Innehållsförteckning för French Cottage 2024 från The Cottage Journal

TRANQUIL HOME Welcome to our special edition of The Cottage Journal, shining light on cottages around the South. From Texas to North Carolina to Virginia, the cottages in this compilation bring that personal Southern style and sense of home that you treasure. This issue is packed with plenty of unique ideas for all spaces, including inspiration for adding color, thoughtful design, and intimate details to your home. Among collected home accessories, you’ll find majolica pottery in “Timeless Earthenware” on page 11. Popularized in the 19th century, majolica exudes a plethora of bright colors and textures, making it perfect for a modern or traditional display. Revived in 1970 by a London art dealer, majolica patterns are loved and collected by many. In “Southern Splendor” on page 45, you’ll meet a design…

Both originally from Louisiana, Laura Jelks and her husband have always known their style. Acadian architecture with accents of French and Southern styles mixed in makes Laura’s heart skip a beat, and it’s exactly why she fell in love with their current house. “The Charleston architecture of the neighborhood just felt like home,” she recalls of first seeing their Alabama abode. The Jelkses had already been living in the same neighborhood but were looking to downsize from their previous home, a 3,300-square-foot house not far away. “When we went in the house, we loved the open floor plan, 13-foot ceilings in the great room, and light spilling in from every direction,” Laura says. “It was only three bedrooms, but we were ready to downsize, and all the rooms we use…

Instagram has been kind to Texas-born and Virginia-based interior decorator Alison Giese. When the Benjack family found her on the social media platform, she could not believe her good fortune. “They wanted me to help them downsize from their grand house in Norfolk to a weekend farmhouse that had been in their family for a generation,” says Alison of the redesign project in Franklin, Virginia. In addition to combining the contents of their two households, the Benjacks were also striving for a less formal way of life. “It was going to be less about designer dresses and entertaining on a large scale and more about work boots and simple living,” says Alison. Built in 1952, the four-bedroom farmhouse—which was traditional in style, dark in palette, and formal in décor—also needed…

The Tincher family purchased their home in 1998, and as their young family grew, Sandra and Barry decided to remove walls between the small kitchen and dining rooms for easier entertaining. Sandra soon realized that the Habersham cabinet she purchased at a charity auction was the exact feel she had in mind for her kitchen. She loved the distressed look and sought to combine her love of art with stone and metal colors. So, to begin their kitchen renovation, the Tinchers consulted with their contractor, Bob Yongue, and designer, Lee Welden. After many samples, swatches, and plans, these homeowners were ready to begin. The first thing they did was knock out the walls and remove the old linoleum flooring. New cabinets were installed, painted Oyster by Benjamin Moore, and topped…

Painting the landscape on canvas is a pursuit favored by many fine artists because of the challenges presented by the continuous changes in light and colors of nature. In the fine art world, this popular style of painting on location is called en plein air, and its roots can be traced back to 19th-century French Impressionism. A resident of Sarasota, Florida, plein air artist Dominic Avant enjoys not only being immersed in the landscape but also adding to the depth of his paintings by introducing figures. The marriage of natural light from the outdoors and the narrative qualities of the portrait allow him to create pieces that combine his two favorite subjects. He treasures incorporating the storytelling sensibilities of the figure while allowing light to enhance the mood and essential…

Boasting a variety of functional objects including planters, tableware, and tea sets, majolica pottery is earthenware covered in a colorful tin glaze. Ancient history, exotic creatures, and agrarian imagery account for popular themes that are sure to include at least one of these five jewel tones: cobalt blue, antimony yellow, iron red, copper green, and manganese violet. Majolica pottery finds its origin in the Italian Renaissance. Italian ceramic artists observed new Spanish imports and adopted their techniques. Molds and three-dimensional pieces were introduced during the 19th century when the Minton company began producing the decorative pottery, debuted at London’s Great Exhibition in 1851. Following the Industrial Revolution, Minton hoped to capture the attention of the emerging middle class with the lively, practical earthenware pieces. Changes in tastes led to the…

When it came time for ceramic artist Susan Gordon and her husband to trade their bungalow for a house more suitable to their growing family, Susan knew that, rather than buy a finished home, she wanted something she could put her unique mark on. “We were trying to find basically the ugliest house on a good lot on a good street so we could redo it, because I knew I would want to buy a house and make it mine,” she says. Once they found it, Susan, with the help of Willow Homes, worked her magic. The addition of an extra bedroom and bathroom provided needed space, and a rework of the layout created an openness between the living room and kitchen, which was relocated to the front corner of…

The partnership between designer Melinda James and the Martins began long before the renovation of the couple’s cottage in Beaumont, Texas. As an electrician, Robert Martin has worked with Melinda for decades, so it was obvious who would be the perfect person to help them turn the space into a home they could truly call their own. “The house had really good bones and framing, and we just made it theirs,” Melinda says. Originally the personal home of a well-known builder, the house featured original elements that merited preservation, like herringbone brick floors and exposed ceiling beams. To personalize it for the Martins, Melinda started with a fresh paint palette and a layout update that preserved designated rooms alongside an open gathering space. Within the open living space, they arranged…

