Innholdsfortegnelse for April - May 2020 i Cottages and Bungalows

Are you looking for a striking, beautiful art gift to give a special person in your life? Or perhaps get something truly exceptional for yourself? These lovely hand-embroidered necklaces and earrings by Philippines-based artist Ruby Thursday More are anything but ordinary. Her exquisite pieces are inspired by colors, moods or memories of life in the Philippines. EMBRACING EMBROIDERY Ruby, the artist behind these intricate jewelry pieces, has been making things since she was a girl. “My mother is a very creative and resourceful person, and I learned different arts and crafts by watching her do them,” says Ruby. “One of my fondest memories as a kid was sitting under her sewing machine as she sewed pouches made from indigenous fabrics, which she would then sell. She would let me snip…

On a fateful day back in 2013, former elementary teacher Courtney Affrunti sat down at her computer and registered a blog domain. “I was staying home with my three boys and wanted a creative outlet,” she says. GoldenBoysandMe.com (named for her two golden retrievers, Keeper and Dax) quickly grew into a top design destination on the Internet. Courtney is the writer, designer and photographer behind each entry, and her home, a split-level in River Vale, New Jersey, is her canvas. “What attracted us to this house were the location and the property that the home sits on, which is full of large and mature trees,” Courtney recalls. “But other than that, this was not my dream house by any means and it needed to be completely redone.” Over time, Courtney…

COASTAL STYLE IN OKLAHOMA Page 32 For more information about designer Valerie Helgeson of Design Directions, email her at Valerie@designdirections.com or visit designdirections.com. Walls: Light French Gray by Sherwin-Williams, SW0055, sherwin-williams.com. Paint on island, doors: Naval by Sherwin-Williams, SW 6244 Naval, sherwin-williams.com. Trim, cabinets: Extra White by Sherwin-Williams, SW 7006, sherwin-williams.com. Dutch door: Dockside Blue by Sherwin-Williams, SW7601, sherwin-williams.com. Farm sink: Whitehaus duet reversible under-mount double-bowl farm sink, build.com. Backsplash tile: Soci Manchester Pattern Arctic Blend by Soci, SSH-253, sociinc.com. Island pendants: Clear Seeded Glass Globe Pendant by Shades of Light, shadesoflight.com. Wall sconces above sink: Boston Functional Single Arm Library Light by Circa Lighting, circalighting.com. Runner: Loren collection runner from Loloirugs, loloirugs.com. Countertop stone: Leathered Milan gray slate. SEASON OF GROWTH Page 38 For more on Kate Marker Interiors,…

Color Outside the Lines Looking for the little push to bring some color into your life? Tour this gallery of bold and beautiful spaces that might just have you rethinking basic white walls. Tour a Vintage-Inspired Garden From creative reuse to heirloom varieties, this sunny Southern California garden is blooming with beautiful old things. Spring Gatherings A new season of entertaining is upon us! Check out this gallery of easy and inspiring spring tabletops to fuel your ideas for hosting friends and family. The Classic White Kitchen Will white kitchens ever go out of style? We bet not. Here’s how to design a white kitchen full of depth, dimension and flair that will stand the test of time. Easy Mudroom Makeovers You don’t need a lot of space to get…

CREDENZAS SOFAS CHAIRS ARMOIRES BEDS…

New builds can be notoriously “shiny,” but after living in an older residence, Chrissy Serrano, blogger at ChrissyMarieBlog.com, and her husband were eager for a home that didn’t need endless repairs. “We enjoyed the projects in that home, but the idea of a brand-new place was appealing,” Chrissy says. One of the biggest benefits was being able to work closely with builder Kevin Poythress during the design phase of the project. Chrissy was able to check off each item on her list of must-haves: coastal farmhouse appeal, a spacious playroom for the four kids and lots of windows. “We put windows everywhere we could,” she says. And, wanting the home to have personalized details and none of that new-build bareness, she added in extensive trim work, built-ins and light fixtures…

