It’s not every day you get to visit a hotel that totally vibes with your dream interior. The Pig hotels are best known for their incredible menu – sourcing from within a 25 mile radius for their foods wherever they can – whether that’s fish, meat, cream, or beer it probably only comes from a local farm a few miles away. Or even better, from their walled gardens. It’s considered to be a “restaurant with rooms” according to founder Robin Hutson, but it was the interiors that wowed me when I stayed there this week to celebrate my wedding anniversary (it was a big one!).

Who Designed The Pig Hotel at Combe?

Robin designs the hotels with his wife Judy Hutson. Robin focuses on the hard surfaces and bathrooms and Judy looks after the soft furnishings, lighting, fabrics, and colour choices. The ethos was simple. Create a country house that felt unstuffy, unpretentious and totally relaxing, and boy have they done that. The interiors have a vintage and antique vibe. There’s nothing too posh-looking that you’re afraid to touch it, sit on it or relax in it.

When Judy set about designing the first Pig in The New Forrest she had the perfect person in mind. Ficticuius “Great-aunt Mabel pottering around the corridors, with her Nora Batty tights, in her tweed and lavender jumpers”. Judy would imagine all the pieces being for her – much as us Interior Stylists have the perfect reader in mind when we style a shoot for a magazine or a customer when we style a brand. It’s so much easier to create the perfect space when you know exactly who is going to be enjoying it.

What’s the vibe?

For me, vintage means home. The Pig Hotel at Combe has the perfect combination of mismatched china and cutlery, rickety old chairs around various wooden tables. Masses of jars full of the summer’s produce – pickled to be enjoyed out of season. Big rustic uneven floorboards – the kind you don’t mind walking on barefoot in your bedroom. There’s a soft washed-out paint effect on the paneled walls in the dining room so even they feel soft and inviting. Some of the windows – like those in the drawing room, have big, heavy velvet curtains but other areas where the windows are huge have masses of tall plants on the window ledges giving privacy and creating that feeling of home.

The Small touches are big

It’s the little details that make this such a special place. I wanted to take so many pieces of furniture, art, and fabric home with me … or at least the idea of how to use them in my home. Not sure some will work in a 1930s end of terrace but I’m gonna try. Bring on the Bromley Manor House vibes!

Today I’m sharing 10 things that inspired me during our stay. I think you’ll love them too. Let me know which is your favorite.

10 Interior Inspiration from The Pig at Combe, Devon

1. Ceramic Jugs

Now, I’m not entirely sure whether it was the beautiful designs on these ceramic jugs or the delicious contents that I loved the most. I can’t eat apples or oranges so any smoothie with ingredients I can eat is an instant winner! Cucumber, Celery, and Pear. Absolutely delicious.

I spent every opportunity whilst we were in Devon looking in charity shops for jugs like these – and yes, I did lift it up and look underneath to see if I recognized the makers mark. I didn’t but that won’t stop me looking for something similar.

I have a ton of ceramic jugs aat home but they’re all plain. How can I have missed this gorgeousness for so long!

2. Mix and match tables and chairs in wood

The reason we booked The Pig over other hotels was to have a special meal on our anniversary. They did not disappoint. I have never had such an incredible meal. As expected every mouthful was full of flavour. I had beetroot to start with polenta and mushrooms for main. The pear and almond tart was the best pastry I have ever tasted. So thin. Just incredible. I don’t think we spoke a word to each other when food was in front of us!

All the tables and chairs in the dining room are wooden. All shapes, all sizes all different. Great style.

When we were first directed to our table I sat on a really wobbly, squeaky chair. Now, if I tell you I’m a fidget you’d know that sitting on a squeaky chair for a romantic meal is not a good idea. It was comical- I may have wriggled to make it squeak a bit to make Mr MT laugh. I quickly swapped it with a chair on the table next to us telling the waitress that I might not make it to the next 25 years if I sit on that squeaky chair for too long. Tim laughed. Guess what? The new chair squeaked just as much. You can not be pretentious with a squeaky chair. It’s the equivalent of a clown’s flower in his jacket that squirts water. You just have to laugh!

Before I move on to the next bit of inspo I want to share a word about the staff at The Pig. They all smile ALL THE TIME! Literally everyone you come across wants to chat, asks how your day was, what have you got planned, where are you from… and that’s just bumping into the gardeners. The vibe from the staff was one of a very happy team. I’ll also add that I like to talk so this made our stay so lovely.

3. Cutlery and the right kind of vintage china

Mr MT and I got a bit obsessed with the mis-matched cutlery. Every time we sat down to eat we would look at the hallmarks. All the spoons and forks were vintage silver. My faves were the ones with the ornate initials.

In the past, I’ve gradually added vintage plates to our mix of china at home. Sdding them very slowly to the drawer for fear of Mr MT telling me he didn’t like them and can we stick to Ikea please! In truth I don’t think he really cares – and he knows how much I love them. But when it comes to cutlery I didn’t think I stood a chance of sneaking it in. I was wrong. He loved them as much as I did. I feel a strong urge to hunt for silverware now. Game on.

I won’t be adding the yellow-handled knives though. They were a bugger to cut with so unless they’re for butter I’ll need to source sharper ones.

4. Bring the Outdoors Indoors – Potted Plants

These were so cute. Each table had a small plant in a terracotta pot and a vintage china saucer underneath. Some were really established and others just getting going. It made the dining room a bit of a greenhouse. Instantly inviting. The wooden cutlery plant names were a great touch too.

