First, this is a great cabin! Congrats! I would remove the bulky recliner, and the futon type couch. Purchase a larger darker wood coffee table add a warm area rug under the table. A darker leather chair and ottman would look great. Warm up the table with a table cloth. Thats just a start

Nice. I would paint out the yellow with white, linen or even a pale pale robins egg. A couple fun pouffes beside coffee table make for extra cottage seating and you could bring colour or pattern in this way, maybe a rug.... love it. not sure your style or who uses cottage, might be fun to paint one or two of the dining chairs blue or coral to break it up from the pine.

More Samples: Matt

...and change out all the throw pillow with some nautical theme ones, Joss and Main often have neat ones.

Once the old owner's furniture is out you will see what a wonderful room you have. There are several different directions in which you can go that will steer away from the cutesy cottage look and give you more sophistication. You have to decide on a direction first. Here are a few examples of different approaches to a cottage feel.

Well many kudos to Bluenan for the pictures she selected! You have a beautiful cottage so make it homey and easy to live in. Not sure what you mean by cottage look...cutesy, kitschy details? You should definitely start with a warm creamy white paint job and let all the pinewood glow. Swap meets and tag sales could supply lots of warm wood pieces and some you could paint for accents. Comfy slipcovered sofa chair and ottoman in a tan, natural or blue denim would be ideal. A long harvest table with mismatched chairs some painted black would ground the space and tie in the cast iron stove. Rocking chairs and maybe a beat up old oriental rug for more soft colors. And an invitation to visit will be prized!

Thanks for the great ideas everyone! We are definitely open to repainting as yellow is not our thing. We are thinking off-white. Definitely inclined towards a more rustic look but we want to try to avoid furniture that is white as we have little ones and expect small visitors at the cottage too. Found the attached pic online and kind of liked it. Also, the checkered couch already at the cottage has seen better days and prob has to go.

Of blunan's pictures (which are awesome,) we LOVE the second one. So gorgeous!

Since we haven't seen your furniture, it is difficult to advise. I think the bones of the space already speak "cottage" but your furnishings need to work here. Paint is selected last in a decorating project because it can be customized to work with the inflexible fabrics and finishes. The pix in your idea book are mostly bathrooms and very contemporary, so we don't know what your definition of "cottage" is. Please photo the furniture you'll be moving here for more suggestions.

Hmmm I didn't realize those bathroom photos were still there! Those were ideas from a previous bathroom Reno unrelated to the cottage. We actually haven't purchased any furniture at all for the space yet so we are very open to ideas of how best to do the space! I will see if I can find some pics of styles we like.

You're always safe with white on the board and batten. That leaves things wide open for the furnishings and fabrics. How many will usually occupy this room? Meals and TV part of the use I assume. Look forward to seeing some ideas you like.

Your idea book leads me to believe you actually favor a modified lodge look, rather than a cottage look. Perhaps you could use a small scale sectional with equal wings facing the corner stove. A drop leaf dining table could work behind the kitchen wing of it. This Springhill portfolio has some good ideas if you'd like gray as your color envelope.

Ikea`s Ektorp sofa comes in a plaid called Rutna, that I think would look great. It`s dark, so no worries about spills, and also removes for washing. The plaid colors are brown, beige, navy and blue. Paint the room a light grey with a blue cast. Hang the TV on the wall facing the glass wall, and put a long couch where the existing plaid couch is. Depending on the width of your room, maybe you can put another couch facing it. Nothing like a long couch for afternoon naps at the cottage!

(Waving hello from Toronto.)

I love your plaid sofa!

Hi everyone - ok I've done some research and I'm looking for some feedback if you think I'm going in the right direction. We are thinking of just keeping the plaid couch (pic 1), painting the room linen (pic 2), doing an antler chandelier (pic 3), doing a trunk coffee table like pic 4 but smaller and some hudsons bay finishes for that Canadian feeling (pics 5 & 6). Too much? Thoughts? What kind of options would this leave for a rug and additionally seating that is comfortable?

Pics 5 & 6

I really like your inspiration pictures. Go sparingly with the Hudson Bay accents in such a neutral palette, or use neutral variations. I would consider slipcovers for the plaid couch. Good luck!

http://www.amazon.com/Hudsons-Bay-Company-70-Inch-Millenium/dp/B00MJ91TAU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=160NS0GZAFMRQWYAABWK

I would start with the rug first. You need an easy care pattered rug. Something that won' t show doggie footprints and dog hair. ( I have two labs so I think this way :) The rug style and colors you choose will take you into a direction for color and furniture style. Have fun! That's what a cottage is all about!

Love your cottage. First, paint the white window trim a rustic red. Spray paint the white lamp the same color and buy a brown burlap shade. Then put a large oval red/blue/gold braided rug in the seating area. Try a large gingham check table cloth on the kitchen table.

Try covering the bamboo futon cushion with an old patchwork quilt of dark colors or perhaps an old chenille spread(very cottages) as you can see from my suggestions I love designing on a dime.

I'm liking a lot of these suggestions, especially the ones involving a bit of color. My own first thought was a large area rug to tie the seating area together, whatever furniture you may choose to keep or add. Sort of to mark it as a separate area from the dining table. It interests me that most of the cottages in Bluenan's beautiful photos do seem to have a rug with that function.