A Cottage Interior Perfect for Coast or Country

Peek inside a gorgeous cottage of blue and white with the addition of a few surprising colours.

A Traditional Sag Harbour Cottage

Mention the Hamptons to a designer and it not only identifies an area it conjures up an image of a specific style of decorating that has become extremely popular throughout the world. 

An East Hampton Cottage

Inside this gorgeous East Hampton cottage is a style I love...

Adding Character to a Home with Solid Wood Flooring

Above - My 1940's cottage with solid wood floors

If you are building a new house or renovating, one way to add charm and character is with solid wood floors, I say "solid" as there are a few other options including engineered wood, however, if you want quality and durability, you can't go past the beauty of solid wood. With the many types of wood finishes, I've written this post with hints on selecting the right look for your style of home. 

An East Hamptons Cottage

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The photographer of this charming cottage certainly tweaked my interest when I saw this shot, these cute little guys may look a bit apprehensive about posing for this photo, however the image below shows how relaxed they are about their charming home.

Beyond this Facade - Lies a Garden Guest House

Beyond the facade of this Stockbridge townhouse, lies a charming, garden, guest cottage, I currently have an obsession with garden buildings after completing a garden studio of my own. Whether it's a guest cottage, an artist retreat, pool shed or "she/he shed" scenario, I believe everyone can benefit of such a space.

A Ray of Sunshine in the Bahamas

This cute Bahamas cottage with its sunshine yellow shutters is hiding quite a lot behind its simple facade...

Character Abounds in the Interior Design of a Beachside Home

Shying away from blue and white in favour of green and yellow and adding a touch of dusky blue/grey, a beach side cottage makes a statement of its own.

A Fisherman's Cottage in Black and White

In New Zealand, it is the second official week of winter, however, today felt like a mid-summers day. Abandoning my winter woollies for a T-shirt and trainers, Poppy and I set out this morning for a long walk along the coast. Two hours later I found myself back at home and hopped on the computer to find something nice to share with you, quickly discovering this cute fisherman's cottage, it seemed appropriate on such a lovely day.

Character and Texture in a Lakeside Cottage

I came across this lakeside cottage last week and knew immediately I wanted to share it with my readers. Unfortunately there are not very many photos but the ones I found should be inspiring to those of you who love a relaxed, Hamptons/coastal style.

Vintage Style and Cottage Charm in Joanna Madden's Home

Above: Start a collection 

A talented photographer always knows exactly the right angles to show off an interior to its best but It always helps to have something interesting to photograph. Joanna Madden's pretty cottage with her collectable vintage items and interesting vignettes is a the perfect home to photograph.

A Charming Ohio Cottage Photographed By Julie Ranee

Julie Ranee is a talented photographer especially when it comes to taking that perfect interior shot. Julie photographed the interior of this Ohio cottage, wonderfully capturing its old world charm and I couldn't resist sharing it with you.

Welcome To My Home - A Peek At My Holiday Decor

This weekend I began decorating my cottage this years theme would be 'natural', possibly I went a wee bit overboard with my mantelpiece, hopefully it will survive until Boxing day.

A Cottage Renovation Creates A Charming, Spacious Beachside Home

A spacious cottage interior lies beyond the exterior of this charming 1950's home. An addition of 800 square feet was added onto the rear of the house which includes a family room, two bedrooms and a bathroom. A former porch becomes a new dining space. Inside the owners have used neutral tones in grey, taupe, white and soft blue to create a modern interior with cottage charm.

Glen Beach Cottage Is A Winner In White

I was not surprised to read that this lovely lakeside cottage won an award in the 2013 Detroit Home awards. The designers chose a predominantly white theme mixed with subtle shades of grey and blue and the addition of natural linens for the interior of this lakeside home. The overall scheme is timeless and the pictures speak a thousand words of the cottage look that I adore. 

French Country Cottage Appeal, With a Modern Twist

A simple image, however it immediately captured me. The relaxed sofa with its deep squashy seats and natural creased linen juxtaposed against the rough sisal flooring. Not to mention, the blue and white (my favourite combination), and those crisp, green apples you feel you could pluck from the painting above. This space conjures up an afternoon of lounging on the sofa with a good book or a pile of House and Home magazines... relaxation without the massage.

A Nantucket Island Cottage

I have never been to Nantucket but I have often come across the distinct style of its homes which are often replicated in other parts of the USA. I first became familiar with Nantucket Island when I saw Jaws as some scenes were filmed in this area. Somehow the cute shingle cottages, don't seem to go hand in hand with a man eating Shark. Nantucket Island homes have a style that is determined by their architecture and also their interiors. The majority of these homes are holiday homes and have taken on a coastal interior theme, encompassing vast amounts of blue. However, when Frank Anton and his wife Georgine decided to buy a Nantucket cottage as their second home, they knew immediately they did not want their interior to follow the coastal theme.

