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April 28, 2008
Posted by: Cathy at 12:29 pm
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Give me a cottage over a castle any day. I guess I’m at that stage in life where less is more. Cozy comfort is far more appealing than vast expanses of volume and space. There’s something so warm and inviting about cottages. They seem to have a soul and spirit that lacks in grander houses. Like a puppy…cute, friendly and approachable.
We downsized a few years ago from a much larger house and yard, to a smaller cottage home closer to the beach. I’ve loved the change. Everything is easier and more manageable. Now, yard work is a passion, not a chore. And, house upkeep is quicker, easier and more economical. Also, your decorating budget goes a long way.
A few things that draw me to these adorable abodes are…
* Picket fences with a squeeky gate
* Dutch doors, open on the top.
* Informal flower gardens.
* Winding stone or brick pathways, a little uneven.
* Shuttered and shingled.
* White trim on the house.
* Climbing vines, a little wild.
* Trellis and arbors with old fragrant roses.
* Adirondack chairs, a little faded.
* Paned windows that beckon a sneak peek inside.
* Windows wide open, no AC
* Details, (but not clutter), wreaths, fountains, chairs on the porch, ship weather vanes, pots of flowers, book on a bench.
* An interesting mail box
* A single water sprinkler watering in the yard.
* A big tree with a swing on it.
Please add to the list…
There are the most adorable cottages near the beaches in southern California. I could spend hours (and I do), walking the tree lined streets. Each cottage more irrisistable than the next. Losing myself, for a moment, as the lucky resident of the home. Although I like many styles of homes, I love feeling the wonderful unpretentious warmth and inviting charm of these cottages.
If you like cottage style also, look around your area and enjoy being inspired by these little enticing edifices. They’ll bring a smile to your face and an “Ohhhhh” to your voice.
Are you a cottage, bungalow, or cabin type of person? What draws you to this style?
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1. Hi Cathy,
I’m a cottage/bungalow gal in my heart, but live in a traditional new-england colonial (when in Rome, right!).
I love your list…here’s a couple more-
The sound of a screen door softly closing
Window sheers blowing in the breeze
Susan
by Susan — 4/28/08 at 1:50 pm #
2. We know the love of a cottage. We purchased one several years ago and have enjoyed it ever since. It’s a weekend cottage till we retire but it feels like we’re going home every weekend and that’s where we belong. Grandkids all love it and nothing is untouchable. Sqeaking screen doors, wrap around porch, hummingbird feeders, comfy porch furniture, and a huge hammock for those afternoon naps for adults and children. Movies on the porch on warm summer nights are the best. We have popcorn and watermelon, pillows and quilts to lay on while watching and after a day of swimming and playing all those tanned littke bodies don’t stay awake long and are soon carted off to their bunkbeds. My cup runneth over.
by Amy — 4/28/08 at 2:39 pm #
3. Hi Susan,
Yes, we have to “live” in the houses we have, but we can dream about the houses we want. Your New- England Colonial sounds wonderful.
Love your additions to “the list”. Definitely screen doors and blowing window sheers ….. how wonderful. That conjures up such a peaceful feeling…
So glad to hear from you. Write back soon .
by Cathy — 4/28/08 at 5:00 pm #
4. You are truly blessed Amy,
What a perfectly heavenly place. This is a place your grand kids will remember as such a joyful and happy time in their lives. I love all the wonderful “feel good” scenario’s you describe. It makes me want to pack up and come for a visit. LOL.
Enjoy this wonderful Shangri-La ,with your family. They are what makes this feel so good .
So glad you wrote in and added to the atmosphere.
by Cathy — 4/28/08 at 5:24 pm #
5. I am so happy to read the comments from the cottage lovers. I live in one on an acre of property and I absolutely love this house and property. I would love to download some pictures in the near future and share with you.
by Cathy — 4/30/08 at 10:57 am #
6. Hello Cathy (good name)!
We would love to see some pictures of your cottage. I’m so glad you wrote in to tell us of your beloved cottage. You have a lot of land as well, how nice. what part of the country do you live? I think there’s something about smaller homes that is so comforting. The only downside is finding space for everything. You have to keep cleaning things out and get rid of the clutter often…but that’s a good thing…right!
