Pam Stewart Ross Design

MARIA AND MIKE'S COTTAGE

Maria and Mike have a lovely cottage that is in need of an update. The cottage is on a corner lot, has four bedrooms, one bathroom, a fireplace and a sunroom. They only use it in the summer; in the winter a family of foxes move in under their deck!

The main issue with the cottage is that the walls, the ceiling, the floors, the mantel, and the doors are ALL aged wood with an orange undertone, making the space dark and homogeneous - it needs some contrast.




The owners want to freshen up the space while maintaining the cozy rustic feel.

First, I suggest swapping the sofa and dining table for better traffic flow and to create a cozy seating area. The new floor plan is below. Alternatively, you could use one bigger chair instead of two smaller ones; when more seating is needed the dining chairs could be turned around to accommodate extra people.


Next, we need to address the orange "elephant" in the room. The owners do not want to paint, but are willing to lighten the ceiling with a wash that you can still see the knots, refinish the fir floor to a natural colour, and paint the window trim and mantel white. All these solutions will help reflect more light around the room making it feel brighter and provide some contrast. The owners are bringing in a professional painter who can advise them on the best method to achieve this.

The owners are also willing to entertain white furniture. I recommend a white sofa with slip covers that can be washed, a round coffee table so it is easy to get around, with a shelve that can hold books and games, and an optional cabinet beside the fireplace for storage. This cabinet should be at least as tall as the fireplace mantel, if not taller, to balance the weight of the fireplace.

The blue and white ticking fabric from the original curtains could be used to make cushions for the chairs, or toss pillows for the sofa.



I also suggest hanging white panel draperies to bring in more white elements to offset all the wood in the cottage. Draperies should go right to the floor and be hung as high as possible to draw the eye up and make the ceiling feel higher. The panels are in addition to the white blinds being installed on all the windows.

Adding an area rug would add texture and define the seating area. The following is an example of a 7' x 7' square area rug from Wayfair that would look good in the space. Check all measurements before ordering!
Abriel Natural Area Rug from Wayfair

The kitchen has been recently updated. I recommend replacing the existing counter top with white laminate or quartz, depending on budget; and painting the back splash. This will add contrast between the cabinets and the counter and bring in more light.

Extending the counter top on the peninsula will provide an overhang where you can pull up two bar stools.

I also suggest replacing the existing fans and adding LOTS of recessed LED lights throughout the cottage. Fans can be sourced at  Home Depot. All lights should have dimmer switches to add ambiance.

The owners should add two recessed lights over the peninsula; and install  a pendant light in a fun colour over the dining table. If the pendant light comes in different sizes, two small ones over the peninsula and one bigger one over the table would provide a cohesive look.