The Cottage Journal features decorating ideas, style tips, creative inspiration, and delicious recipes - and now you can enjoy every single page on the tablet! Create a warmer, more magical home with the beauty of nature and The Cottage Journal!
During the holidays, home is the place we retreat to for comfort and joy and spending time with loved ones. Our memories from past Christmases inspire our expectations for the present; we may read the same books to our children and grandchildren, or we might bake a favorite cake to recapture those magical holiday moments. This issue is all about capturing those moments and inspiring new ones. Visit several charming Christmas cottages that exude warmth and welcome. If you’re a collector of traditional holiday trinkets or you’d rather indulge in current decorating trends, you’ll find homes that will inspire and motivate you. Fresh and bright describe the looks homeowners achieve as they blend holiday decorations with their current décor. Christmas wouldn’t be the same if there weren’t sweet and savory…
Blankets, throw, pinecone pillow, pottery pitcher, and bowls from Woolrich Home, woolrichhome.com or 877-512-7305. Plaid wool pillows and mounted antlers from French Laundry Home, frenchlaundryhome.com or 336- 883-2680. Oval mesquite bowl and mesh ornaments from Campo de’ Fiori, campodefiori.com or 413- 528-1857. Silver feather trees from Dekorasyon, dekorasyongifts.com or 206-347-2052. Red table linen from Le Jacquard Français, lejacquardfrancais.com .…
Style Idea Give a slender purchased garland more visual weight by wiring in magnolia branches or other broadleaf evergreens. Simple or Fancy? Whether you prefer formal, casual, or something in between, use the same palette of materials from lamppost to front door for a unified look. Apple-studded designs say Colonial Williamsburg, while feathers and antlers have a woodsy, rustic feel. Ribbon, whether sheer or brocade, makes an eloquent style statement. Even garden statuary is fair game, just waiting for a Santa hat and bow. Style Idea Let the beautiful welcome you create outdoors continue inside by picking up some of the same colors and elements for indoor decorations.…
Christmas brings about many wonderful moments spent with family and friends, but one of the most special is the traditional trimming of the tree. Every family seems to have an old box of ornaments from childhood, which they add to yearly. This may not be a conscious attempt at collecting, but the results are the same—a varied collection of treasured memories from many places and times. Christmas ornaments got their start as a cottage industry in small villages throughout Germany. Originally, edible treats and small gifts were placed on the tree, but by the mid- 1800s, German glassmakers were replacing these treats with blown glass balls. Other popular mediums for these artisans were metal, tinsel, spun glass, paper, wax, and cotton, but glass ornaments have been the most enduring. Vintage…
dramatic touches Small items such as this jolly throw pillow and Santa snow globe are added as simple reminders of the season. Bold reds and sophisticated golds set among fresh greenery merge well with the existing décor. Warm, earthy tones are carried throughout the rooms by splendid woods and fabrics. Large copper-hued metal ornament silhouettes give the family room a jovial touch. The dining room is open and bright with red poinsettias that welcome family and friends for Christmas celebrations. The beautiful leaded glass and mahogany double doors are inviting, and the large windows usher in the sun’s beams, making this space full of cheer. The family room sings with holiday joy. A coconut wreath gets a festive update with the addition of greenery clippings, holly berries, and a colorful…
On any given day, Tim and Cindy Bembry’s Tudor-inspired home is a vision of well-appointed rooms and imposing features. But once Christmas Day nears, it truly becomes a sight to behold. Aided by interior decorator Sharon Hixon, Cindy leaves no mantel unadorned and no space untouched by some sort of seasonal reminder. Cindy weaves in sprigs of holly and snips of greenery as embellishments among her collection of antiques and cherished possessions. “Every year, we also decorate three trees throughout the house,” she adds, “and each one has its own theme and look.” Style Idea Let a room’s colors and contents dictate how you decorate it. Because the formal dining room is replete in blues, greens, and coppers, decorator Sharon Hixon picked ornaments of a similar palette. For the family…