Reimagining a home you’ve lived in for nearly four decades is no small feat, but it’s one Kathryn Phillips had been looking forward to for years. She and her husband, Michael, had thought about moving but joke that it was never going to actually happen. “I have a young neighbor who mentioned one time how nice it was that my children get to visit the home they grew up in,” she recalls. “That’s really special.” So, in the summer of 2018, the Phillipses finally took their ideas to interior designer Meg Wallace and started the project of renovating their 1978 galley-style kitchen. Their goal was to change the layout of the space and open it up to the sunroom and the dining room. While the couple was excited for the…

Sense of place in landscape painting tells the visual story of an area. With scenic vistas, valleys, and waterways, the mountains of Tennessee near his home supply artist Robert Tino with a kinship and all of the majestic views he could ever need to paint. His older brother’s pastel set and a neighbor who was an art teacher inspired Robert in his early years, along with the British American landscape artist Robert Wood (1889–1979). While studying Wood’s work, Robert developed a desire for self-expression and experimentation with various media to develop his own talent. He particularly admired Wood’s paintings of wilderness settings of the American landscape. Born in Bristol, Tennessee, Robert and his family eventually moved to Sevierville at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains when he was 14…

Elaborate details and nature-inspired motifs are the identifying features of the carving style commonly known as Black Forest. But despite the name, the carved goods originated not in the Black Forest region of Bavaria, Germany, but rather a lakeside community in Switzerland. In the early 1800s, when a famine devastated the Swiss village of Brienz, local artisan Christian Fischer began selling carved pieces to tourists and was met with wild success. It wasn’t long before he needed to enlist and train other artists to meet the demand, starting the town on a path to history. While at the beginning, Brienz carvings mostly featured animals native to the area, their growing popularity among travelers from the United Kingdom, North America, and other parts of the world led to a wider variety…

In much of interior designer Kristen Nix’s work, you’ll see a variety of wall coverings. From soft, subtle textures to brightly colored patterns, she loves them all. “I feel like nothing changes a space like a wall covering,” she says. So, working with client Erin Donahue Tice was a dream come true, because Erin just so happens to love wall coverings as well. The two made a dream design team, working together to transform Erin and her husband’s 1936 quintessential cottage. Starting with the formal living room, Kristen opted for a neutral grass cloth wallpaper that brings texture to the room and complements the sisal rug. Considering the room’s small dimensions, Kristen chose a more subdued wall covering so as not to overwhelm the space. She also tweaked the furniture…

When the Thompsons moved into their house, they added a cozy banquette to provide an intimate place for meals. Staci Thompson says it’s perfect whether it’s a gathering of two or 10. Worn and weathered, the table is from the 19th century and thought to have been used for wine tasting. “The more stains [it has] the better,” Staci says. The Os de Mouton chairs pulled up to the table were a find on a trip to France. They still have the same 1940s upholstery they came with, as the colors complemented the other furnishings. The kitchen is open to the living room and, with collections of art in both rooms, the transition is seamless. In the kitchen, pottery from a variety of makers fills the shelves of an antique…

When the Holt family was renovating their mid-century ranch-style home, the kitchen was a top priority in the design. With three young daughters and a husband who loves to cook, Jordan Holt knew the space needed to be both an enjoyable place for the family to spend time together and durable enough to hold up to the wear and tear of the five of them. Fortunately, interior designer Caitie Morgan understood their needs and got to work creating the kitchen of their dreams. When Jordan originally approached Caitie about the renovation and redesign, she came with a good idea of exactly what she wanted. “She actually saw a home I’d designed for a mutual friend and said she wanted to take the look of one of the bathrooms and make…

Timeless Earthenware Pages 11–14—Collection from The Nest in Birmingham, Alabama. Carved from History Pages 15–18—Collection from The Nest in Birmingham, Alabama. Feels Like Home Pages 31–32—Living room sofas and rockers from LEE. Pages 33–34—Window treatments and architectural piece above kitchen sink from Rosegate Design. A Blank Canvas Pages 37–44—Architectural and interior designs by Katherine Bailey, Willow Homes. Additional interior designs by Kate Hartman, Kate Hartman Interiors, and Kelly Neely, Kelly Neely Interiors. Pages 39–41—Ceramic bowls and vases by Susan Gordon Pottery, LLC. Page 42—Artwork by Holly Addi. Southern Splendor Pages 45–56—Interior designs by Kristen Nix, Kristen Nix Interiors. Pages 50, 52—Artwork by Erin Donahue Tice. Bright and Blended Pages 57–68—Interior designs by Alison Giese, Alison Giese Interiors. Renovations by C & M Builders, Inc. Pages 57, 59–60—Sofa from Rowe Furniture.…