The Cottage Journal Autumn 2023

AUTUMN INSPIRATION As the summer months pass, nature gives cues that change is in the air and a new season is soon approaching. With autumn’s arrival come a vibrant color palette and warm, cozy textures for home décor. I don’t know about you, but this year, I’ve felt reinspired to make more daring choices, both in color and pattern, within my own home. Wallpaper is a design element our magazine has highlighted in dozens of homes over the years, and one I vividly remember helping my parents remove countless layers of in their fixer-upper in the ’90s. With more than two decades to recover from that experience, I’ve finally found the gumption to utilize a decorative wall covering in my own space—and somehow even convinced my mom to come help…

In recent years, the term cottagecore has emerged as a fashion and home design aesthetic. In her new book, A Handcrafted Life: Creating a Sustainable Cottage Sanctuary, Tiffany Francis-Baker introduces readers to the true meaning of the philosophy by offering insight into her own practices. Dreamy mountain views and flowy floral dresses aren’t the only characteristics of the cottagecore lifestyle. At its root, Tiffany says it reflects the desire to escape the chaos of everyday life and to live with more purpose, more compassion, and more joy. Throughout A Handcrafted Life’s 192 pages, she provides tips, tricks, and ideas for how readers can integrate these values into their personal routines. In the chapter titled “Nurturing Your Home,” Tiffany gives advice for creating an eclectic, lived-in look that is synonymous with…

Inspiration for her latest venture struck interior designer Stephanie Sabbe during a summer trip across the pond. While in London, she noticed many of her favorite designers offering a small-scale retail storefront in addition to their design services. Stephanie’s firm is nestled within a retail plaza in the Belle Meade area of Nashville, Tennessee, making it an ideal location to follow suit, so in December 2022, she opened Heirloom Artifacts, where she showcases her favorite products and finds. “[Heirloom Artifacts] is basically an in-person look book of ‘This is what we do, and here are little pieces of it that you can take home even if we don’t work together,’” says Stephanie. Immediately upon entry, customers are transported from a strip mall into a cozy haven that emanates warmth and…

Fashionable form and function were closely intertwined in the Victorian era as sophisticated table settings served a dual purpose of displaying wealth through the elaborate serveware specifically designed for particular foods. Oyster plates were one such commodity, and their appealing aesthetic continues to capture the hearts of collectors over a century and a half later. No detail was overlooked in their production, as there were a variety of options available—from those with shallow wells reserved for shucked oysters to their deeper counterparts that allowed for the delicacy to be served in the half-shell with ice. However, the shallow wells proved to be the more desirable choice, since the shell’s rough edges caused damage to the elegant plates. Reaching the height of their popularity in the mid-1800s, these prized heirlooms were…

When Marynn and Jeff Udvarhelyi stumbled upon a Cape Cod-style cottage in Temecula, California, they were drawn in by the picturesque yet regionally unexpected façade and sold by the interior layout for equally unique reasons. While the four bedrooms were ideal for the couple and their two daughters, especially the first-floor primary bedroom—something they wanted in the forever home they would grow old in—the rest of the 1989 residence needed thoughtful reconfiguration. This was a project Marynn, the self-taught designer and passionate DIY-er behind Wildflower Home blog, was ready and willing to take on. “Our home is unique in its layout. I remember walking through and thinking how much of a challenge this was going to be since we didn’t have an enormous budget to renovate with,” says Marynn, who…

With three young children and a home located on a cul-de-sac in a charming neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, Molly and Heath Milligan are no strangers to entertaining. And while their ranch home already offered plenty of style, it also presented a few logistic challenges. “As the clients lived in the home, they realized that they needed another seating area in order to accommodate children and adults,” says designer Anna Wooten Loggins, personal friend of the Milligans and owner of A. Wooten Interiors, who was pulled in to address the issues. The team ended up rearranging the house, transforming the existing breakfast room into a sunroom right off the family space. The light-filled corner is now one of the home’s most appealing spots, and the décor inspiration sprang from a single…