Innholdsfortegnelse for Country Cottage 2018 i The Cottage Journal

Whether it’s a house that uplifts your attitude or a retreat that feeds your need to explore your inner artist, this issue will inspire you to surround yourself with things that say “home sweet home” to you! From rural country cottages to city farmhouse dwellings, we know you’ll enjoy reading about homeowners who have settled into a life of sublime living both inside and out. Of course, no country-style issue would be complete without a visit to our friends in Texas. You’ll love getting to know Lone Star State homeowners Brian and Amy Kleinwachter and their passion for antiques. See this couple’s Texas-size renovation highlighting their reclaimed dream home in “Round Top Restoration” on page 61. Meanwhile, our cover story, “California Dream,” page 49, proves that a love of the…

For centuries, horses have provided civilizations with transportation, vitality, and companionship. And individuals who share a bond with horses often find ways to showcase their affection through various equine collections. For Linda Holman, who has been gathering an array of equestrian art and keepsakes for almost four decades, collecting equestrian memorabilia is more than just a hobby—it’s a way of life. “This type of collection does not just consist of photographs of you and your family with your own horses,” says Linda, who grew up riding and now works at a tack shop. “It goes further than that. It’s a passion. It’s a broader appreciation of equestrian art.” Linda started her equestrian art collection in 1978 when her mother gave her an antique horse brass, a small plaque that hangs…

Originally the home of his great-great-xgrandfather, Chase Applewhite’s New Orleans cottage has a storied past— literally. Nearly two decades ago, the house was purchased to be made into an addition by its next-door neighbor, the Maple Street Bookshop. So, when the house came back into the hands of the Applewhite family 10 years ago, there was a great deal of renovation to be done. “After they closed the bookstore and we bought [the house], I totally gutted it,” says designer Julie Ponze, who also happens to be Chase’s mother. “We took off 10 layers of siding, Sheetrock, and bookshelves.” And underneath all those layers, they found a piece of history: barge board, the lumber from flatboats that carried cargo into the port of New Orleans over a century ago. They…

These days, cutting boards come in all shapes and sizes and are often displayed on kitchen countertops and walls. Although maple has long been the wood of choice for the boards, bamboo has also become a popular option. Collectors often focus on a single shape or animal, and pigs seem to be at the top of many enthusiasts’ lists. This particular theme’s popularity may be explained by the Chinese and European belief that the pig was a symbol of wealth that had the power to bring good luck. Homeowner Margaret Ritchie has fond childhood memories of her Aunt Marmee’s pig cutting board that sat behind the kitchen faucet. Years later, at an antiques show, Margaret came across a man selling a number of similar boards. “I bought them all for…

The rolling pin is one of the oldest kitchen tools around. Historians say it is depicted in drawings by the Etruscans—long before it was mass-produced in the early 19th century. Today, collections of pins are popular wall art for kitchens. In the photo above, rolling pins are attached to beaded board and framed to hang. The oldest rolling pins, like those in the collection displayed at right, are hand-carved from one piece of wood. All the handles vary in shape depending on the designer and the use of the rolling pin. This collector and her husband enjoy finding pins while traveling. Once home, the rolling pins are displayed in the kitchen but are still accessible and “ready to roll.” “No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”—JULIA…

Homeowner Jackie Wise is quick to admit that she and her husband, Jimmy, didn’t really know what they were getting into when they purchased their 1950s fixer-upper in Jimmy’s hometown of Springville, Alabama. “After we bought the house, we gave my sister-in-law and brother-in-law a tour, and after we finished, they were both very quiet,” she recalls. “All my sister-in-law said was, ‘Well, I’m glad it’s you guys and not us.’” After 11 months of renovations, the Wises moved into their rustic new home. The couple did much of the work themselves, including demolition and the completion of the exterior addition of the master suite. “We’re handy people,” Jackie says, “but this project definitely took us to a level that we’ve never really been to. We’re not contractors by any…

Marion and Calvin Hosmer were unabashed Anglophiles and made no excuses about it. So when they bought a coastal Maine farm in 1949, they built the closest replica of a classic Georgian manor possible. Calvin puttered in his “gun house” (the mid-century version of a “man cave”) on the ocean’s edge while Marion dug into the land. For half a century, she forged a landscape with deep and meaningful roots. She shaped the mature fruit trees into statuesque form. She planted a walled pastel blue and yellow (with a touch of pink) perennial garden overlooking the water with a battalion of lilac shrubs framing the view and espalier fruit trees against the house. She installed a little vegetable plot on the protected side of the house where a slew of…

