One thing we like to do as interior designers is look at other people’s work so this weekend we took ourselves off to The Weary Sportsman in Castle Carrock, near Carlisle. The Weary as it is more usually known has carved out a niche for fine dining with comfortable rooms, in fact it’s tag is ‘Good Food with rooms attached’.

The Weary only has five rooms and as it is essentially a village pub, these are low ceilinged and not desperately spacious. But that’s not the point with The Weary. The owners, Ian and Gill have used the space well to create exceedingly comfortable rooms, with decent bathrooms that you just want to stay in. We checked in late afternoon and stayed in the room till it was time to eat and were in no hurry to leave the following morning either.

This of course is the whole point of good design, whether it’s your home or for your guests, to make the person using the space feel comfortable and enjoy themselves. Simple design with quality furnishings and attention to detail made the whole experience a memorable one.

The Weary is not cheap and I considered afterwards whether I thought it was value for money, then realised that the question was the wrong one to ask. Had I enjoyed the experience? Definitely.