suggested and now confirmed by this extra front door, that this one home used to be two houses. It has at some point in its past been renovated and converted into a cottage that captivates.
Through to the rear of the house and a shower room continues the fresh décor punctuated only by flowers from the pretty garden. Next to the shower room is the galley kitchen which is a good example of designing a cute room to make the most out of the space available, and yet still ensure style is an equal presence to practical.
There are shelves wherever there are bare walls, even next to the ceiling, and classic metro tiles hug the wall above the soft grey Shaker-style units. Every space is utilised so a recess in the wall becomes storage for jars, baskets and the microwave.
But arguably the stand out moment in this space is the vintage, stripped wood cupboard with rows of shelves displaying very organised jars right up to the ceiling - a feast for the eyes.
The kitchen has a window that looks out over the cute, lower terrace, but there's more design thought in this room than you might have realised - look up and you will see part of the ceiling is home to glass panels, ensuring this cocooned space is given maximum opportunity to be flooded with light.
The kitchen then leads into a bonus room through a charming stable door that is called the sun room on the layout. It is a space that can be a versatile extra, currently used as a utility room in part and a plant room at one end.
This extra room could be the perfect boot room or even a cute home office if the temperature and environment is conducive to creative thinking and hard work.
If not, then this two-bed cottage has a bonus that could be the office. It's a room at the top of the house, tucked under the roof in the loft that can't be marketed as a bedroom as access to it is up a steep staircase in the corner of one of the bedrooms.
It is very unlikely to comply with fire and building regulations to be sold as a bedroom, but it is a space that can be used for a variety of functions.
And just because this room is hidden at the top of the house doesn't mean it misses out on character - there are white-washed sloping ceilings and beams as well as original floorboards and the cutest of windows that all ensure the charm is found throughout this house, top to bottom.
Underneath the loft room are two delightful bedrooms, both with beams and both with charming latched, panelled doors to enter. From the rear bedroom you get a glimpse of the garden again and you will no longer be able to resist falling in love with Half Penny Cottage, it has captured your cottage-loving heart.
The 18th century cottage and its entrancing gardens in Churchstoke near Newtown and Shrewsbury is on the market with a guide price of £230,000 call estate agents Grantham's Estates, Shrewsbury on 01743 213511 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, auction properties, renovation stories, and interiors - join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter , sent to your inbox twice a week.
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