DECORATE WITH COTTAGE STYLE

DECORATING WITH COTTAGE STYLE

“THERE’S A CERTAIN SOLIDNESS TO OLDER STRUCTURES AND FURNISHINGS”

Plan smartly and succinctly- The best type of home that will work with the Cottage style is a small to medium size.  Extra rooms such as spare bedrooms were non-existent when Cottage’s were built.  It all starts with the entrance to your home.  Make it easy for the guest to get to your front door and feel invited in.

Eat-in Kitchens- The theme of the eat-in kitchen us based on 1800’s French Kitchens.  Think Julia Childs.  A Farm Table would make a good center piece to build your theme Kitchen around.

Main Living Area- The main living area need lots of old stuff.  Search Antique stores, Pawn shops, Flea Markets for items big and small that are already old or that can be made to look old.  We will talk about this in a bit.  Pick one wall and have floor too ceiling Bookshelves, lots of shelves that you can put books, Nic-nacs, pictures and odd items.   Fill the shelves with these items.

Old furniture with many layers of paint, old lamps, Old light fixtures, old hardware, ‘you get the picture’.

Key Architectural Components- Vintage accessories and furniture as mentioned above are good choices and they do not have to match in style or color, that’s the beauty. “Decorate with Timeless Style”, be resourceful and become enthralled with this process.

ADD AGE WITH PATINA- Some items are not old but can be made to look old.  The trick for wood furniture is to add multiple layers of paint.  Usually of different colors, so that they can show through in places.  “ The worn look”.  You can distress the wood by hitting it with chains, straps, ropes, hammers, you name it.  This can also be done to the book shelves.  Your walls can accent the Cottage look by using earth tones.  Some people use white but it will have to be what I call a “Dirty White” to give the aged look.

PLANK FLOORING- You can use old wood on your floors.  If you locate some that was taken out of an old building’ grab it’.  This can be laid over your existing sub-floor. Then put a few coats of floor varnish to seal it and make it nice to walk on.  Remember, ‘small rooms are easy to install floors in’.  This is called “Salvage building material”  You want to give the home a ‘period feel’.

MAKE A LIST- Starting a list of items and writing down your description of what you want will give you direction.  Even though the “Cottage Look”  is very random and open to personal interpretation, it does require a little direction.  The direction is defined by YOU.  Your house will become YOU. Then it becomes “Your Home”.  As time passes your list will be added too and will change.  Some items you purchase will not be used immediately but be stored for future use.  If you find an interesting item, ‘get it’.  It may not be available again.

Look at magazines, surf the internet, you will be amazed how quickly you will find what you are looking for as a theme of your home.

As Always “ Happy Painting

Ken Rader Interiors L.L.C.

www.kenraderinteriors.com

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