At this charming bolthole in The Cotswolds, doing nothing is an art form

Nestled 1 hour and 30 minutes away from London’s Paddington Station, boutique hotel Hyll in The Cotswolds is a cosy retreat to relax and reboot. The hotel, which opened in September this year, takes on the form of a countryside house providing an intimate, ‘picture-postcard’ stay. The 16th-century manor house and former private residence underwent a transformation managed by Manchester-based Youth Studio and Tim Groom Architects, who refreshed the building's interiors, including 18 guestrooms, restaurant, lounges, and an additional courtyard building which hosts more rooms with an accompanying garden.

‘We designed for feeling,’ explains Liam McGroarty and Oliver Collinge, founders of Youth Studio. ‘Rhythm, light, and tactility shaped every decision. The spatial flow encourages you to pause – thresholds widen, corridors breathe, and views open gradually. Materials were chosen for their sensory qualities: limewash that absorbs light softly, fabrics that invite touch, and acoustics that feel muffled and close. It’s about creating the conditions for presence – where awareness comes naturally.’

Wallpaper* checks in at Hyll Hotel, The Cotswolds

What’s on your doorstep?

The hotel is designed for guests to rest and recharge and encourages visitors to ‘do nothing’. If you do have the urge to explore, take a stroll through the hotel grounds, pausing to take in the expansive vista, or venture into nearby Chipping Campden to enjoy the honey-coloured stone buildings and independent shops. There are also many nearby circular walking routes. Start from Chipping Campden and head to the village of Broad Campden: a traditional pub en route helps break up the 5km trip. Also located nearby are Hidcote Manor Gardens – particularly beautiful when spring is in bloom.

Who is behind the design?

The interiors were overseen by Youth Studio, who worked in close collaboration with Tim Groom Architects to create a space that feels warm and cohesive. Upon entrance, guests immediately feel as though they’re walking into someone's home, rather than a hotel. To the left of the entrance, just past a bench adorned with a curated selection of magazines, is the reception, masked as a cloakroom lined with umbrellas, Wellington boots and coats.

The hotel is cosy, calming and minimal, as the designers carefully avoided creating a barren, austere environment, as McGroarty and Collinge tell Wallpaper*: ‘Calm doesn’t mean minimal. For us, it’s about balance – creating enough space for the mind to rest while still holding warmth, texture, and life. We used natural materials that age gently and a palette drawn directly from the surrounding landscape. The calm comes from honesty and restraint rather than emptiness – it feels still, but lived-in.’

The interior aesthetic reflects its context, looking at the raw, weathered landscape. Natural materials are celebrated, such as locally sourced timber, hand-worked plaster, and aged metals. The surfaces are designed for intentional wear and tear, to add a lived-in touch. Warm lighting is situated throughout the rooms and communal spaces, from contemporary low glows to the roaring log burning fire.

The room to book

Hyll offers 26 bedrooms in total across the manor house and the courtyard addition. In the 16th century property you’ll find ‘Manor House Cosy’ rooms with views over the gardens and The Cotswolds beyond; the ‘Manor House’ room comes with a little more space to stretch out, accompanied by a separate walk-in shower ensuite.

In the courtyard, there are the ‘Courtyard Comfy’ rooms; ‘Courtyard Garden’ rooms, which are on the ground floor with a private garden terrace (perfect for any dog owners), and the ‘Courtyard Roomy with Lounge’ rooms, which have sitting spaces great for families who need room to spread out.

Youth designed all the bedrooms to be deliberately uncluttered. Furniture was selected to frame the window views rather than command attention. Guest rooms boast built-in oak wardrobes lined with soft linen, with a warm light behind.

Each bed offers a charred timber table with tactile detailing, which contrasts with the timber or soft velvet headboard. Bathrooms are grounding, with a soothing touch, equipped with Verden products and Dyson hair appliances. The rooms are also defined by quiet corners to allow introspection and a solitary pause.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

To the left of the historic building is the Hyll restaurant. The seasonal menu is shaped around local ingredients and producers across the Gloucestershire countryside and the Vale of Evesham. Start the day with an included breakfast and choose from a selection of fresh fruits, Hyll honey and sourdough, alongside warm egg dishes and a classically hearty English breakfast.

At lunch, there are lighter options from a truffle, mushroom and spinach omelette to tea and toast, or perhaps sink your teeth into a Hyll toastie made with Salt Pig chorizo, smoked ham, single Gloucester Cheddar, bechamel, and pickles. Sunday roasts and afternoon teas suit those looking for the quintessential British experience. In the evening, the winter menu includes hearty dishes from Briar Hill Farm; lamb with cannellini beans, salsa verde, and charred broccoli, to spatchcock poussin with dates, caramelised lemon, crushed truffle and parmesan potatoes.

At the bar, guests will find wines from around the world to an extensive cocktail list (we would recommend the PLG mule made with Black Cow vodka, lime, passionfruit, lemongrass, and ginger beer). Also, the bartenders fix-up a fantastic warming pot of tea. The bar and events space was actually Youth’s favourite area to design. ‘Finding the balance between intimacy and energy was a rewarding process – shaping a room that feels as good at 10 am as it does at midnight. Seeing guests now use those spaces throughout the day, in the way we imagined from the start, is one of the most satisfying parts of the project.’

Where to switch off

The property carries an intentional absence of distraction (there are no clocks to be seen) allowing presence to take root. The communal area of the property is separated into three living rooms. The front room, or drawing room, has a log burning fireplace at its core, along with a variety of magazines and a curated selection of books from Borzoi books. If you fall in love with a particular read during the stay, it is available to purchase.

The main living room is bigger with three sofas and a small reading nook, with an abundance of puzzle books and board games. The final space is a listening room. A more intimate seating area with a record player and a collection of vinyl to relax to. Youth used an earthy-brown palette for the rooms, saying ‘the tones create a cocoon-like feeling that makes you want to stay longer than you planned. The tones were lifted from the surrounding landscape, and that connection to nature – subtle but constant – has become one of the most successful and grounding aspects of the project.’

The verdict

Staying at Hyll, guests feel a sense of grounding, almost an exhale of calm, which was the design studio’s goal. ‘We wanted people to feel a gentle disconnect from the pace of modern life, to slow down and move through the spaces with a sense of ease and curiosity. It’s less about arrival and more about settling – wandering, noticing small details, and feeling quietly present in the moment.’

Hyll Hotel is located at The Cotswolds, Charingworth, Chipping Campden GL55 6NS