The Cottage Journal Country Cottage 2021

COLLECTIBLE TREASURES Welcome to Country Cottage, a special edition of The Cottage Journal magazine, brimming with fresh home inspiration just for you. The long days of the season beg for outdoor entertaining or just a cool evening on the porch. We created a comfortable setting on the front cover, and we’ve included ideas for other country-style looks that might suit your tastes. Plenty of pillows, lush planters, and a gentle breeze can create a dreamy outdoor space. “A Time to Relax” on page 55 shares one couple’s adventure making over their weekend home. Homeowner and designer Trisha Dodson planned the room interiors for a blend of rustic charm with subdued color, including antiques from nearby shops and markets. A casual dinner party with French doors thrown open can be enhanced by calm…

SIT FOR A SPELL Nothing says country living quite like a pitcher of fresh lemonade on a welcoming front porch. Make the most of your outdoor living space by creating a room before you even open the front door. Here, billowing white curtains, stained-glass artwork, layered rugs, and a seating area filled with comfortable pillows make this sunny porch feel like a living room. Complete the space with potted flowers and vintage finds, like a glass bottle collection.…

Opening The Garden Co. wasn’t Stevie and Jeff Thompson’s first foray into the world of landscape retail. The two were brought together by the garden business, according to Jeff, who met Stevie when she was running garden centers in Houston, Texas. The couple ended up in Schulenburg, Texas, where, in 1999, they purchased an existing nursery and laid the groundwork for what would eventually become a booming business. “It was called Country Gardens, and we changed that to The Garden Co.,” says Jeff. Since then, The Garden Co. has grown into a network of garden centers and gift shops that provide customers with everything they need to create an unforgettable outdoor space. “We do outdoor living,” says Jeff, who oversees the landscaping division of the business while Stevie runs the design and…

Brooke and Steve Giannetti lived busy lives as a designer and architect, respectively, in Santa Monica, California, for years. Between balancing two demanding jobs, flourishing social schedules, and their children’s activities, the couple found themselves worn out, looking for a way to decompress and live in the moment. Inspired by Brooke’s love of tending her small garden in Santa Monica, she and Steve decided to pack up their lives and move to the charming and artistic retreat of Ojai, California, less than two hours from Los Angeles but a world away from the chaos. In Ojai, the couple created a relaxed, cottage-style retreat. Steve dreamed of a lush Italianate garden surrounding their cottage, complete with different sections to create an outdoor living area for their home. Brooke created a farming homestead,…

There’s something inherently special about creating a comfortable living space in the country, surrounded by the peaceful sounds of nature while equipped with practical, modern amenities. It becomes extra special when that type of place can be created near where you grew up, intertwining carefree childhood memories with the present. Beth and Jim Edwards live and work in Montgomery, Alabama, but they both grew up about 50 miles away in Selma, Alabama. The couple owned land in southern Dallas County in a community called Old Town for years before they decided to build their rustic retreat. In 2006, they began building their modest country-style cabin in the woods, adding on to it in three different phases until it was completed in 2016. Thursdays through Tuesdays, the Edwardses retreat to the country, only…