Enjoy your little piece of paradise and stay in touch.
by Cathy — 4/30/08 at 5:37 pm #
7. Hi Cathy!
Your cottage looks so inviting!
May I ask in what general area of the beach you find these type houses?
They are so warm yet whimsical!
I would also stroll down the lanes meandering through the neighborhood
being swept away with each home!
What a lovely pastime.
Thank You for the wonderful pictures!
by Margie — 5/3/08 at 8:35 pm #
8. I love cottages too, and never tire of looking at pictures like the ones you shared with us. Do you have inside shots also, Cathy? Thanks for making me smile.
by Janice — 5/5/08 at 10:21 am #
9. Hello Margie,
So glad to hear from you.
Thank you so much. None of these cottages are mine…(wish they were). Yes they are wonderful. These houses are all along the Southern California coast. In towns like Corona Del Mar, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Balboa Island.They look quaint, small and affordable, but most of them would sell for well over $2 million. It’s the location! We can dream…. So glad you appreciate these little gems.
Write back soon.
by Cathy — 5/5/08 at 12:28 pm #
10. Hello Janice,
Your welcome friend. So glad you liked the pictures. Wish you could experience the real thing. There are thousands of them. I don’t have many inside shots but I’ll see what I can do. Sometimes you get a peek inside as you stroll by. LOL. Cute inside as well as out.
I hope your cottage is coming along well. Whats your next big project?
Take Care.
by Cathy — 5/5/08 at 12:40 pm #
11. Yes, it’s so refreshing to see pictures of cottages. Our city is filled with old historic homes, many of them over 100 years old. There are a few cottages sprinkled around, but nothing like the pretty ones you showed us. I think that’s the reason I have such a fascination with them. They’re like little fairy tale houses, for lack of a better description. My projects have been on hold for a couple of weeks. We had an out-of-town house guest (my brother), and most of our time was spent entertaining. It was nice to have him with us, but it’s nice to be “guestless” too! LOL
by Janice — 5/6/08 at 11:11 am #
12. Hey Janice,
Look around your town at some of the wonderful architectural details on the old historic homes. The craftsmanship is so beautiful in these homes. You don’t find that anymore. It’s inspiring to see how much attention to detail was incorporated into them. Such beauty and good design in any town if you look for it.
Talk to you soon.
by Cathy — 5/6/08 at 2:46 pm #
13. Hello everyone, I will start using Cathy O so as not to confuse with the other Cathy. My cottage home is on the Jersey Shore in a town called Locust, NJ. I will definitely be taking more pictures of both the inside and outside and share with all of you.
I am lucky to have a good amount of storage since there is a three car garage on the property and the prior owners added a lot of storage areas and also a fairly large bedroom and bathroom with heat and central air upstairs.
by Cathy O — 5/7/08 at 9:35 am #
14. Cathy, while we’re on the subject of cottages, I wanted to ask a question. Do you consider your style of decorating to be cottage style — or do you call it eclectic? The reason I’m asking is because I received a bedding catalog yesterday and one page featured something called Modern Country. The sheets were black and white paisley, and the throw pillows on the white coverlet were red and white checked. I immediately thought of you — because of the black, white and red theme. It also reminded me of something I saw many years ago on a house tour. The house was called Country Modern, and the colors throughout were black, white and red (red carpeting, black and white couch, etc.) Just wondered what you call your style.
by Janice — 5/7/08 at 1:16 pm #
15. Hello Cathy O.
That will help…too many Cathys around here. HA.
