2018 Cottage House Tour Part I

I've received so many requests from my Instagram followers and blog readers to do a cottage house tour. So here you have it. I have a ton of photos to share, so I will break the tour into two or three parts so I don't overwhelm you with all the pictures. This post covers the porch, foyer, living room and dining room. 

Picture below: our cottage covered porch. Scandi-styled patio conversation set was from JYSK (no longer available), 8x10 blue outdoor rug from Lowes, dining table from Wayfair and bistro chairs from Amazon. It's funny (and silly) I picked our cottage lot based on the sliding colour. This cheerful yellow really makes me happy. It provides a perfect backdrop for the modern, minimalist and Nordic theme I am going for. 

This is the porch from the other perspective. 

I couldn't be happier with the Hindo patio storage shelf unit from Ikea. Not only doesn't it provide some height for visual interest, it also packs a ton of storage. Behind those closed doors are our life jackets, a trac-ball set, and a badminton set among other things. The shelves avail me surface space for entertaining - not to say I could also style them pretty!  

Our cottage is in the woods. Trees with sky-high canopies offer stunning views as is, so we tried to keep the landscaping to a minimum. The immediate surrounding area however did get pretty muddy when it rained so putting down a walkway was essential. I opted for a complete wraparound walkway for easy access from either side, and a more symmetrical appeal. The contrast between the darker slate centre and the lighter-grey paver border was amazing. The entire landscaping was done for us during the week. Nothing beats arriving at the cottage on a Friday afternoon to find your design plan was implemented to a T, and the workmanship was impeccable. 

We are going to have three Lilacs planted on the right side to the walkway. That way I can see them from our kitchen window. I would also change that patio light to something a bit more interesting and maybe in a matte black finish. 

Going back inside the porch, remember last year I painted our front door in BM's Raccoon Fur. So glad I did!  

It's a perfect shade of char-navy. The Schlage Addison lockset in matte black which was kindly provided to me by Allegion on behalf of Schlage, instantaneously elevates the style. Together they are quiet, simplistic yet incredibly sophisticated, just what I was after for our cottage. 

Immediately behind the front door is probably the world's smallest foyer. I managed to install a peg rail and squeeze in a short bench for extra storage. 

The dining room presents itself as soon as you set foot into our cottage. 

Two weeks ago I came across this handmade butternut canoe paddle while we were out in the county antiquing. I've always wanted to invest in a walnut paddle but couldn't bring myself to like those heavily varnished ones from big box stores. This one was finished with mineral oil so the wood texture was subtly preserved. 

Our living room, dining room and kitchen is all one big open space. Furnishing, styling, giving each room its own definition and all while making one naturally flow into another, is no easy feat. Our counter stools constantly fight for space with this ginormous sofa right behind them. 

After trying out a Moroccan shag and a vintage-styled Turkish rug, I finally settled on this gorgeous cowhide number to anchor our living room. I am positive it's here to stay. 

I had an a-ha moment while watching TV the other night while staring at the ugly make-do TV stand I managed to squeeze in between two windows. It was an awkward, confined (to in between two windows) but also the only logical spot for a TV. I thought, how about a floating TV stand like the fauxdenza in my home basement? Though the floating cabinet takes up the same amount of wall space, the overall room appears so much more spacious because the cabinet is lifted off the ground. Not to say I am still crazy about the "fauxdenza" look and the outcome was completely satisfying. By hanging the TV on the wall, we also gained that extra foot in distance between the TV and the sofa. I honestly can not think of any downside of a floating cabinet! 

I called in my local contractor Super Ian to bring my design plan to life. It was perfection. 

Part two of the tour will be about kitchen, bedrooms and the most exciting loft! Stay tuned! Let me know what you think of the cottage tour so far. 

Cottage Life: Living Room and Dining Room

It's been just over a month since we took possession of our cottage and moved in. We took a big-bang approach by moving in all our furniture we had been warehousing at our primary residence. The move was followed by a whirlwind of setups, installations, and cleanups. Now that the boring part was almost behind us, I was finally able to start bringing some of my design boards to life. A lot of you following me on Instagram asked for a house tour, so here you go. 

