If you enjoy decorating your home with interesting interior design, it can be frustrating trawling through holiday accommodation web sites to see endless bland or old fashioned chintzy rooms.
We love quirky design mixing vintage and modern furnishings. So if you’re looking for a comfortable stay with inspiring interiors, we think you”ll enjoy a break at The Slate Shed B & B here at Graig Wen.
When we moved here in 2007, the previous owners had worked hard converting the former Victorian slate cutting shed into a B & B in the early 1990s. We set out to bring the accommodation right up to date to meet modern expectations for sparkling en suite rooms.
We commissioned local crafts people to make bespoke furniture using local slate and reclaimed wood. The colourful traditional Welsh textiles used on our beds are woven at Trefriw Woollen Mill in Snowdonia. You can still see the water powered-looms working there as they have been for over 150 years. As the sort of people who can’t walk past a junk shop without sticking our heads in, we have added all sorts of treasures over the years.
If you know where to look, our rural area has some real gems in terms of vintage and interiors shops. Our local town of Dolgellau has Medi, which stocks homeware with a distinctively Welsh flavour and the prettiest shop window displays ever. Celf Aran features original artworks, soft furnishings and designs in wood by artists from the local area. No trip to Barmouth is complete without a visit to Luv It or Pieces for Places; In Porthmadog it’s the Pop Shop and Aberystwyth has Coastal Vintage; in Machynlleth Ian Snow has four floors of temptations, the Deco Shop for Scandi designs and lots of antique and craft shops.
We recently launched a new room here at The Slate Shed, so it was a good excuse to buy some funky new furnishings from a local chain called Sunset Bay Lifestyle which now has little shops in Barmouth, Tywyn and Aberdovey. You can buy all sorts of tastefully customised products featuring local scenes and maps.
Our new room, called Ceridwen, can be set up with either a luxurious super king double bed or twin beds, plus a third pull out bed. To accommodate this, we designed a large headboard made from refurbished former gym flooring. We think it’s a great new addition to our eclectic interiors here at The Slate Shed. Guests have really appreciated the comfortable bed and deep bath in which to relax after a day out in the hills.
We’re very happy to share our interiors shopping tips – do ask when you’re here. Wander down a side street to a dusty junk shop or browse one of the boutiques and you might just find the perfect souvenir to adorn your own home.
You can see more pictures and see which room might take your fancy at The Slate Shed B and B here.