A Colourful Cottage and a Restored, New England Inn

Today is a public holiday in New Zealand, Queens Birthday weekend and my lucky friends are still away at their beach houses, we have remained home as we are lucky enough to be able to walk to the beach so I guess you could say, our "beach house is our home"☺. We have made the most of the sunny weather Saturday and Sunday with lots of Poppy walks. However, today is cloudy, cold and drizzly and driven me into my woolly socks, lots of layers and warm office looking for inspiration, which I found in two pretty cottages.

Cottage Style - Creating Curb Appeal

Don't neglect the exterior of your home, make it as welcoming to your guests as your interior. Until now my exterior has sadly been neglected but it is currently undergoing a mini makeover. There is no better words to describe my homes exterior than, 'plain Jane', a square, ex-state house which is sadly lacking in exterior beauty. In fact, I am so embarrassed by it's lack of architectural design, I will not be showing the 'before' photo until I have the 'after' to wow you with. However, as I know that people love 'before and afters' I do promise to show both images when my challenge is complete next month.

If your not blessed with an elegant portico or charming cottage architecture, I believe you can still create this style with a little imagination. Standard Bay Laurels, box hedging (Buxus) iceberg roses and climbers can add a cottage feel to your home. Add a porch roof or portico and appropriate style entrance door and you should have that much loved cottage look. I realise that some of the images below are a little more grandiose than cottages, however they all have a 'traditional' feel which is what I am trying to portray. From the inspiration I have found, I created a mood board to help me achieve the look I desire.

Symmetry never fails to work

A grand entrance, traditional style...I do love the shutters

Symmetrical potted plants is the easiest way to lift an entranceway

 Roses and buxus for a cottage appeal

A portico is an easy way to add architectural interest

Since drafting this post my incredibly kind neighbours (who are re-structuring their own garden), have given me all their buxus hedging. I had little time to get the plants in so have had to make a really quick decision about where they should go. Already there is a huge difference in the look of my exterior and I cannot wait to complete my makeover.

Addendum: Since publishing this post I have progressed with my makeover, you can now see the 'before' and 'after' photos in progress, here.

Sharing this post with the following blogs;

I should be Mopping the Floor

The Dedicated House
A Stroll Thru Life

Alderberry Hill

DIY Showoff

Savvy Southern Style

Not Just A Housewife

No Minimalist Here

The Real Housewives of Riverton

Blue & White Interiors - Traditional to Contemporary

Blue and white is a timeless combination, and works well most interiors, I have a number of pieces of  blue and white china I collected while living in Asia and have grouped these together on top of my Korean cabinet (see below). A blue and white palette can be used to create a classic, country, cottage,or coastal look to an interior. Today I want to share some varying styles using this palette, from soft turquoise blues to the more traditional French Blue, I hope these inspire you to experiment a little with blue and white.

 A soft country look with linens and naive pottery.

Fellow blogger Kim from Savvy Southern Style's  delightful sun room. I love the blue and white plates displayed on her walls.

A corner of the sunroom where Kim she sits with her laptop and writes for her blog "Savvy Southern Style". Visit Kim's blog to see her home tour.

 The blue ceramic jars add impact to this uncluttered space with a  distinct Mediterranean look. 

 Stripes and soft blues work wonderfully against a background of white for a coastal look.

 Lots of interest in this room with a mix of shades of blue and earth tones.

I love the wall sconce's what a great way to show off  your most precious items.

I also wanted to share a few shots of my own blue and white collection...

 This lovely old Korean cabinet was purchased in Abu Dhabi of all places and made its way back to NZ in my shipment.

 Inexpensive blue and white can look effective when grouped together.

My favourite ginger jar, unfortunately not a genuine antique but a very good reproduction as it is hand painted and not transfers... I would love to know the story behind the figures painted on it.

If you enjoyed this post you can view a previous slide show of blue and white rooms "here"...

or lots more blue and white inspiration via my Pinterest Board


Sharing with:

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Ivy and Elephants

Transformation Thursday at Shabby Creek Cottage

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Time Travel Thursday at the Brambleberry Cottage

Show and tell Friday at My Romantic Home

At The Picket Fence

Image credits:

l. Pinterest, 2. Savvy Southern Style,3. Savvy Southern Style,4.Pinterest,5.Pinterest,6. Pinterest,7. Pinterest,8. Lee Caroline - A World of Inspiration,9. Lee Caroline - A World of Inspiration,10 Lee Caroline - A World of Inspiration

Lee

&

Poppy oxo