Innholdsfortegnelse for Country Cottage 2023 i The Cottage Journal

The rolling pin is one of the oldest kitchen tools around. Historians say it is depicted in drawings by the Etruscans—long before it was mass-produced in the early 19th century. Today, collections of pins are popular wall art for kitchens. In the photo above, rolling pins are attached to beaded board and framed to hang. The oldest rolling pins, like those in the collection displayed at right, are hand-carved from one piece of wood. All the handles vary in shape depending on the designer and the use of the rolling pin. This collector and her husband enjoy finding pins while traveling. Once home, the rolling pins are displayed in the kitchen but are still accessible and “ready to roll.” “No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”—JULIA…

“Horses can teach you a lot once you learn how to listen to them,” Wayne Parden says. Such is the case with the Belgian draft horses Wayne and his wife, Jenny, raise on their farm. Using their horses as his initial inspiration, Wayne set out to channel his creative lessons through ironworks. After working with a farrier, he developed an interest in using horseshoes in a new way. Wayne also gets a lot of satisfaction from working with reclaimed metal and small pieces of iron, forging them into beautiful pieces of sculptured artwork often inspired by horses and rustic living. Some pieces take several months, while others take days to craft from a combination of everything from found iron and metal tubing to purchased pieces for framing purposes. He twists…

These days, cutting boards come in all shapes and sizes and are often displayed on kitchen countertops and walls. Although maple has long been the wood of choice for the boards, bamboo has also become a popular option. Collectors often focus on a single shape or animal, and pigs seem to be at the top of many enthusiasts’ lists. This particular theme’s popularity may be explained by the Chinese and European belief that the pig was a symbol of wealth that had the power to bring good luck. Homeowner Margaret Ritchie has fond childhood memories of her Aunt Marmee’s pig cutting board that sat behind the kitchen faucet. Years later, at an antiques show, Margaret came across a man selling a number of similar boards. “I bought them all for…

Originally the home of his great-great-grandfather, Chase Applewhite’s New Orleans cottage has a storied past—literally. More than two decades ago, the house was purchased to be made into an addition by its next-door neighbor, the Maple Street Bookshop. So, when the house came back into the hands of the Applewhite family, there was a great deal of renovation to be done. “After they closed the bookstore and we bought [the house], I totally gutted it,” says designer Julie Ponze, who also happens to be Chase’s mother. “We took off 10 layers of siding, Sheetrock, and bookshelves.” And underneath all those layers, they found a piece of history: barge board, the lumber from flatboats that carried cargo into the Port of New Orleans more than a century ago. They left the…

Homeowner Jackie Wise is quick to admit that she and her husband, Jimmy, didn’t really know what they were getting into when they purchased their 1950s fixer-upper in Jimmy’s hometown of Springville, Alabama. “After we bought the house, we gave my sister-in-law and brother-in-law a tour, and after we finished, they were both very quiet,” she recalls. “All my sister-in-law said was, ‘Well, I’m glad it’s you guys and not us.’” After 11 months of renovations, the Wises moved into their rustic new home. The couple did much of the work themselves, including demolition and the completion of the exterior addition of the primary suite. “We’re handy people,” Jackie says, “but this project definitely took us to a level that we’ve never really been to. We’re not contractors by any…

Initially a builder by trade, artisan Ben Smith took up welding as a hobby. Teaching himself to harness the flame of a torch and tapping into the woodworking skills learned in over a decade of building homes, Ben quickly discovered a passion for creating something new and unique from basic materials like iron, steel, and reclaimed wood. He started out playing around with his own designs while also making specialty pieces for the high-end homes he was working on at the time—recreating a vintage door hinge here, reproducing an era-appropriate light fixture there. Ben and his wife, Ginny, co-owner of Maison de France Antiques, soon realized his tinkering was far more than a hobby. “He came in one day and showed me a chandelier he had made,” Ginny recalls. “It…

For centuries, horses have provided civilizations with transportation, vitality, and companionship. And individuals who share a bond with horses often find ways to showcase their affection through various equine collections. For Linda Holman, who has been gathering an array of equestrian art and keepsakes for more than four decades, collecting equestrian memorabilia is more than just a hobby—it’s a way of life. “This type of collection does not just consist of photographs of you and your family with your own horses,” says Linda, who grew up riding and now works at a tack shop. “It goes further than that. It’s a passion. It’s a broader appreciation of equestrian art.” Linda started her equestrian art collection in 1978 when her mother gave her an antique horse brass, a small plaque that…

When Lizabeth McGraw found her cottage in Inglewood, California, it was at a point in the home’s history when not many would have seen its potential. “It was in really rough shape,” Lizzie says. Built in the 1920s, the cottage was owned by its original tenant until 1996 and was in need of extensive electrical and plumbing updates. Walls were missing after an abandoned renovation, the home had no heating system, and windows needed to be replaced. “It was as bare-bones as the house could possibly be,” she says. Confident she could restore the home’s beauty, Lizzie enlisted the help of architect William J. McGraw—who also happened to be her father. “He was creative and fun and definitely made the whole vision come together,” she says. By removing the hallway…

Seven years before Layla and Kevin Palmer moved into their cozy lakeside cottage in the country, Kevin drove through the neighborhood and instantly fell in love with the style and architecture. When he returned home, he said to Layla, “You’ve got to see this place.” With the neighborhood’s idyllic movie set charms, nestled between cotton fields and a gorgeous lakefront, the Palmers knew they had found their dream home. Unfortunately, at that time, their dream was out of reach. Years passed, but they never stopped dreaming. When the economy crashed and the housing market dipped, they found their dream home in foreclosure. It was a sign. In fact, the home sat vacant the whole seven years—as if it were waiting just for Layla and Kevin. “For us, it seemed like…

The raindrops tapping against huge banana leaves, the wind rustling through massive live oaks, the garden fountain bubbling amid the chatter of feeding birds, the nearby church bells pealing, the recognizable steel wheels from the historic New Orleans, Louisiana, streetcar slowly rolling by just two blocks away … These are the soothing local sounds enjoyed from Emily Wright’s front porch. An ambitious interior designer and proprietor of her own design firm, Emily purchased her early 20th-century cottage bungalow—along with its beloved porch—several years ago despite many levels of deferred maintenance and neglect. “An apartment had been created by closing off the guest room area and adding a kitchen on the front porch,” she says, laughing—and cringing—at the very thought of this decidedly unrefined renovation. “The new vision for this entire…

Collecting Cutting Boards Pages 11–14—Kitchen built by Bill Ingram, Bill Ingram Architect. Ode to the Equine Pages 15–22—Interior designs by Mary Ruth Caldwell, Caldwell Flake Interiors. Country Style Ideas Pages 25–30—Interior designs by Julie Dodson, Dodson Interiors. A Storied Past Pages 31–34—Interior designs by Julie Ponze. Page 31—Oyster painting by Tony Mose, ESOM ART. Page 33—Pendant lights from Jonathan Adler. California Dream Pages 35–46—Interior designs by Lizabeth McGraw, Tumbleweed & Dandelion. Pages 41–42—White sofas and chairs from Tumbleweed & Dandelion. Page 44—Bedroom linens from Euro-Linens. Blue pillow from Peter Dunham & Associates. Striped pillow from Dash & Albert. Round Top Restoration Pages 47–58—Antiques from Old World Antieks. A Project in Patience Page 59—Porch furniture from The Home Depot. Pages 63–64—Kitchen barstools from Kirkland’s. Kitchen cabinets from Lowe’s. Pendant lights from…