Innholdsfortegnelse for French Cottage 2020 i The Cottage Journal

Sheila Irwin has always loved French style. In fact, she even gave her blog a French name—Maison de Cinq—for the home her family of five shares. During the two decades she’s lived in her home, accessories and furnishings have come and gone, along with changing color schemes, but Sheila’s passion for French design remains the same. From the first step inside, Sheila’s home exudes all the elegance of a Parisian abode combined with the casual comfort of a countryside residence. A neutral color palette accented with gold allows Sheila to play with texture and pattern throughout her space, though it wasn’t always this way. “I used to be much more into color, believe it or not,” she admits. “My home was originally more of a classic French country style, with…

Subtle simplicity and the rich beauty of France draw you in while the recipes and history of each province invite you to stay in La Vie est Belle: The Elegant Art of Living in the French Style. Having grown up with a penchant for French culture that only grew stronger with age, author Henrietta Heald brings to light the French way of life with its reverence for the past and the desire to preserve those qualities for future generations. With more than 200 pages of interiors, ageless beauty and tradition, and fine food and wine, this coffee-table book will transport you to the various regions that separate each of its five chapters, where you’ll discover essays on the traditions and characteristics that make these areas unique, as well as the…

Denise and Frank Slupe had a simple goal when they started renovating their home: to turn a house full of closed and isolated spaces into an open, welcoming home designed to bring people together. “The goal was to make it more open and functional for our family of six and for entertaining,” says Denise, noting that they reworked most of the existing floor plan on the main level. As a result, the living area opens onto the kitchen and dining room in a way that encourages quality time from meal prep to dessert. The Slupes replaced mismatched flooring with hardwood throughout to create visual continuity, and a color palette of creamy neutrals formed the basis for a design Denise describes as “simple, clean, and warm.” With the help of friend…

When Amy and Mat Mings decided to get married in France, they didn’t know they would be bringing home a brand-new passion. But the couple’s first experience in Provence left them both with a love for the region they knew they would take with them into their future. “Initially, being married there sparked the love,” Amy says. “And then when we were there, it was absolutely magical and beautiful and all the things that the internet and artists and authors say about France.” So, when the couple bought their first home after renting and traveling for Mat’s job, decorating it with French style was the obvious choice. “It’s elegant and effortless at the same time,” Amy says, “and I tried to bring that into our home.” To do that, she…

Melissa and Tyler Smith moved into their 1980s home in 2016 and spent the next three years giving it a French country facelift. From improving the exterior landscaping and adding shutters to refinishing the floors, removing a few walls, and overhauling the kitchen, the couple had their hands full. Luckily, the Smiths were up for the design challenge, especially considering Melissa has been styling and decorating since childhood. In fact, she turned that childhood passion into an interior design degree. Since then, she has worked extensively in visual merchandising and is now a magazine stylist. “I love that you can treat your home with that same frame of mind—mix it up and change it to your liking—and for me, that can change day to day,” she says. “I may use…

There was always something about French style that Laurie Furber loved. The ever-present patina, detailed oil paintings, rustic natural wood—there was a place in her heart for it all. So, when she and her husband, JP, noticed a hole in the retail market for vintage, sustainable home goods, Laurie took a chance on her dream and opened Elsie Green in Northern California. The shop’s name is a play on words—Elsie coming from Laurie’s childhood nickname and Green as a nod to the shop’s sustainable philosophy. Shopping vintage, the couple says, isn’t just a way of bringing beautiful character to your home; it’s also better for the environment. Though the team sources antiques and vintage pieces from a few different locations, including Morocco and Belgium, 95 percent of their merchandise comprises…

When Elizabeth and Christopher Frost decided to renovate their kitchen a few years ago, they didn’t have a specific style in mind. “We wanted something lighter than what we’d had,” Elizabeth recalls. One thing was certain, though: it would be centered on their family. The couple purchased the home in 2008, but it wasn’t until years later that the idea to renovate popped into their heads. “It all started with some old cypress wood on [Elizabeth’s] parents’ farm,” Christopher says about their kitchen redo. During a hurricane, Elizabeth’s parents lost a few trees on their beloved family farm where she grew up. Instead of tossing the downed trees, though, her father decided to have them milled into wood planks. “Every time we visited, he told us we could have them,…

Venture into the Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, and you may happen upon a treasure trove of French antiques. In addition to 14,000 square feet of gilded mirrors, painted tables, and patinaed furniture spanning the 17th through 20th centuries, Laurent “Lolo” Gouon and his fiancée, Mimi Montgomery, are offering a fresh perspective on the industry. “I just wanted people to not think of antiques as dusty old furniture that their grandmama had,” says Mimi, who first met Laurent at an antiques show in Atlanta, Georgia, seven years ago. The business, which Laurent started after coming to the United States from France, underwent a number of moves, the latest of which allowed for a significant expansion. With the exception of a few items from Spain, Italy, and England, the pieces in…