Cotswold Creations

08/03/2026

THE 500 YEAR OLD FLOOR WE COULDN'T TOUCH!

This job was inside a 500-year-old listed building that used to be the town’s courthouse.

The original timber flooring is incredible and full of character… but after centuries the boards had developed big slopes and even wave-like movement across the room.

Great to look at, but not very practical.
In the office the desk drawers would slide open on their own because the floor was so uneven.

Because the building is listed, the original flooring couldn’t be touched or altered.

So instead of changing the history of the building, the solution was to build over it.

A stage-style raised floor was constructed that sits above the original boards, creating a perfectly level and solid surface while protecting the 500-year-old floor underneath.

The character of the building isn’t lost — it’s just carefully preserved below.

This method was used to complete two rooms:
• A larger room now used as a bedroom
• A smaller room used as a home office

A great example of modern solutions working alongside historic buildings.

07/03/2026

06/03/2026

KINTSUGI!

This project started as a repair job in an old stone cottage where the walls need to breathe naturally. Unfortunately a previous owner had covered the stone with Thistle MultiFinish plaster, which sealed the wall and began trapping moisture, causing damp issues.

The original plan was simply to remove the modern plaster, allow the stonework to breathe again, rake out the joints and repoint everything properly using traditional lime mortar.

Once the plaster was removed though, the character of the original stonework really revealed itself. The natural layers and colours in the stone were too good to hide again, so the idea evolved into creating a feature wall instead.

The finished design frames the original stonework with a scribed surround and recessed LED lighting that washes gently across the surface, bringing out the depth and texture of the stone. In a way it follows the idea of Kintsugi – the Japanese concept of highlighting damage or repair rather than hiding it – allowing the history of the building to become part of the finished design.

What started as a practical repair ended up turning into a centrepiece that celebrates the original structure of the cottage while still respecting the traditional materials the building needs.