Southern Home Cottage Holiday Style 2018

As the year-end draws near, we welcome a special season of holidays focused on home and family. During this time, our homes transition to reflect the delights of a warm harvest then to the magical glow that signals Christmastime. This special issue, Cottage Holiday Style, is filled with rich ideas to make each coming season and enchanting holiday feel merry, bright, and accessibly stylish. Decorations that flow from the front porch to the cozy den await within these pages. We’ll highlight kitchens, bedrooms, and ample family living spaces where homeowners and designers alike dapple charming holiday touches. From stacks of heirloom pumpkins to glistening trees decked in baubles, we’re confident this collection of elegant interiors and inspirational design ideas is all you’ll need to create holiday charm at home this…

“With the military life, you deal with a lot of hard things,” Liz Marie Galvan says, “so I thought maybe our house could be somewhere where we kind of forget about all of that.” Popular DIY and home décor blogger Liz Marie and her Marine husband built their cozy cottage in New Bern, North Carolina, with the intent of creating a tranquil, safe haven. “I wanted our home to be a sanctuary and somewhere where we always felt comfortable and relaxed,” Liz shares. “We feel like our house is our haven from deployments and from the outside world.” Drawn to a look that feels collected over time, Liz wanted to make sure their cottage didn’t look like a brand new home. “I’m constantly changing things out,” Liz says, noting a neutral base…

Sandra Haley’s world got a little smaller the day she discovered she knew the daughter of her home’s builder. Armed with stories, Sandra’s new friend walked through the circa 1927 English Tudor and recalled some of the intricacies of its construction. Take, for instance, the curious off-center fireplace with a built-in bench in the living room. As the tale goes, the builder was at a play in New York when he was so inspired by the set that he sent his architect up to view the show and re-create the look. The library off the living room has a creative past as well, serving in earlier years as a minstrels’ gallery for the home’s musicians. “We never sought to have an old house, but we moved to the area when our daughter…

When these Houston natives needed an escape from the city, the charming town of Round Top, Texas, was where they found their ideal retreat. This early Texas farm-style guesthouse is conveniently located just an hour away from their favorite team’s campus, Texas A&M, and steps away from their main house—meaning during football season it operates, much to the homeowners’ delight, like a bed-and-breakfast. “We were trying to find someplace close enough to go to [Texas] A&M football games,” the homeowner shares. “When we built the guesthouse, we didn’t really know if our Aggie friends would come or not, but it has surely been—from football season up through Christmas—a gathering spot for friends and family.” Decorated with the help of designer Linda Brunson, who owns a bed-and-breakfast in town, they were able to…

Peering through a field of overgrown wisteria with vines as thick as eight inches, Mary came upon the house she knew she wanted. And so, without even going inside, she and her husband Ed bought it. The purchase wasn’t as spontaneous as it seems. Mary explains that she had experienced years of living in and working on old houses. “My first house was an 1860s Victorian cottage followed by a 1926 Georgian home. This house was also built in 1926, so I’ve never really lived in a new home,” she says. “Before we could even start on interior renovations, trucks hauled off loads of wisteria vines. We saved what trees we could, but many had been choked.” Landscape designer Norman Johnson restructured the stone walkways, replanted the large boxwoods, and reestablished…

“I’m notorious for selecting oversized, overscaled pieces for small rooms.” —MIKE PETERS Mike Peters had had enough of hectic city living when he purchased this quirky cottage in the Texas countryside. “I still remember walking through the threshold for the first time and thinking, ‘I wouldn’t mind calling this home one day,’” he says. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom abode has exceptional bones—more spacious on the inside than it appears from the outside. And Mike knows good design. As the owner of the antique show venue Blue Hills at Round Top, he has been one of the top dealers in this antiques mecca for more than three decades. After moving from his home in Kansas, Mike opted for a more carefree, downsized design where color and company felt welcome. “Muddy shoes? No problem. I chose…