Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2018 i The Cottage Journal

Born and raised in Mississippi, interior designer Meg Braff is much like her style of decoration—filled with grace and charm. Known for her inventive use of bright colors and bold patterns, Meg has kissed the days of neutral and bland design goodbye. In her first book, The Decorated Home, Meg shares her advice on creating rooms that are livable yet attractive. With over 200 pages of eye-catching, cheerful rooms that will have you inspired to decorate your space all over again, this book covers the fundamentals needed to give your home added pigment and flair. In the first few chapters, you will get to discover the two basics of Meg’s style—color and pattern—and how to use those two powerful tools together for a striking design impression. Meg holds the key…

Living on the water has a way of infusing residents with a laid-back, go-with-the-flow mentality. The waves lap gently on the shore, as if they’re saying, “Slow down, slow down.” Christa Harp Krysztofiak and her husband, Dan, heeded this call and purchased a stunning Tidewater home in Royal Oak, Maryland, overlooking Plaindealing Creek. The family spends much of their time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Heronwood, as the home is called, is their second home, a peaceful getaway far removed from hectic schedules. “We love the relaxed atmosphere of the house and the waterfront setting,” Christa says. “Nothing is too precious, and it’s meant to be lived in. With teenagers and dogs, it has to be practical as well as pretty. It is a great house to get away to, year-round.” Julie…

“I believe the kitchen is the center of the home.” —DEBORAH HASTINGS The Hastings family are no strangers to renovation and construction. Deborah Hastings and her husband, a designer and a builder respectively, have also moved eight times as a couple. With every move comes the chance to completely redesign a new space, an opportunity that Deborah relishes. “This was an in-between house for us,” she says. “We found a lot that they thought was unbuildable, but we squeezed this house on it—resulting in a home with unique, cozy features due to our limited space.” Truly a mix of old and new, the kitchen and dining areas and their furnishings seamlessly blend together, almost as if the pieces were created for each other. “We installed hand-scraped white oak floors and…

History is the draw for many visitors to Annapolis, Maryland. The city’s earliest settlers date back to the 17th century, and those who enjoy architecture will find Colonial touches at every turn, especially in the Historic District. But Annapolis is hardly old and tired. Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy infuse a youthful energy, and travelers and locals alike congregate on the charming bricked-paved Main Street to visit the independent shops and restaurants. Because the city sits at the mouth of the Severn River on the Chesapeake Bay, the water culture influences much of its identity year-round and is especially scenic in the summer. You’ll see that best at City Dock, where beautiful sailboats rock easily in their slips, a scene that conjures up images of idyllic summer days…

When it comes to candy-colored exteriors, charming architectural details, and idyllic storybook neighborhoods, there’s no place that suggests cottage living quite like the communities found along the coastline. We look to beachside communities like The Cottages at Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina—nestled between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina—for those classic cottage charms that welcome summer with a sunny hello. Mark Ballard, the chief marketing consultant for The Cottage Building Company, says the camaraderie and style found in their thoughtfully planned neighborhood is no happy accident. “From the wide, welcoming front porches to the common spaces, everything was designed to facilitate interaction and create a sense of community,” he explains. These charming coastal cottages hold an endless supply of design inspiration. And while you may not feel…

Julie Dodson notes that everyone has a different perspective on how we use color and how it influences the design process. “For most of my projects, I prefer using pops of color playing off the natural light,” she says. “In a few instances, I’ll pick a color from a painting or a fabric color choice and repeat it throughout.” While Julie draws color inspiration from art and textiles, she reached out to two industry colleagues to get their perspectives on color, which are quite different from her own. Each one shows how color influences their design aesthetic. SEGRETO FINISHES: By incorporating paint color on specialty cabinetry and woodwork or coordinating it with same-shade fabrics, one can create a calm, timeless flow throughout, and interiors can be kept updated. Leslie Sinclair,…

Newly engaged and on the hunt for their first home, Brittany and Jess Mann were quick to fall head over heels for a walkable neighborhood close to downtown Birmingham, Alabama. “Church, schools, restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops—everything was a short stroll away,” says Brittany of Homewood’s idyllic amenities. “It seemed like a perfect fit right from the start.” The couple moved into a cozy three-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage and enjoyed its prime location throughout their first few years of marriage. But when the time came for their first child to be born, the Manns knew they needed more space. Rather than leave their beloved block, they decided to pursue an addition. “We met with our builders with the intention to do a few updates and add a second story,” Brittany recalls, “but…

