Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2013 i The Cottage Journal

Welcome to our first winter issue! From a cabin in the mountains to a cottage in the suburbs, harmonious spaces with individual charm and style celebrate the New Year upon us. Your personal retreat may be a window seat with a view, a cozy spot by the fi replace, or a bedroom where you can snuggle with lots of pillows and covers. Those are the spaces we feel the most relaxed in, where all is right with the world, and we can read, journal, or meditate in peace. Or perhaps you’re passionate about a hobby or collection that warms your heart and inspires you. In this special issue, you will meet two talented artisans, one who designs and constructs furniture and another who designs and creates quilts. Savor the season…

Like so many houses in the mountains, this home fills in the winter with people eager to enjoy snowy recreation. The décor pulls from the blue hues of the sky on a clear day and the white of the icy snow that that holds the promise of childlike elation experienced when sliding down the slopes. At the same time, the not-so-big size inspires coziness and friendly good times through well-considered spaces accented with soft fabrics, cushions, and throws. Designers have divergent views on approaching the décor of homes where the climate and altitude make winter the predominant season. Some avoid cool colors and lean toward warmer tones. In this home, the light blues and bright whites work because of the vibrancy the designer brings from painting the trim and railings…

Walking through Jack and Charm Hain’s home can be likened to taking a tour of Alabama’s most prestigious art museums. A collection that began 30 years ago with a purchase in Jack’s hometown of Selma, Alabama, has evolved into a sophisticated sampling of some of the state’s greatest artists—featuring works from Selma, Montgomery, and their beloved Birmingham gracing nearly every hall and wall. The Hains were downsizing when they purchased this Tudor-style cottage next door to their daughter. “The whole family has the bug,” Charm says poetically of their shared affinity for art. “In the move, many pieces made their way into our children’s homes,” she adds, “which, of course, allows us to continue collecting!” And they don’t stop there. “In the last 15 years, we’ve become real Francophiles, dedicated…

Faced with three months when the garden slumbers, Gerard Pampalone searched his soul and knew that he needed to make that interlude meaningful. “It would break my heart if the garden just disappeared for three months,” the budding gardener realized. Rather than approaching the dormant season as a throwaway moment, he decided to mark the occasion. At Beanacre Farm in Connecticut, Gerard softens winter’s fury. When Gerard came to Beanacre, not a single boxwood was in residence, but after several trips to European gardens, he recognized the value of structure. That meant infusing his garden with silhouettes and a framework to make a statement in the dead of winter when flowery distractions vanish. Gerard’s first move was to install 22 boxwoods and clip them into perfectly spherical orbs. “They do…

Table idea For a simple but elegant winter centerpiece, combine a few purchased white flowers with twigs and evergreen clippings from your garden. A white pitcher is a great alternative to a vase when setting a monochromatic table. Winter Table Tips Tips If you have a love for tableware and, like many of us, have collected a variety of patterns, consider mixing pieces with one another. Winter white is the theme of our table setting, and we’ve included a variety of dinnerware styles—all in shades of white and cream. A collection of vintage flatware includes varied patterns. A square-shaped vessel in a brown transferware pattern and a small, unassuming ironstone pot mingle with the other items. Your tablescape will be uniquely yours when you bring together the pieces you love.…

It’s the unexpected that makes us love the quirkiness of old houses. There may be a hallway recess that housed the family telephone in the late 1930s and ‘40s. You might find a small nook off the cottage kitchen that was a cold-storage room. The original need for many of these spaces may be long gone, but we still love those cozy, inviting areas. Today we often build in the nooks and niches from the start. Newly built homes are including window seats, built-in bookshelves, and small spaces for a computer or study area. Look around your cottage, and see if there’s just the smallest niche or nook that you might want to take over as your private place. Style idea Check out every nook and cranny. Even an unlikely…

style idea Separating and unifying, while sounding contradictory, describe the approach to take with an open floor plan. Use area rugs, furniture placement, and lighting to separate spaces with different functions; unify them through color and scale. With careful attention to color and scale, it’s possible to combine varying patterns and textures into pleasing, vibrant surroundings to be enjoyed even on those housebound winter days. In addition to design skill, it takes a dash of daring to mix a print sofa, patterned trunk, avian-themed lampshade, and animal print accent pillow in the same setting. In another space, boldly woven chairs with striped cushions rest on a tartan carpet. This home embraces tooled leather, Greekkey patterned trim, stripes, a monochrome colonial print, burled wood, plaids, and floral designs in a manner…

Cottage homes intended for workers, a practice that gained ground during the Victorian era, are an important housing tradition that is often overlooked. Contrasted with more whimsical vacation cottages that were designed primarily for the summer season, these sound homes sheltered their hard-working residents on the coldest and stormiest winter nights. The historic Mary E. Sullivan House in Park City, Utah, is an example of a cottage intended to provide the simple pleasures of daily life for a working family. Tastefully restored, it now serves the needs of a modern family. The home dates to the turn of the 20th century, and the owners sought out furnishings from the same period. Some of the pieces exhibit craftsman design influences, which are appropriate for late-Victorian homes, as the arts and crafts…

