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Cottage Elements
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Posted by memo Zone 4B Nebraska (My Page) on Thu, Oct 8, 09 at 3:27
| As cottage gardeners we can all easily produce lists upon lists of the plants and elements that we feel make a cottage garden cottage-y, we've seen many of them over the years on the disscussions side of the board. Today I made an offer on a a little vacation type cottage (3 bed, 1 bath, eat in kitchen 2 car attached, .28 acre) that sits at the top of a deep canyon with a creek running through the bottom of the canyon. While I can't see the canyon from the windows or yard exactly, I can see the wooded sides of the canyon and a short walk will take me to an antique railroad tressel where I can safely walk out onto it and look down down down (now a tourist attraction). I'm very excited of course as any potential new homeowner would be.
I've been thinking all day about how I will decorate this little cottage if it is meant to be mine. I already have the garden plans down in my mind. Ha!
What five things do you think a Cottage must have to make it Cottage-y?
MeMo |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Cottage Elements
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| How exciting, MeMo!! I'd be the last one to know what should go in a cottage, so I certainly couldn't come up with five. But I think a "sampler" would be a nice touch (at least I think that's what they're called . . . like "Bless this Cottage" etc.) Good luck with your offer!
Patti |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| Memo, when I think Cottage, a wood burning fireplace or a free standing, like an Acorn type is the first thing that comes to mind. Then a wonderful porch to sit out on. Not knowing if this cottage is surrounded by other houses or if it's out of the way on it's own it's hard to come up with other suggestions. If it's isolated a generator would be a good thing. Annette |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| Some standing cupboards for storage. A breakfast nook with a some painted furniture and a pretty dinnerware set of an old fashioned design. Definitely a fireplace or stove as Annette suggested. Plump, comfy arm chairs and sofa. Lots of books. |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| mm..only five.....that is the tuff part... 1. softy inviting throws..
2. table lighting rather than ceiling..for softer warmer effect..
3. footstools
4.worn furniture..not antiques but well loved..
5. a dog or cat napping on a comfy sofa
6. Outdoor stuff inside..
7. Things repurposed..
8 Baskets or bins
9. Welcoming entry especially
10...no rules decorating........... Congrats on this pending purchase..I hope it works out for you...will you share with us if it works out as you progress and change...you know how we looove pictures :) |
RE: I got it!
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- Posted by memo Zone 4B Nebraska (My Page) on
Fri, Oct 9, 09 at 1:58
| I can envision everyone of these things in this little house y'all. Especially a couple cats curled up on the chairs ;) Annette, this house in on the outskirts of little bitty town in the Niobrara River Valley. There are three other houses near mine. One is vacant, and one of my cousins lives in one of them. Those houses face Main Street and this little house is the only one on it's street as the street ends at the end of my yard and terminates into a horse pasture. Even still there is virtually no traffic and once I get a few trees planted, no one will really know there is even a house there, really. It will be just slightly more noisy than the ranch I imagine. There is a sort of make shift porch on the south side of the house. Sliders exit the dining room onto it. It's basically a slab of cement with wooden rails and 2x4 posts with a corrugated covering over the top. Something to dream about and plan for in the future. I think some tasteful additons of trellis work could make a big difference in the mean time. Oh and some paint. You'll note that I am saying my house, my yard, my my my....The owner did accept my offer this afternoon with no counter. We close on the 16th of Nov. Eeeeekkk! MeMo |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| Congrats, MeMo. It sounds like you will be having a lot of fun with it. You deserve to. ThinMan |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| Your own cottage, congratulations. I'm pouting. |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| Yea!!!! Keep us updated on how things go, so happy for you. Annette |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| How wonderful!! I would say an airtight wood-stove, with an Eco-fan on top, and two comfy wingbacks with a footstool, looking into the stove!!! My favourite place on cold evenings. Also, hand-made rugs - woven or hooked!! Will this be a permanent residence, or a summer home?? Either way, a wooden trestle bridge??? We had one in my home-town, but is was sadly dismantled, cause people kept jumping off of it.:-( Nancy. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Ecofan - I have an 802
RE: Cottage Elements
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- Posted by memo Zone 4B Nebraska (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 10, 09 at 0:01
| Jumpers?!! How dreadful. It is a wooden trestle bridge and no one has jumped that I know of. I'm providing a link of the area for you all to see part of the unknown beauty of Nebraska. If you want to see the beauty of a state, you must GET OFF THE INTERSTATE! Please go to the photo link beyond the front page as well...
