The Cottage Journal Spring 2023

WANT MORE COTTAGE STYLE? Sign up for our FREE newsletter today at thecottagejournal.com. There’s something wonderful that happens as the seasons change and winter melts into spring. When the weather begins to warm and fresh new life appears in nature, I find myself nearly giddy with glee as the first buds appear in the garden and color gently returns to the world around us. Isn’t it a wonder what new growth and lively hues can do for the spirit! In the past few years, I’ve found myself more deeply drawn to bold colorways in both interior and exterior home designs. Living in a newly built cottage, my husband and I began with a blank canvas of pure white walls, and while I am enjoying the process of slowly listening to the house and…

Chic craftsmanship and environmental perspectives are abundant throughout Stephanie Kienle Gonzalez’s interior designs, displayed in her first book, Embracing Natural Design: Inspired Living. As a multifaceted entrepreneur and lifestyle brand vice president, Stephanie creates spaces that reflect her taste for elegant simplicity and natural inspiration. A showcase of Stephanie’s homes and ideas shines throughout the book’s 244 pages. From her childhood in Manila, Philippines, and familial roots to nature’s creations, she’s inspired to think in an environmentally conscious way, and this desire takes center stage when it comes to her design process. Her humble apartment inside the heart of bustling Manila was designed with her husband and their three children in mind. A place that embraces everyday living and normal wear and tear, this home shows how to be both stylish…

Ashley Wilson’s introduction to The Lenox Spice Village was all thanks to her blog, At Home with Ashley. When one of Ashley’s readers came across the cottage-shaped collectibles while thrifting, she thought they would be perfect for the interior designer and color enthusiast. According to Ashley, she was right. “My color scheme is all pastels,” Ashley says, adding that the house motif spoke to her—and that she started buying them immediately. Luckily for Ashley, that was in November of 2019, just before the line of kitchenware, which was originally produced between 1989 and 1993, was rediscovered on social media and launched into a second golden age. “I feel like I was in on it really early, and I built up my collection before it got expensive,” she says. While the entire line…

Nestled in the picturesque Morningside neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, Tara and Randy Parrish’s 1940s cottage underwent a dramatic transformation—both inside and out. A coat of cream paint brightens the home’s exterior and accentuates the chimney. However, it’s the extensive renovations, which make use of swooping rooflines to expand the second floor, that ensure this home exudes striking charm. “Respecting the original architecture and scale of the home was important,” says architect Tim Adams, noting the home’s exterior design. Keeping in mind the neighborhood’s small cottage aesthetic—as well as the size of the lot—Tim was able to house the three upstairs bedrooms the homeowners desired within the roofline so the home would take on a story-and-a-half appearance. Changes to the back exterior of the home largely focused on connecting the interiors to the…

The 1920s cottage in the northeast section of St. Petersburg, Florida, was just the spot for Christina Coogan to find the change she needed—and it was no small change, as the move included a significant downsize from her previous home and major renovations to the century-old structure. “We gutted the entire house, took the back off, and added square footage to the back of the house,” says interior designer Pamela Harvey, whose team at Pamela Harvey Interiors worked alongside the building crew to meet Christina’s needs. Including a kitchen expansion and the addition of more bedrooms and bathrooms, the renovation flowed off of the existing spaces for a look that incorporates multiple decades. “One of the things that the client really wanted was to keep it looking like it belonged to…