Why I love Cottage Style.

Whether your cottage style is Bright colors or pink roses we All have a reason we LOVE this style.

First of all, I don't know that I ever heard or paid attention the the 'term' until I met my friend Daryl. I remember spending a night in her house and feeling like I really could STAY there and BE there. It didn't look a bit like "mamaw's house" but it had that feel. She had taken the effort to put a photo I had emailed her of MY family on the nightstand next to my bed, right next to an iced carafe of water. With those two things I felt so at home.

I have always loved a place where you could put your feet up, where you could have the things you love even if they don't all 'fit' perfectly together. Then, when I realized you could do all this AND it had a name I fell for "cottage style".

I can completely appreciate a modern kitchen, I can appreciate a house with very 'stiff' lines and rules, but I just don't feel HOME there.

I want my friends to come and want to linger. I want my family to LIVE in my home. I particularly love that you don't have to have a 'second' home to have the cottage feel. It makes me smile to think that we can all have cottage style from our 600 sq. ft. condo, to an actualy beach house to the 4000 sq ft. home.

I have had a few 'naysayer' friends continue to overuse the word 'little' to describe my new house. At first I get my feelings hurt. Then I remember that this style we love came out of making the best out of a small space. Taking a summer cottage and making it home while you are there. Making a cute house out of 'found' items and furniture. I look forward to taking my 40 year old sofa and chair (grandma's) into my LITTLE house, shopping for end tables on craigslist, flea markets and goodwill. Finding a way to make alot out of a little. When people come over there will be no question they can put their feet up and stay awhile. We can sit on the sunporch and discuss whether cicadas or crickets make better sounds. I look forward to people sitting around my dining room table while I cook and the dogs trot around on the back deck (or underfoot). I enjoy the challenge of redecorating without having a huge (any?) budget for it.

Thank God for Cottage Style and cottage friends, may you all come over for sweat tea in the summers and hot cocoa in the winter.

So, if YOUR cottage is bright and cheery, all white or your only cottage element is a pink slipcover on your sofa....Three cheers for Cottage Style.

By the way the cute guy on the back porch of my 'new LITTLE house' is my Fossil. I assume I will have to do a whole post about THAT. Let's just say, for now, he and his wife took in a heart wounded, newly motherless, obnoxious sixteen year old once upon a time. What crazy people they were? Well, I can't thank them enough and Fossil even came out to walk through with myself and the inspectors this week....still coming through for me.