If you buy one issue of Cottage Living this year, let it be this one. It's packed full of unique renovation, like a barn-to-house conversion that has a glass floor (pg.31). It's overgrown with ideas for gorgeous gardens, such as displays of white pumpkins studded with upholstery tacks (pg.20). There's even a history lesson about the Henry Ford designed cottage community in Michigan (pg.53).
Yet the real star of this magazine is the reveal of the 2007 Idea Home (pg.78). This year, CL chose to lay down roots in New Orleans. Part of the proceeds from the sale of the home go to the Preservation Resource Center, a New Orleans organization whose goal is to "help the city come back, one cottage at a time."
The 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2,370 sq. ft. shotgun-style double-gallery cottage is, for lack of a better word, impressive. Lots of design ideas/tricks, as well as photos, after the jump!
• Design was a mix between a two-story shotgun single (think skinny lot) and a double-gallery house (think classic Bourbon street architecture).
• Built modularly in South Carolina and shipped to New Orleans in four pieces.
• Picture frames that look ornate and gilded but are actually made from cardboard
• Hand-painted canvas window seat cushions
• Salvaged bank vault door slides on rails in Pantry
• Faux trim painted right onto the walls in Master Bedroom
• Johnny Cash lyrics (stickers) flow across the walls in Guest Bath
• Woven grass cloth adds texture and richness to the walls in the Study/Guest Room
• Decorative nail heads used to spice up simple upholstery and nail curtains directly to the wall
• Bold wallpaper in closets
• Three ceiling fans on the porch "lower the temperature and up the style factor"
• Local plants in the gardens: eco-conscience and almost guarantees successful growing
Visit CL's website for a complete house tour but you'll still want to pick up the issue to devour the SIX PAGES of complete resources!
eric moser is a talented architect, well-versed in vernacular style. my favorite part of the house is the little office space under the stairs! i don't think the image made it into the main spread, i think it the resources section? there's a little pic and caption if i remember correctly.
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