The Cottage Journal Vintage Cottage 2022

Homes with Heart Welcome to this special issue of The Cottage Journal, where vintage décor is beautifully showcased in homes across the country. Within these pages, you’ll find that the heart of vintage style is a passion for the past. In each feature, you’ll get to know homeowners and collectors who highlight their home’s unique history and decorate with pieces that hold a story and capture the imagination. In this issue, we traveled to one of the best-known sites in the country for antiques shopping, Round Top, Texas, where Jennifer and Jim Nicholas welcomed us into their stunning farmhouse and guesthouse constructed from a silo. Check out their inventive renovations in “A Change of Pace” on page 31 and get inspired to book a unique stay in their silo, “Home Sweet Silo,”…

Before Trish Failla and her daughter, Taylor, launched Vintageblessings, an online source for antique textiles, they were enthusiastic collectors who enjoyed finding pieces to add to their ever-growing collection. The pair began by selling a variety of vintage wares in a booth at their local antiques mall until they discovered eBay in 1998, which proved to be the perfect marketplace and allowed them to start selling worldwide. So, they shifted their business online and narrowed their focus to heirloom quilts and linens. “Every quilt that I come across, I think about the person who made it and [their] life,” says Trish. “I think that the history is important—and that [collectors] have something that’s one of a kind, not mass-produced.” Trish’s love for quilts is heavily influenced by her late grandmother, Virginia Hartley,…

Connecticut-based artist Priscilla Hillman decided it was time to downsize. “I always felt lonely living in such a big house,” admits Priscilla, who designs resin figurines. “In my previous home, I was forever thinking, ‘Where is everyone?’ Of course, they were just on another floor, but they seemed far away.” So, Priscilla came up with an idea. She and her husband, Norman, had previously purchased the adjacent property with its once-quaint carriage house. Although the rationale for the acquisition was to expand their garden vista, the converted carriage house on the acreage was sitting empty. So, why not move in? Before she and Norman could make the leap into less space, Priscilla needed to do a complete makeover of the structure, which meant taking a major step back in time. The…

When it comes to decorating, Jennifer Kitchens loves to take what she has and brainstorm creative ways to give it new purpose. Unafraid of a challenge and armed with her eye for design, she set her sights on the ultimate project—transforming what once doubled as a smokehouse and washhouse on her family’s farm into a guest cottage. The farm has been in Jennifer’s family for more than 100 years, and its location in Round Top, Texas, combined with her job at Old World Antieks and her love for one-of-a-kind pieces, ensured the dwelling would be filled with vintage charm. Redesigning the building was no small feat, but the entire family worked together to bring her vision to life. Since the house was originally constructed on a dirt floor, Jennifer’s husband raised…