5. Who needs window treatments?

There are two places at The Pig at Combe that have huge windows. The dining room in the main house and the window in The Folly. Both have big window ledges and almost floor-to-ceiling glass. Both also had tall plants in big plant pots with beautiful vintage accessories on the ledges. Banana leaf plants, preserving bottles, wooden birds, and not a piece of fabric to be seen! You didn’t need a blind or curtain, a) because you’re not overlooked and b) because it’s just perfect.

6. Preservatives in jars

I knew all about the way The Pig Hotels source their foods locally before I arrived but to see it in action is brilliant. They preserve pretty much anything and then create a menu each season around what they can grow and what they have ready to go. Everything is in season (hence no avocado on toast for breakfast – smashed peas instead) and the plan is developed between the head gardener and the head chef. What can be grown can be cooked. They plan for little waste and even grow their own garnishes.

The many jars of preserved foods can be seen on display around the hotel. Some on tables and counter tops (out of sunlight) and loads on the bookshelves in the breakfast room. The way they were labeled looks fab.

7. Velvet sofas – in that rusty colour

The Pig Hotel Furniture is really inviting. There are loads of sofas in the communal areas – as you would expect. And in the Drawing room and library there are stools and armchairs all upholstered in the most beautiful aray of textures and patterns. There’s a ton of florals but it was the rusty red velvets that caught my eye. We’ve had a few velvet sofas and I have to say they are so comfy and long-lasting (I’d even say dog proof). You wouldn’t expect velvet to be as hard-wearing as it is but there you go.

These were just the right size. The little poufs were cute too.

8. Coloured glass in windows

This was the third Pig Hotel I have visited (but the first time staying) and they all have glass shelving containing beautiful coloured glass in the windows of the bar. I’m a big fan of coloured glass and this just makes me want to recreate something like this in my kitchen. I reckon I’ve already got enough to fill our window. Glasses that is – not bottles of alcohol,… well……

9. Kitchen gardens

Let’s take a minute to talk about the gardens. They are so inspiring. We visited in March on the first day of spring. Not a time for a kitchen garden to be in full growth. But we could see a lot of what they did have sprouting up. There’s a walled garden, two greenhouses, polytunnels, mushroom house and so much more. When you read the menu you can’t help but want to grow more at home. At time of writing I haven’t been home 24 hours yet and I’ve already been to the garden centre!

They also had quails. Lots of quails. I’ve tried but Mr MT insists that having a dog and a cat means quails are out of the question. They are so cute I would totally love to have some. Their eggs look and taste beautiful. Maybe in the next house!

There were some really great garden ideas to steal. Galvanized containers full of flowers, herbs of all variety – I think I counted five types of mint, terracotta rhubarb domes that have aged beautifully and of course the garden furniture – some metal and worn, some looking more homemade from wood. There’s even a swinging bench. All with a vintage, pre-loved look.

10. A word about the flooring

I think this may be a thing only those who work in interiors notice in detail. Every space had great flooring. The vintage Terracotta tiles in the Folly with their uneven look, different width floorboards throughout the main building – and in our horse box room that I would normally not want to walk on without slippers/shoes at home but loved the feel of here as they were so worn and grainy. The massive original flagstones that were  worn away in the hallways and the cozying up the drawing room and library with vintage rugs. These are the things I can’t stop thinking about.

Our Horsebox hideaway

To say our stay was spectacular would be an understatement. We stayed in the converted stable block that was called The Horsebox. I managed to end up with just one shot of this room. I wanted to recall every detail of that space.

The original stable guest suites have super king four poster beds, the original horse dividers have been maintained along with the roof and wall beams and the hay holder for the horses to eat from. There’s a roll top bath in the room, a mini kitchen with a stocked fridge, a dressing table and an armoire for your clothes. There was also a pair of wing-backed chairs with a marble table between at the end of the bed with both The Pig Cookbooks. I read these at every opportunity. I love a good cookbook but when they share the back story it means so much more. It also meant that when I saw the tobacco onions on the menu at dinner I knew I had to have them (they were delicious)

In the bathroom was the kind of shower that you imagine standing under a waterfall feels like. It had serious power and was hot! All the soaps and conditioners were refilled so no plastic waste. Cotton pads and cotton buds were in sealed paper packaging. Everywhere was very eco conscious.

It was the old milking bench in the bathroom that I wish I had a photo of the most. That thing was the item I would have taken home in a heartbeat.

As I mentioned above, the floorboards were big and grooved/worn down and felt softened with age. New floorboards feel hard and flat. These felt inviting. They are top of my “idea to steal’ list when we next decorate our living room.

Do you want to visit The Pig near you now? I know you do.

There are currently Eight The Pig Hotels around the country with two more opening soon (one REALLY near me in Tunbridge Wells – Dinner dates here we come)

You can find them at :

• The Pig at Combe, Otter Valley , Devon  This is where we stayed
• The Pig New Forrest, Hampshire 
• The Pig at Harlyn Bay, Cornwall,
• The Pig at Bridge Place in Canterbury,
• The Pig in the South Downs, Madehurst, West Sussex
• The Pig on the Beach, Studland Dorset 
• The Pig near Bath, Mendip Hills , Sommerset
• The Pig in the Wall,  Southampton
• The Pig and The Village pub Cirencester, Cotswolds 
• The Pig on the Farm, South of Stratford Upon Avon– Coming 2024
• The Pig at Groombridge, Tunbridge Wells – Coming 2025

Check out their menus at all The Pigs before you travel. I would also mention to ignore your fave navigation tools. They’ll send you down some deep, dark country lanes. Follow the directions on your booking confirmation. You can thank me later.

P.S. Thank you to The Pig at Combe for making our stay so special… and for the ginger snap biscuits at the end of our meal. They were almost too cute to eat… almost!