“The screened porch is the perfect place for [Amy] to entertain guests or to hang out while her son plays.” —LIZA JONES Choosing to downsize wasn’t always part of the plan—at least, not for homeowner Amy Gwinn, who was shopping for a house in McLean, Virginia, with her little boy in tow. “I was looking at much larger homes,” she says, “until I was charmed by this house. It was nice and cozy and compact.” The three-bedroom, 1,400-square-foot home built in the 1950s slices into three perfect tiers: the main living area, featuring an open floor plan; two upstairs bedrooms, including an en suite master bath; and a third, lower level with a family room and guest suite. “It was perfect,” says Amy, who purchased the house in 2015. “I…

Cover Pillow from Pottery Barn. Waterfront Wonders Pages 13-16—TheCottages, The Cottages at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Escape to the Lake Page 36—Kitchen cabinets and bar/island from Stray Cats Home Décor. Light fixture above island from Wrapsody. Page 38—Headboards from Stray Cats Home Décor. Page 38—Outdoor furniture on dock from Lake Martin Mini Mall. Californian Farmhouse Charm Pages 39–46—Interior designs by Lizzie McGraw, Tumbleweed & Dandelion. Pages 41–42—Farm table, patio furniture, window treatments, and linens from Tumbleweed & Dandelion. Land That We Love Pages 47–56—Interior designs by Katherine Bailey and Allison Hallman, Willow Design Studios. Built by Willow Homes. Page 54—Bed from Stock & Trade. Bedside table from Gabby. Beach Cottage Getaway Pages 57–64—Interior designs by Elizabeth M. Smith Interiors. Maritime Masterpiece Pages 65–76—Interior designs by Julie Sweeney, Coastal Haven…

Zoe and James Zilian started Farmhouse Pottery in their basement studio with a single wheel and kiln. But it didn’t take long for people to realize that they had created something special. Now, the Zilians’ pottery is sold in retail stores throughout the country, and in 2014, they opened their own cottage-style storefront in Woodstock, Vermont. Handmade pottery and other products cover the sleek, whitewashed shelves and tables inside the shop, every piece showing their commitment to quality. “Since each piece is handmade, there is an authentic, artisan quality to them that informs our creative process,” James says. In addition to the pottery line, the shop offers a diverse selection of homeware. “While pottery will always be at the heart of this company, we’ve also expanded into a full lifestyle…

Timing was everything for a couple from Atlanta, Georgia, searching for the perfect island getaway. They were on the verge of purchasing a cottage they were sure was the one when a new listing suddenly popped up on the market that stopped them in their tracks. “They were almost ready to sign the papers when this new property became available,” says Elizabeth Smith Pipe, interior designer and owner of Elizabeth M. Smith Interiors on St. Simons Island, Georgia. “When they contacted the homeowner and knocked on the door, it was love at first sight,” she says with a laugh. The little gem that stole their hearts was a 1930s cottage that was small on space but big on charm, just a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean. With limited square…

With spiraling petals evocative of the arabesques of a ballerina, ruffled edges reminiscent of seafoam, and a selection of colors that rivals the rainbow, you have never seen daylilies like this before. Darlyn Wilkinson uses words like “teeth,” “knobs,” and “angel wings” to describe the traits of flowers bristling on the acre of beds that she tends. If you have never associated drama with daylilies before, you’ve never visited Greywood Farm in July. When most perennial gardens have slipped into intermission, Greywood Farm hits a crescendo. Although the setting is accented by shrubs, trees, and perennials of all descriptions, without question, the daylilies are the drama queens that steal the show in high summer. In an impressive palette of harmonious hues, in shapes ranging from pencil-thin and spider-like to chubby…

Kasia Polkowska might have been raised as a city girl, but she has a deep love for and strong connection to the outdoors. Born in Poland and raised in suburban New Jersey, Kasia continued her city-hopping to Brooklyn, New York, for college before she discovered her true love for nature. “When I went to study abroad in Australia . . . that’s when I really started noticing the landscape,” she recalls. “I found it a little bit foreign because I grew up in the suburbs in New Jersey, and I found it very fascinating.” Though that fascination didn’t immediately translate into her current mosaic landscape art, she eventually found herself drawn to nature, in more ways than one. After finishing school, she took a job as a mosaic artist for…