http://www.nps.gov/niob/index.htm
Nancy, This will be a project house for now. I just love to decorate and the Rancher hates change so I decided to buy a little house that I can decorate to my hearts content. I also want to expand my quilting and sewing and perhaps become a business (custom western shirts anyone?). I'm thinking of buying a long arm quilting machine but may just start taking in hand quilting, will see how my body handles it when I get the new hand quilting frame that I ordered to speed up the process. I love the idea of a fireplace as a couple of you have mentioned. I hand quilt all of my quilts so a lot of hand work and curling up with a quilt in front of fire is a very welcoming thought. The house has an attached two car garage (and a one car detached) that I would like to convert to a sewing studio and I think if would be very feasible to add a fireplace there when the doors are removed and the walls are added in their place. It would have to be a gas log though. Would that count? MeMo |
RE: Cottage Elements
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We have a 1922 craftsman bungalow. Large porch with swing in the front. Over size fireplace in the living room that really warms 3/4 of the cottage when the power goes out. And, a chimney for a wood burning cooking stove in the kitchen. The kitchen and dining room are over sized compared to the rest of the house, as that is where people gathered Before TV and the internet.:)
We live very old style. Maybe 1940's. I love comfort and being able plop on the sofa. Very casual. I love the feeling of 'aged' and 'sleepy'. |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| "the feeling of aged and sleepy" - perfect. I have to remember that when describing some of my decorating. |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| Schoolhouse, et all, Go to 'Charleston House' site on the web. It is in Sussex in the UK. That has always been my inspiration. |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| MeMo, the pictures on the link you sent are magnificent. What a wonderful and unspoiled place. Now, we'll be waiting for pics of the cottage! |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| Congratulations! It sounds so nice! I guess "cottage" depends upon the region. To me it is: White-painted beadboard on some walls and ceilings.
Dark wood floors
Divide light (panes) windows
fireplace
pedestal sinks in the bathrooms
Front porch with rocking chairs or swing
screened porch
indoors connecting to outdoors I know some folks think our house is too big to be a cottage, but we think of it as a cottage. We used elements that we think make it live like a cottage. We were inspired by English cottages, but since we live in the south of the US, had to adapt to make it fit the climate here. |
RE: Cottage Elements
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- Posted by memo Zone 4B Nebraska (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 13, 09 at 11:21
Oh you all can imagine a cottage so inviting that I want to come right in, curl up with a quilt and read all day long! Cameron, I've always said that Cottage isn't about the size of your home or the style it's built in but rather, it's all about what's in your heart. So boo hiss to the nay sayers.
Here are some of the things that say cottage to me.
Book shelves stuffed with books you love and things that make your heart sing.
Quilts, quilts and more quilts soft colors, old patterns, made with love, regardless of technique.
Old furniture covered in new textiles.
Art d'object of nature
Blue and white dishes
Braided rugs
Painted benches
Cushions and pillows
Old metal beds with plump feather pillows
Wooden chests and dressers with big swinging mirrors
Table lamps and floor lamps
A little glass full of rooting house plants in the kitchen window.
Big Ball jar canisters on the counter
Cutting boards
Crockery
Cast iron
Lacy curtains blowing in the breeze
A clothesline full of clothes on a warm summer morning MeMo |
RE: Cottage Elements
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What says cottage to me is a screen door catch! We have a screen porch, and the first thing I did was put one of these on the outside of the door.
When I was growing up, all the cottages had these and they make a specific "ca ching" noise when you close the door...that sound is barefeet and sunshine to me. |
RE: Cottage Elements
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| Memo you said it all :o). Annette |
RE: Cottage Elements
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- Posted by memo Zone 4B Nebraska (My Page) on
Thu, Oct 15, 09 at 18:59
| GGG, I'm not familiar with a door catch. Can you share a pic with us? We didn't have anything like that but we had a heavy spring on our doors. I can remember both my mom and my granny hollering, everytime they heard the spring extend, "don't slam the door". LOL! MeMo |
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