Lippe Garden House

When you picture a grand family estate, the kind of place you’d expect to see on a postcard promoting the English countryside, Lippe Garden House is exactly what you’d conjure to mind. Except it’s tucked away in one of Germany’s most underrated regions. Entering through unassuming gates, you find yourself in Lippe’s largest working farm, an impressive 700 hectares of farmland and 200 hectares of ancient forest. A gravel path snakes its way past red-brick buildings and green-rusted tractors, to a cream-coloured building with picture windows and a tiled roof. Its front garden is bursting with colours from the pink and purple flowers that grow in perfectly rectangular flowerbeds.

Inside are two individually designed apartments (which can be connected on request). They are both a masterpiece in modern design. Expect duck-egg blue kitchens, exposed wooden beams (in the upper apartment), simple-but-bright furniture, soft-green textiles and bold artwork. But far from feeling too perfect, the apartments - along with the family who owns them - are more than welcoming. Drinking coffee while overlooking the walled herb garden is our new favourite way to start the day.