Your cottage on the Jersey shore sounds wonderful. We would love to see pictures! What’s great, is you have lots of storage and land. Our land is so expensive here, and we have no basements (earthquakes), so storage is a problem for some…you can’t be a packrat! What is nice here is, living near the beach, heating and air conditioning are seldom used. We have such a moderate climate, you could go without and be fairly comfortable year round. Windows are always open around here. The sea breeze is nice.
Enjoy your wonderful cottage, it sounds delightful.
by Cathy — 5/7/08 at 5:15 pm #
16. Hi Janice,
I love all styles of decorating, if done well. Contemporary and transitional are my favorites. My style, in this house is, I guess, cottage eclectic. It fits the style of the house. A mix of many things. I do like to mix styles. More interesting. I’m trying to add in more contemporary as I change things though. I do like the updated or modern country…less kitchy clutter. Cleaner surfaces and walls. More solids and textures, less florals and prints. All of our styles evolve and change over time. What we liked years ago, may not be what we like now. So, I’ve learned to buy classic neutral anchor pieces of furniture, so I can change things up from time to time.
Thanks for asking. Talk soon!
by Cathy — 5/7/08 at 5:45 pm #
17. Yes, I agree, what we liked years ago, may not be what we like now. I remember a time when I did like country clutter. Guess that’s because I wanted to “fit in” and decorate my home with what was in style at the time. But I soon found discovered that I didn’t really like clutter. It made me nervous. Isn’t that funny? I had it — but I didn’t really like it. So I moved on to other styles and soon tired of them. Then, like you, I discovered that I liked certain elements of each style. I feel happier now with my decorating choices because I know I’m using things that make me happy and I’m following my heart — not the current trend. You said that you liked contemporary and transitional. My camel-colored microsuede couch is considered transitional. What does that mean really? I just knew I liked it but had no idea what transitional meant when I purchased it. I do know, however, that I can change throw pillows and accessories and make my room any style I want. I like that.
by Janice — 5/8/08 at 10:11 am #
18. Hi Janice,
Transitional style of decorating, transitions between traditional and contemporary. A style defined by simpler lines and ornamentation of traditional, but not as linear and high contrast as contemporary. It falls in between the two. Very easy to live with. Also appeals to both men and women. I like the style very much. You picked a good style of sofa. If it’s good quality, you should have many years of enjoyment and timeless style. Just change accessories from time to time and it will transition to a new style easily.
Good question!
by Cathy — 5/8/08 at 11:50 pm #
19. Such sweet house….wish I could walk along those roads in Balboa or Newport and look at them with you….sometime….
by Julie — 5/10/08 at 5:28 pm #
20. We will do it Julie,
Come on out and we’ll go “cottage touring”. I wonder how many people do this? Most would find this pretty boring…but not me or you. We are easily amused and entertained I guess, LOL.
Love to see ya!
LYC
by Cathy — 5/12/08 at 12:29 pm #
21. I live in a very large home but “the be true to myself” is a cottage close or on the beach or even just in a small town where you can walk to town. I have looked endlessly in my neck of the woods but have not had any luck, If I could, that is one thing I would like to do, build cottages with lots of charm, reasonably priced, with picket fences and sidewalks, maybe just for 55+, however I do like having the younger families around also. For all of you with cottages and land or the beach I say “You have a little piece of Heaven right here on earth.”
by Ann — 6/11/08 at 10:51 pm #
22. Hello Ann,
Such nice comments. Yes, some people are blessed to live in beautiful areas and lovely homes. Others are blessed in other ways that are just as wonderful. I guess we have to “bloom where we are planted”.
It would be wonderful to have a cottage by the sea, but any where can be that place. I think alot of it is, that wonderful state of mind…peace, contentment, joy…no matter where you live.
When you build those affordable cottages by the sea, let me know. I’ll be there to sign the papers. LOL.
Keep looking for that cottage. It will speak to you when you find it.
Thanks so much for your great thoughts.
by Cathy — 6/12/08 at 11:39 am #