From the “hey y’all” and “yes ma’am” signs to the extra large flatware cutouts, Gregory Morris’s handcrafted woodwork is clearly reflective of a charming Southern culture and an eclectic country style. What started under the name Slippin’ Southern has since grown into lifestyle décor brand Haven America, which offers hundreds of unique wooden signs and is continually expanding their inventory. Gregory has been an artist all his life, and after spending 25 years in Chicago working on advertising campaigns for companies like Hershey’s, Namco, Caterpillar, and McDonald’s, he decided to leave the big city. He first moved his family to a farm in North Carolina, where he could create his own artistic works. “I spent so many years as an adult working and creating for others, but I never thought…

• Never place wooden cutting boards in the dishwasher. • Wash wooden boards with soap and hot water after using and allow them to air-dry. • Sprinkle coarse salt over the surface of the board periodically and rub with a sliced lemon. Rinse well with hot water. • To help keep the board from cracking, apply a small amount of food-grade mineral oil using a clean, lint-free cloth. (Do not use olive or vegetable oils be cause they will turn rancid.) Reapply until the wood stops absorbing the oil and wipe off the excess. Let the board dry overnight before using.…

If you are like us (and the rest of the world), there’s a good chance you’re on the farmhouse-style bandwagon. While this interior design style isn’t one that’s new, it’s certainly one that’s making its way back into our homes and hearts again. One of the reasons so many people have fallen in love with farmhouse style is its universal appeal—no matter where you live, farmhouse style can work for your home. That’s why we love author and interior designer Kim Legget’s new book, City Farmhouse Style: Designs for a Modern Country Life. Kim is a farmhouse-style expert and holds the titles of antiques and vintage dealer, businesswoman, and celebrity designer. Her book is all about creating a country farmhouse no matter where you live. Whether you are already on…

When Lizabeth McGraw found her cottage in Inglewood, California, it was at a point in the home’s history when not many would have seen its potential. “It was in really rough shape,” Lizzie says. Built in the 1920s, the cottage was owned by its original tenant until 1996 and was in need of extensive electrical and plumbing updates. Walls were missing after an abandoned renovation, the home had no heating system, and windows needed to be replaced. “It was as bare-bones as the house could possibly be,” she says. Confident she could restore the home’s beauty, Lizzie enlisted the help of architect William J. McGraw—who also happened to be her father. “He was creative and fun and definitely made the whole vision come together,” she says. By removing the hallway…

Seven years before Layla and Kevin Palmer moved into their cozy lakeside cottage in the country, Kevin drove through the neighborhood and instantly fell in love with the style and architecture. When he returned home, he said to Layla, “You’ve got to see this place.” With the neighborhood’s idyllic movie set charms, nestled between cotton fields and a gorgeous lakefront, the Palmers knew they had found their dream home. Unfortunately, at that time, their dream was out of reach. Years passed, but they never stopped dreaming. When the economy crashed and the housing market dipped, they found their dream home in foreclosure. It was a sign. In fact, the home sat vacant the whole seven years—as if it were waiting just for Layla and Kevin. “For us, it seemed like…

“Horses can teach you a lot once you learn how to listen to them,” Wayne Parden says. Such is the case with the Belgian draft horses Wayne and his wife, Jenny, raise on their farm. Using their horses as his initial inspiration, Wayne set out to channel his creative lessons through ironworks. After working with a farrier, he developed an interest in using horseshoes in a new way. Wayne also gets a lot of satisfaction from working with reclaimed metal and small pieces of iron, forging them into beautiful pieces of sculptured artwork often inspired by horses and rustic living. Some pieces take several months while others take days to craft from a combination of everything from found iron and metal tubing to purchased pieces for framing purposes. He twists…

Initially a builder by trade, artisan Ben Smith took up welding as a hobby. Teaching himself to harness the flame of a torch and tapping into the woodworking skills learned in over a decade of building homes, Ben quickly discovered a passion for creating something new and unique from basic materials like iron, steel, and reclaimed wood. He started out playing around with his own designs while also making specialty pieces for the high-end homes he was working on at the time—recreating a vintage door hinge here, reproducing an era-appropriate light fixture there. Ben and his wife, Ginny, co-owner of Maison de France Antiques, soon realized his tinkering was far more than a hobby. “He came in one day and showed me a chandelier he had made,” Ginny recalls. “It…