Innholdsfortegnelse for Southern Cottage 2024 i The Cottage Journal

SENTIMENTAL VALUE Greetings, friends! Welcome to this special issue of The Cottage Journal where we’ve curated a collection of beautiful Southern homes layered with stylish cottage charm. Hospitality is one of the quintessential elements of Southern culture, and in the pages to come, we’ve been graciously invited to peruse stunning home interiors, gardens, and heirloom collections from our featured designers and homeowners—spanning from Texas to South Carolina. Growing up in Alabama, I watched my mom take great pride in frequently opening our home and garden to family and friends. Casual chats on the sofa felt special thanks to a gorgeous tray of homemade goodies, family dinners called for a themed tablescape, fresh flowers and produce from her backyard garden always found their way to the table, and an ice-cold pitcher…

Seated in the Green Hills area of Nashville, Tennessee, this Southern charmer received a fresh zest for life—packed with color, comfort, and loads of sentimental heirloom pieces—thanks to interior designer Anna Lattimore. “When we started this [design refresh], their youngest was about to graduate high school, so they really wanted to invest in the house and make it exactly what they wanted,” Anna says of the homeowners. “We’ve been calling it the ‘empty nest prescription.’” One of the key elements in Anna’s design process is to incorporate a blend of old and new pieces, so when she meets with clients, she likes to take inventory of any special heirlooms or antiques to integrate into the updated floor plan. “We may end up moving them around, which is what we did…

Updating a historic home to accommodate a modern family while honoring the property’s past is never a simple task—but it’s one that architect Rick Blanchard and designer Perry Walter were well-equipped to handle. “[The homeowners] wanted a subtle, peaceful palette throughout the entire home with some subtle colors splashed in here and there,” says Perry, who worked with the Schneider family to update their style from traditional to a blend of classic and contemporary. Homeowner Natalie Schneider says, “It was important for this home to have those two concepts married, but I really wanted a very clean look.” Calming whites and neutral fabrics accomplished that goal, highlighting details like the arched doorways that were carried from the original home into the addition. The decidedly unhistorical open-concept floor plan shows off…

For many gardeners, a yard covered in trees might be cause for trepidation—but not for Lanis Littlefield. Instead of cutting down all the trees in her full-shade yard and starting fresh, she simply made do and created a shade garden oasis. “Since there was so much shade, there was very little grass and no plants other than the original shrubs that were planted in 1926 when the house was built,” she recalls. “It was basically a blank canvas. I knew it would be a challenge, but I knew if I wanted a garden, it would have to be a shade garden.” So, with a shovel and trowel in hand and no specific plan in mind, Lanis got started, tackling one area at a time. “When I started seeing the garden…

Hannah McClain likely didn’t realize when she came across vintage Pyrex at a yard sale in 2016 that a new passion had been sparked. “One of the sets was still in the box,” she recalls. “The seal hadn’t even been broken yet.” The encounter planted a seed that, over the last few years, has blossomed into an impressive collection spanning decades of patterns, shades, and shapes. It’s a sight that’s common in many homes across the country, as vintage enthusiasts find themselves drawn to the iconic and colorful pieces that remain functional decades after their creation. Surprisingly, though, the Pyrex line began not in a kitchen but in a lab. In 1908, Corning Glass Works developed a glass dubbed Nonex, which was formulated to withstand changes in temperature for use…

According to Katie Davis of Katie Davis Design, her clients’ ranch-style home in Texas just needed “a little bit of love to make it more ‘them.’” With a floor plan that left sight lines wide open, paint colors and floor finishes were at the top of the priority list. “We were brought in to really make sure that all those decisions flowed together,” says Katie. Because the clients’ previous home had featured mainly muted, neutral furnishings, they gave Katie and her team free rein to introduce more personality—a task Katie was happy to embrace. “I think they were drawn to us because of our use of pattern,” she says. “They were ready to add [more] pattern and color into their space.” The design team did so without going overboard, weaving…

Classic charm defines the historic homes that populate downtown Charleston, South Carolina, and this Charleston single house built in 1880 has never been an exception. But when Lynne and John Rathgeber purchased it as a secondary home, the fully furnished interiors were at odds with the spirit of the iconic architectural style—and the style preferred by the new homeowners. “It did not fit their aesthetic at all,” says designer J.P. Horton, who worked with Beau Clowney Architects and Morris Construction to refresh the home’s atmosphere and highlight its inherent beauty while meeting the family’s practical needs. Seascape shades and nature-inspired motifs complement original hardwood floors and detailed molding, carrying the beauty of the garden inside. “Since the garden’s right [outside] and such a big part of the house, that was…

Idyllic Afternoon Pages 15–18—Tablecloth and tea cloth from April Cornell. Dinner plates, salad plates, dessert plates, teapot, sugar bowl, creamer, and mug from Replacements, Ltd. Water and wineglasses from Williams Sonoma. Napkins from Mrs. Alice. Napkin ring from Klatso. Cake plate from Pottery Barn. Old Meets Bold Pages 19–28—Interior designs by Jessica Davis, JL Design. Page 20—Wallpaper from Anthropologie. Pages 22–23—Lacquer sideboard, lamp, and pillows from Chairish. Chair fabric by Duralee. Pages 24–26—Accent chair fabric by Lilly Pulitzer. Pages 27–28—Pendant light from Rejuvenation. Page 28—Sofa and pink chair from LEE Industries. Wallpaper from Mitchell Black. Pillow fabric by Schumacher. Zest for an Empty Nest Pages 29–40—Interior designs by Anna Lattimore, Anna Lattimore Interior Design. Pages 31–34—Raphael wallpaper by The House of Scalamandré. Dining room ceiling, trim, and paneling painted Comfort…

Recently single with her children just out of the house, Frannie Martin was ready to embrace this next phase of life in a new home she could make her own. “The market in Nashville at that time was extraordinarily competitive, and I was determined not to settle for something I didn’t really love,” she says. Knowing she wanted to be in the historic and quintessentially Southern Belle Meade neighborhood, Frannie rented in the area for two years until she stumbled upon the 1953 cottage-style abode that would become the perfect canvas for her late mother’s colorful paintings, passed-down pieces, and bold contemporary additions. “I happened to catch a realtor putting a sign in the yard,” Frannie recalls. “I asked if I could see it and put a contract on it…

Desiring to be closer to their children and grandchildren, these empty nesters moved from Tampa, Florida, to an elegant English Tudor-style home in Greenville, South Carolina. The structure boasted great bones, but its interiors—which hadn’t received much attention in recent years—needed extensive work. Interior designer Caroline Brackett, principal and owner of Caroline Brackett Studio of Design, was more than up for the challenge. “We changed a lot of the interior footprint of the house while maintaining the integrity of the original architecture,” says Caroline. Throughout these changes, the architecture remained the primary inspiration point for the design choices—guided by the homeowners’ collectibles and Caroline’s affinity for bringing a fresh take to traditional style. The result is an aesthetic that feels both visually impressive and welcoming. “We’re really good at having…

Stay with Jennifer and Jim Nicholas on their farm property in Round Top, Texas, and you may just find yourself kicking back in a countryside getaway that’s a bit outside of the ordinary. Inspired by images of upcycled silos in magazines, Jennifer mentioned an interest in the trend to a friend, who also happened to be an antiques dealer. “And about two weeks later, she called me,” Jennifer describes, “and she goes, ‘Jennifer, I have a silo if you want it.’” Though she admits the idea had been more of a pipe dream than an immediate goal, with the opportunity dropped into her lap, Jennifer dove in. Working with local professionals, she set about transforming the silo itself, as well as extending the space with new structures. “It was a…