If your job has lost its appeal, usurped the more meaningful facets of your life or isn’t at all your dream workplace, do you stick it out or instead embark on an exciting adventure? For Erin Cayless, Bonnie Hindmarsh and Lana Taylor, doing Plan B meant abandoning their corporate jobs and banding together to forge a new life journey: a home renovation business. The women wanted to share hard-learned lessons and their favorite design tips to help readers discover the renovation prospects right under their noses. In their book Three Birds Renovations, the three best friends delve into the design expertise they have picked up, from their inaugural “rookie reno” to more recent massive transformations. “Life’s too short to live in a home you don’t love, or at least like,”…

When your cottage has as much gorgeous natural light as Lisa Anne Rocco’s does, creating the perfect room is all about capturing that lounge-in-the-sun vibe. For the design of her lakeside cottage in Charlotte, North Carolina, Lisa Anne aimed to create a coastal vibe that is both casual and elegant. Here are the elements that make this room work. RELAXING COLORS Lots of neutrals paired with ocean blue give this room its serene feel. Yellow accents bring in seasonal flair and also make for a cheery sunroom. “My main design idea was to create a base of neutral pieces, add texture with baskets and plants, and then add pops of color with smaller pieces like pillows,” she says. For Lisa Anne, it was important that these color pops be small…

When it comes to renovating, sometimes saving the old house is more expensive than starting from scratch. For architect Timothy Clites and his team at Clites Architects, PC, that was the case with this home in Purcellville, Virginia. The original house was built in the 1990s, and the family bought it with the intention of renovating. “After a review of the home and the requested changes, it was determined to be more cost effective to build a new home on the existing foundation,” the team says. With the option to redesign the whole home, the team decided to look at the surrounding area for architectural inspiration. “We designed a bungalow-style house with period-inspired details that would make the home true to its era,”Tim and his team say. With details such…

Living in the country has been a lifelong dream for Julie Thomas, who authors the home-décor and lifestyle blog Little Farmstead. Her first glimpse into country living came when she planted her first vegetable garden. “When I was about nine years old, I remember asking my mother if I could plant some vegetables. In her wisdom, she recommended I start with zucchini. Seeing those fast-growing green squashes take off and spread helped my confidence grow along with them. The experience opened my eyes to the wonder of seeds and the small victory of harvesting one’s own food,” says Julie. She recalls childhood memories where the love of books and animals were her daily pleasures. “Perhaps it was always in my heart: a desire for country living, with nature and…

FURNITURE FEEL. The client wanted the china hutch to look like a piece of furniture, but it needed to behave like kitchen cabinets. Clear glass-fronted cabinets allowed Susan to display some favorite pieces given to her by a dear friend. The inside of the uppers has LED lighting, and there is also LED lighting underneath the uppers. The base cabinets have drawers behind the doors and a tall center drawer is used to store tall liquor bottles. The runner in front of the sink looks vintage but is actually a new rug Valerie sourced. You may be surprised to learn that the coastal-style kitchen on these pages was not designed for a cottage by the sea but rather for one much further inland—in the middle of the Oklahoma plains. Homeowner…

When their kids started moving out, Jo Galbraith and her husband decided it was time to downsize. They had a beautiful Victorian home in Fredericton, New Brunswick, but they wanted something different to fit their stage of life. So a few years ago they decided to build. “I basically designed the house; then we had working drawings made up by an architect,” says Jo, “it worked out really well considering that I did not know what I was doing.” Jo, who previously had a career as a social worker, doesn’t have a background in design. Painting furniture and rooms in her house had been a hobby that helped her cope with the stress of work. “I was dealing with problems that could never be solved,” she says, “but I could…

Tucked between the Pacific Ocean and Newport Bay on the Balboa Peninsula  is this fresh and contemporary southern California beach cottage. Home to an ocean enthusiast and avid yacht club member, the house is a three-bedroom, two-bath, 1950s beach bungalow with iconic clerestory windows to let in the warm California sun. Mindy Gayer of Mindy Gayer Design Co., who designed the space, describes it as “an elevated beach cottage with masculine tones, natural textures and an all-around cozy, kick-your-feet-up feel.” MODERN TEXTURES The home’s previous design was Palm Springs-inspired Midcentury Modern, so to fit the new homeowner’s aesthetic, Mindy did a complete overhaul of both the interior and exterior décor. “We started with lots of white millwork, ceilings and cabinetry, and juxtaposed our crisp and clean palette with tailored linen,…