When the same folks who brought us Anthropologie opened Terrain at Styer’s in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, they knew exactly what they were doing. Their goal was to launch a garden shop dedicated to the proposition that nature should never slip out of your life. That would explain the preponderance of plants twining around and waiting to be adopted in their snug shop, despite the frozen earth outside. It’s not that they’re in denial. To the contrary, Terrain sees winter as a creative challenge. They seize the opportunity to squirrel nature inside, designing vignettes of boughs, twigs, and berried branches to admire through your windowpanes. Yes, it is nostalgic. Of course, it is a suspension of reality. But more than a snapshot of a bygone season, Terrain lets winter assume a…

The original 1929 kitchen had seen few changes, so when homeowners Jack and Charm moved in, they gutted the room. However, the old heart pine cabinets were recycled to use for shelving on the back porch, and “the kitchen sink found a new home in the potting shed,” Charm explains. Her love of cooking guided her appliance selection as well as her choice of the restaurant-style faucet. A banquette seemed “of the time,” she says, and it provides a cozy seating area. The two wooden chairs pulled up to the table belonged to her husband’s grandmother, and the yellow chair is just one of the odd pieces of wicker she has collected. With lots of windows and doors, the room is easily accessible to the rest of the house. The…

Vivian was her mother’s best pupil. In fact, Vivian was her mother’s only pupil after she gave up teaching high school home economics to raise her two children. Vivian was 4 years old but can still recall her mother teaching her to sew. Vivian would spend hours listening to the sewing machine’s soothing hums and rhythms, and she and her mother would sew one project after another. “Mother would give me all the fabric scraps, and I would arrange them into blocks. She would pick me up and put me on a box so I could make the machine go,” Vivian vividly recalls. That was 69 years ago. Throughout the years, Vivian continued refining her craft but put it aside for a while because life got busy. But in 1979,…

Be resourceful and creative by turning old sweaters into comfy pillows. It’s as easy as cutting and sewing a few straight lines. A sweater that’s worn out but that you hate to toss is the perfect candidate for this project. Purchase a pillow form in the size and shape you desire. If the sweater has a pattern, decide how you want it to be positioned over the form before you do any cutting. You might also want to include the sweater’s buttons, if any, in your pillow design. Have fun with this project, but just remember, don’t cut up anyone else’s sweater without permission.…

Creamware was perfected in the mid- 1700s as Europe’s economical counterpart to popular but expensive Chinese porcelain. This refined earthenware pottery naturally aquired its name from the creamy color of its appearance. Although many experimenters and developers had a hand in creamware’s birth, Josiah Wedgwood is best remembered for his refinement to and successful marketing of the product. He became known as the Potter to Her Majesty after furnishing Queen Charlotte with his creamware line, which he then proudly (and cleverly) changed the name of to queensware. The majority of creamware is plain, but this versatile pottery was also decorated with transfer print designs, as well as monochrome and polychrome enamel colors. Many pieces were reticulated or pierced, which gives the edges a lacy appearance. Creamware can be found today…

When Chris Jackson and her husband, Ronnie, purchased their abode in 1975, the young couple was enamored by the neighborhood and saw great potential in their red brick ranch. Over the years, the home has undergone a grand transformation as the Jacksons have painted and planned, renovated and restored. The couple even raised their roof line, unveiling an architectural beauty that fits the feel of their Tudor-style street. Preferring a cozy, clean-lined, and neutraltoned aesthetic, Chris has created a warm and welcoming home filled with abundant seating, storage, and room for an expanding family. A sweet little nursery that has welcomed many wee ones blends creamy walls and window treatments with colorful art and accessories. Plus, Chris adds, there is “plenty of room to hang pictures of grandkids.” In the…

The overall effect of this home is light and elegant due to the careful efforts of the designer. However, by looking closely, it’s apparent that the home’s bones—the plank flooring, the simple wood trim, and the straightforward lines of the stairway—are tough and durable. The designer’s efforts are evident in the curving sculptural lines of the furnishings, as well as how the furniture appears to float or hover over the floor rather than rest on it. Even when upholstered in a durable grade, the leather’s finish is lustrous and its champagne hue brings sophistication. A similar attention to detail extends to throws, which are neatly folded instead of casually gathered and draped. style idea Arrange artwork along a stairway, where it will be best viewed when ascending and descending the…

BEEF AND WILD MUSHROOM STEW Makes 12 cups 1 (1-ounce) package dried wild mushrooms, such as porcini 2 cups boiling water 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 large onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 (32-ounce) containers low-sodium beef broth ¼ cup Marsala wine 1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms 1 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1. In a small bowl, combine dried mushrooms and 2 cups boiling water; set aside. 2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper; add…