Remember this was the design board for our living room. 

This was the living area during our PDI. 

And this was the living area as of last weekend. I will list the source at the end of the post. Who knew a Georgian era portrait from Anewall will look so good next to a rustic modern highland bull print? 

I don't think I will ever grow tired of this view. Not sure which I love more, the curvy Cherner stools or the Florence Knoll style sofa in my favourite sandstone-coloured fabric? Keeping it uncomplicated and relaxing for the eyes is the style I am going for, very Scandinavian you may say. I was determined to cut down the number of accessories, and make sure everything has a purpose or use at our cottage, besides looking pretty. 

This would be the perfect spot for me to read A Game of Thrones again. 

These lovely Georg Jensen Lilia tealight holders were gifts from my bestie from Copenhagen. She brought a whole bunch of Scandinavian decor accessories with her for me when we rendezvoused in Iceland last month. Btw, just realized I was yet to write a travelogue about our Iceland trip...where did the time go? 

Now onto the dining room. This was the design board.  

And this was our cottage dining room now. Note I ended up using the Bokhara rug here because it was too big for our living room. This super soft and stylish rug was by Unique Loom which I ordered from Amazon, 6x9' in size. 

And then there's this Serge Mouille style 3-arm light. I've been in love with it for a long time, and vowed to use it one day. It finally felt right to have it installed at our cottage. 

One of the first things we did after moving in was to replace those builder basic shiny brass door hardware. Everything else at the cottage has very clean and boxy lines, so I decided to go with the Schlage Camelot Collection in matte black, which lends a softer and vintage touch. I couldn't be happier with how easy it was to install them. Quality and finish was top-notch.  

The crisp and cooler fall weather has been kind to us. We left our windows open and let the fresh air in, while we were working on the interior projects. As we wound down the day, we would take a walk down to the lake to enjoy this ethereal beauty of the sunset. It's been so much work trying to decorate a place far away from home. I felt burnt out at times. I had to keep reminding myself how lucky I have been to be able to resort to a place like this. This year will be mostly work, but next year we will have the entire summer season to enjoy our cottage to the fullest. I might even pick up a paddleboard for all I know - stand-up paddleboarding is something I've always wanted to do. 

I will be back to write about cottage bedrooms and kitchen. Enjoy the Thanksgiving long weekend my friends! 

Source:

Living room:

• Cherner bar stools: Rove Concepts.
• Black and brass cone floor lamp: Wayfair Canada. 
• Highland bull print: Bouclair Home. 
• Georgian portrait Mary Countess print: Anewall.
• Grey lounge chair: HomeSense. Article Forma is an identical one. 
• Cotton throw on lounge chair: Etsy CottonMood. 
• Grey wool throw on sofa: Linea Emmeti via HomeSense. 

Dining Room:

• Eames molded chairs and live-edge table: Structube.
• Serge Mouille 3-arm ceiling light: Morba. 
• Door hardware throughout: Schlage Camelot Collection in matte black. 
• Grey Bokhara rug: Unique Loom via Amazon. 

Cottage Progress: (Almost) Moving Day

Last weekend we were up at the cottage to do our pre-delivery inspection, finally! I am a firm believer in Murphy's Law: the completion of cottage was delayed by nearly two months, just in time to coincide with the busiest time at work, a big family reunion, and a trip to Iceland to boot! I forgot how stressful it could get in preparation for the move. But I guess I need to count my blessings - just wish they wouldn't all be happening at the same time. 

Allora, there's light at the end of the tunnel. Once all the craziness is over, we will have this gorgeous view to come home to. Picture below: our cottage porch. White spindles, railings and screen net will be installed shortly.

This cute loft would the first thing to draw your attention when you set foot inside. 

And this is the dining room. I am seriously thinking of not having any blinds installed. 

This was my design plan for the dining room. 

This Serge Mouille 3-arm light fits my vision for this room perfectly. Picture below is just a mockup. 

Left to the front door is our kitchen. It's not strange at all that I already have a grand plan for the backsplash.  

Picture below: the view from our master bedroom. There's another window opposite to this one with the same view. 

View from our porch. I'd better get back to packing to get ready for the move. Wish me luck!