Victoria Cottage Style 2019

Don’t Forget For even more inspiration for gracious living, visit our website, victoriamag.com. You’ll find photos, tips, and how-tos on our social media sites, so follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Decorating trends have made it possible for homeowners to capture the spirit of delightful cottages, regardless of the size of a house. Wispy curtains at the windows, soft neutral colors on the walls, a pottery jug filled with lush hydrangeas, and the feeling of coziness created by a family enjoying life to the fullest—I treasure these qualities of bungalow living. Planning a cottage interior offers an opportunity to arrange lavish displays of heirloom pieces and fabulous flea market finds, as evidenced by the homes of several of our favorite design bloggers. With the stroke of a paintbrush and signature shades…

Margot Shaw’s aesthetic appreciation began early and runs deep. Her family lived in Switzerland when she was a child, and she has fond memories of her father taking them for jaunts through Europe in his sporty convertible—touring châteaux, cathedrals, and gardens along the way. “My father was very Hemingway-esque, very much a bon vivant,” Margot adds. “He was always saying, ‘Look at this!’ He was informing my eye, training me to appreciate beauty and good design.” As a result of these excursions, the young girl’s creative side blossomed, and her father’s enthusiasm took root in her soul. Margot’s interest in design took a different form years later, when she worked with noted Birmingham, Alabama, floral designer Sybil Sylvester. Under her masterful tutelage, Margot says she “learned to think outside the framework of…

“I WONDER WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE IT WAS ALWAYS JUNE.”—Lucy Maud Montgomery As Carolyn Aiken takes an early morning stroll through her garden in the idyllic Canadian community of Warren Grove, the cheerful lilt of birdsong and the staccato whir of darting dragonflies blend in a stirring symphony that accompanies her steps. There is a hushed serenity here among the magnolias and peonies that harks to an earlier, less-hurried way of life. “I find gardening relaxing,” says Carolyn, as she dons a broad-brimmed hat to shield the sun’s rays. “I love being out here surrounded by beauty and all the sights, sounds, and fragrances of natur e.” The 100-year-old farmhouse—where she and her husband, Andrew, raised their seven children—sits amid 10 peaceful acres, with a…

During the 1980s, Boston interior designer Gregor Cann was searching for a new home in hopes of leaving apartment life behind, but the metropolitan real estate market was very expensive. So when he saw an ad for a property in Ogunquit, Maine, that was a more reasonable price, his curiosity piqued. It was a summer cottage—meaning no insulation and no heat. He and his partner visited the abode, only to find that it was very small, barely 425 square feet, and located on an old logging road. But you could walk to the water, and that was enough to plant the seed that maybe apartment life wouldn’t be intolerable, after all, with a beach house to retreat to. “Ramshackle is how I would describe it,” Gregor says, “but we decided we…

Atumbled mix of leftover stone and assorted old bricks proved just the right building materials for the simple square structure, where the owners plan their garden, start seeds under grow lights, and store all manner of terra-cotta pots and horticulturerelated implements. The charm of French-enameled flower buckets, dried hydrangeas in a weathered market basket, and collectibles such as blue-glass Mason jars complement the functionality of the generously sized shed. Tucked beneath the shelter of a towering oak tree, designed with windows on three sides, and equipped with a Dutch door, the little building keeps the interior pleasantly cool. And for those sultry summer days, a ceiling fan is suspended from a crossbeam to stir the air. Thus, the resident gardeners can comfortably mix potting soil and transplant tender shoots at a…

Tucked away from the Florida sun, this shady Seagrove cottage welcomes loved ones for peaceful afternoons of repose in a seaside escape. The quaint abode’s crisp white exterior shines bright against its vibrant red double doors, which open to an airy and inviting screened porch that boasts a rich family history. Lucy Armour says she and her husband, Jim, love decorating with inherited treasures. Stepping onto the spacious front porch, the familial love is obvious, as the majority of the furnishings have been passed down from relatives. The couple not only furnished the space with heirlooms, but they designed it as a special tribute to decades of beloved summertime traditions. “Jim’s grandparents had a house in this same spot,” Lucy explains. “We had to tear it down, but when we rebuilt,…