Five luxury barns

Forget rusticity - these cosy farm buildings are seriously chic.

Bull Barn Cottage, Yorkshire

As the name suggests, this cosy retreat is more like a cottage than a farm building, though it has, in fact, been sympathetically converted from a 17th-century barn. The cottage's contemporary interior features an open-plan kitchen and living area, modern bathroom facilities, and three bedrooms. The one thing it lacks is a proper garden, but with the Yorkshire Dales on your doorstep, you won't have trouble finding space to roam.

Bull Barn Cottage, Kirkby Malham, North Yorkshire (01535 632 616; daleslettings.co.uk). One night's rental starts at £282, or from £634 per week, minimum two nights; sleeps six.

The Barn, Harthill Hall, Derbyshire

One of 10 properties on the Harthill site, this isn't your average rustic bolthole. There are six en suite bedrooms, CD/DVD players in almost every room, a Jacuzzi on the terrace, an optional dinner delivery service and use of an indoor swimming pool. The decor, too, is surprisingly contemporary – a huge gilt frame in the living room outlines a picture window.

The Barn at Harthill Hall, Alport, Bakewell, Derbyshire (01629 636 190; harthillhall.co. uk/thebarn.html). One night's rental starts at £188, minimum three nights; sleeps 16.

Big Barn, Devon

This barn celebrates its architecture. Rope banisters, wooden bathroom doors and stone walls are a welcome nod to the past while slate-tiled bathrooms and a swanky granite-topped kitchen bring the facilities bang up-to-date. Bold wallpapers and plush red and purple furnishings make this barn a good option for anyone suffering a surfeit of beige.

Big Barn, Larcombe Farm, near Millcombe, South Devon (01548 521663; bigbarnholidayindevon.co.uk). One week's rental starts at £1,400; sleeps 12.

Threshing Barn, Cornwall

Set above the river Loveny, with panoramic views across the Cornish countryside, this family-owned property has been carefully restored over the past two years, with sustainability in mind. Think exposed stone walls, log fires, en suite bedrooms and swish, modern bathrooms.

Threshing Barn, Trevenna, St Neot, Liskeard, Cornwall (01579 320 013; trevenna.com). One night's rental starts at £255; sleeps 10.

The Peren, Herefordshire

The two-bedroom Peren is a model in sustainable building, with underfloor heating and hot water provided by a ground-source heat pump. This restored 19th-century barn has en suite bathrooms, a log-burning stove, fully equipped kitchen and Wi-Fi.

The Peren, Lower Wyeside, Clifford, near Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire (01497 831 225; theperen.com). One night's rental starts at £88, minimum four nights; sleeps four.