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WANT MORE COTTAGE STYLE? Sign up for our FREE newsletter today at thecottagejournal.com. PEACE IN PARING DOWN Once the holidays have come and gone, I find myself feeling like our house is completely bare as the special Christmas baubles, garlands, and greenery are packed away for the year. After a season where our home is full of family and layered with treasured collections, I dread the blank-canvas feeling that happens both inside and out—with a dormant landscape and minimal décor. However, things can quickly turn a corner once you replace those holiday vignettes with the cozy wares of winter and welcome a new season full of cottage charm. One of my favorite things to enjoy in my home during chilly winter months has always been a vintage wingback chair that…
From entertaining friends and family for holiday and birthday gatherings to simply honoring the turn of the season and bloom of beloved flowers, James Farmer’s elegant and inviting inspiration makes for unforgettable parties. In his ninth book, Celebrating Home: A Time for Every Season, James invites readers into his two cottages for a look at year-round festivities and provides a well-written guide for any new host. Between Joe Pye Cottage in North Carolina and Farmdale Cottage in his hometown in Georgia, James has plenty of space to hold memorable and indulgent events. In the book’s 272 pages, James walks through each season and its coordinating celebrations. With the arrival of dahlias in autumn and camellias in late winter, his toasts are surrounded by the florals worth praising. Table settings highlight…
Once an integral part of everyday life for 19th-century families gathering around the table for their meals, these antique breadboards, with their intricate carvings, capture the fascination of today’s collectors—especially Sue Hamilton. “I like all antique and vintage things, but I particularly like [breadboards] because of the worn wood and satiny finish on them,” says Sue. “And I really love the gorgeous carved detail.” Since purchasing her first antique breadboard from a local flea market in the ’90s, Sue has thoughtfully expanded her collection over three decades to include around 50 breadboards. While the boards come primarily from England, collectors can sometimes find rare pieces from other European countries such as Germany or the Netherlands. With a large British influence in her hometown on Canada’s West Coast, Sue’s collection focuses…
When a semiretired couple decided to downsize from a 2,745-square-foot row house to a 1,450-square-foot single-level home in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, they decided they needed some professional help. Interior designer Anne Marie Hauer of Choux Designs was up for the challenge. “I often share with clients that one of my favorite things to do is shop their homes,” Anne Marie shares. “Whether I am designing a single room or a whole house, I love to wander from room to room in search of interesting pieces that can be better served elsewhere.” With this project, Anne Marie hit the jackpot, as the homeowners have some truly beautiful antique furnishings, including a gateleg dining table, Chippendale-style chairs, and a four-poster bed, not to mention a wide array of heirlooms, collections, and…
In need of a change after her husband passed away, Lucia Hillenmeyer found an ideal community in The Grove, a neighborhood just outside of Franklin, Tennessee, where she could live comfortably with her two Aussies, foster her avid golf hobby, and build the farmhouse filled with antique treasures that she’d always dreamed of—with the help of her go-to designer Connie Vernich of Nashville-based Vernich Interiors. “We have worked together over the last 20 years on three different homes,” Connie says. “This new build is a classic Colonial-farmhouse style. We seldom see a [true] farmhouse style anymore. Everyone wants the modern-style farm home, but this home exudes charm and character from a bygone era. Over the years, Lucia has collected some very beautiful antiques and has a few pieces that her…
Kassie and Kevin McElhaney built their forever farmhouse in the same county where they both grew up. “I was born and raised within 10 miles of where the farm is,” says Kassie of the 250-acre farm that overlooks Breton Bay in Maryland. Since they both considered the area home, it was an easy choice to settle in with their two sons—and family’s not far away, as Kassie’s parents also live on another part of the property, and Kevin’s have plans to join them in the future. “I grew up showing horses competitively … so I’ve lived on a farm and had animals my entire life,” Kassie says—and she and Kevin, who co-own Shady Lane Construction, agreed that they want their two young sons to have the same experience. They situated…
