Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2017 i The Cottage Journal

Inside the 1931 Williamsburg Revival cottage that sits behind the gate is a home that at first glance is unmistakably traditional, but look closer and you’ll see that each piece of furniture, every accessory, even the plants in the garden have been carefully chosen to create a warm, personal, and inviting home for Tricia and Benjamin Carswell. Tricia’s decorating approach is inspired in part by renowned interior designer Bunny Williams. “She mixes old with new and everything is comfortable, eclectic, and yet it all fits,” Tricia explains. “I like being able to point to something and say that we purchased it on a trip, or a friend or relative gave it to us. Pulling out family monogrammed or embroidered napkins and partnering them with antique crystal and silver goblets…

Quintessential Southern charm takes center stage in the streets of Aiken, South Carolina. Famous for its equestrian culture, this Southern oasis also boasts a thriving arts community, unique history, and one of the nation’s largest urban forests, making it a perfect getaway for the whole family. Embrace all the city has to offer with a historic trolley tour and discover the beauty of Aiken under the iconic oak canopies. Historically, Aiken became a tourist destination in the early 1800s for visitors who traveled to spend their summers in a place that offered a relief from the heat and sickness (mostly malaria) of other regions. After the Civil War, Aiken began to attract the north’s rich and somewhat famous, who were lured to the area by the opportunities for equestrian sports,…

Over the course of her long and prolific career, Dallas interior designer Pam Kelley has worked in every style, but for her own home the choice is simple. “I am a traditionalist at heart and a Southerner,” she says. “My signature style, for me personally, is the classic American house.” About five years ago she decided it was time to downsize. “My furniture and art dictated the house I could and would buy,” she says. It had to be stylistically sympathetic to her 18th-century antiques, which include a massive early 18th-century English bibliothèque and seven 18th-century English burled-wood chests. The 1931 neoclassical cottage she found in Highland Park was perfect, a miniature version of her old house. Designed by Dallas architect James Duff, it featured 8½-foot ceilings, hardwood floors,…

The term ‘English cottage’ conjures up quaint images of a charming abode that’s surrounded by fragrant rose gardens and nestled at the end of a meandering, stone path. Switch the location from England to Heath, Texas, and the roses to camellias, and you’ve got the perfect description of John and Jo-Ann Arnolds’ captivating residence. Just a pebble toss from their grandkids, the Arnolds don’t exactly live large—their place being only 1,200 square feet—yet their home’s openness and flow presents a much more expansive impression. And with features such as exposed wood trusses and a vaulted ceiling that soars to 20 feet in the living room, the entire cottage abounds with a light, effervescent demeanor. When the Arnolds’ family urged John, a former pastor, and Jo-Ann, who had been diagnosed with…

Even back in 1988, when Judy and Patrick Murphy first bought the northwestern Connecticut 18-acre farm that spent a decade fallow, they saw promise as well as purpose in the neglected hardscrabble around their classic old farmhouse. Attracted to the location’s suitability for starting their dream nursery, getting the business up and running was their first priority. So they were in no rush on the home front. Focused on designing gardens for their clients, they took the slow and easy approach to their own property, letting the gardens evolve as the old farm grew on them. Meanwhile, the Murphys tidied up the property in Lakeville, preserving the land’s connections with its agricultural roots. The barns, silo, and surrounding fields that serve as a common denominator between the nursery and home…

New Beginnings Pages 33-40 Interiors by Julie Couch, Julie Couch Interiors. Pages 33-34—Pink watercolor art from Wendover Art Group and horse statue from Bungalow 5. Pages 37-38—Window treatments from RH Baby & Child. Inspired by Joy Pages 41-52 Architectural Design by Stephen Wells, Wells Design Associates, Inc. Quintessentially Classic Pages 53-58 Interiors by Pam Kelley, Pam Kelley Design. Relaxed Living in the Big Easy Pages 59-64 Interiors by Donna Maselli, Donna Maselli Designs. Riverside Respite Pages 65-74 Papier-mâché work and stationary by Carol Reynolds, Stone Cottage Paperie. Good Shepherds Cottage Pages 75-82 Interiors by Barbara Owens, Owens Interiors. Kitchen Design Pages 85-88 Kitchen design by Cyndy Cantley, Cantley & Company. Leaping into Spring Page 93—Floral plates from Anthropologie. Pages 95-96—White and light pink plates from Anthropologie. “Perfectly Imperfect” Paintings Pages…

“Our homes are like mirrors.” – ANNE SAGE In the book Sage Living: Decorate for the Life You Want, you won’t find advice for decorating your home in current trends. Author Anne Sage is a lifestyle writer, creative director, and social media consultant who also writes an interior design and fashion blog called The City Sage. Her daily blog has since evolved into a 205-page book. Anne dares readers to ignore what is fashionable to achieve a home that complements them and feels completely their own. She focuses on embracing your personality and using that as style inspiration. For example, say you are fond of traveling and have garnered quite the collection of photos and trinkets from your adventures. Anne would suggest putting your memories on display by creating…

“When I bought this house, I was in a period of reinventing myself. The renovation process was an amazing outlet for me.” —LACEY NEWMAN Nashville real estate agent Lacey Newman was at a turning point in her life, and as one chapter ended, she was looking to start fresh with her two young children. She scoured the city for a home that would be the opposite of every house she’d lived in before. “I’ve had two new houses previously, and as a real estate agent I’m around new builds all the time,” Lacey says. “The appeal of finding something older was just really strong. I was looking for a house that had really great, solid features, but needed some freshening up.” When an old stone cottage in the Green…

For New Orleans interior decorator Donna Maselli, a home is an organic living thing. “A house truly speaks to me when I enter it: it tells me what it wants to be,” she says. “A home should always reflect its inhabitants, but should not be overly decorated or stuffed with too many sentimental objects.” For Donna and her husband, Joe, that reflection is found in a 1900s Greek revival home layered in creamy neutrals, serene spaces, and a generous dose of natural light. Though they dwell in a city known for over the top parties, parades, and all-around good times, they’ve created a quiet sanctuary within their home. Like many traditional Southern cottages, the Maselli’s have a welcoming front porch flanked with white columns, where they can enjoy shady…

Dianne Mrak was not prone to succumb to “yellow fever.” She pooh-poohed the loudly hued, blaring citron-colored narcissus that we usually associate with spring. So she was scarcely listening when a fellow teacher invited her to tag along to a daffodil show years ago. But when the friend dangled the promise of pink daffodils, her curiosity was piqued. Little did she know one day her cottage garden would be filled with them. When a doubtful Dianne agreed to attend that show with her friend in Baltimore, sure enough, she saw daffodils with a decidedly pink tint and that color anomaly cemented her romance with spring for the next half century. Dianne started with just a handful of pink daffodils in front of her apartment and steadily increased over the years…