Cottage Bliss
I'm getting in my last few short Cape Cod cottage days before summer ends (and while the weather people completely overhype Hurricane Earl). As I sat here selecting images for future ideabooks and the waves crashed louder and louder outside, I found myself drawn to images of other cozy cottages.
What makes a house a cottage? I probably use the definition much too widely. However "cottage" has been used to describe everything from the mean lady in Hansel and Gretel's snug little cabin in the woods to the sprawling shingle style coastal summer homes that wealthy people built before income taxes existed. Weathered shingles, weathervanes, beach roses, trellises, screen doors, and cozy nooks and crannies are all elements of cottages, to name a few.
Here are some examples of what cottage means to me. What does it mean to you? Please share your thoughts and/or any of your favorite images in the comments section!
What makes a house a cottage? I probably use the definition much too widely. However "cottage" has been used to describe everything from the mean lady in Hansel and Gretel's snug little cabin in the woods to the sprawling shingle style coastal summer homes that wealthy people built before income taxes existed. Weathered shingles, weathervanes, beach roses, trellises, screen doors, and cozy nooks and crannies are all elements of cottages, to name a few.
Here are some examples of what cottage means to me. What does it mean to you? Please share your thoughts and/or any of your favorite images in the comments section!
I love the way this shingled home emerges from the wild landscape.
There is a bit of a modern Hansel and Gretel feeling to this glowing cottage in the woods.
I probably overuse this image, but this is a true dream home for me. It simply oozes charm.
There is something so beautiful about the simplicity of this house.
So this is more in the sprawling shingle style category. I'll take it!
Total fairy tale house.
I love the way this designer shows off how her charming windowboxes look...
...at different times of the year.
This is where I am right now. Except that weathervane blew off the roof last weekend and is currently stuck in the ground on the patio.
I forgot to mention that magical gardens also go hand-in-hand with my definition of cottage.
Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard is perhaps the capital of cutest cottages in the world. These are the gingerbread variety.
This home has a charming cottage feel.
Sometimes I call this a farmhouse, but today the beautiful home in the flower garden is a cottage to me.
This is a total beach dream. I would like to have a Corona on that porch with my extended family, and yell over the fence to the neighbors to come join us.