I can't even express how excited I am to do some redecorating at our cottage. We've changed a few things around since it was purchased, more than five years ago. Mostly structural things, as it was originally a duplex, owned by two brothers from Switzerland, I believe, but it could be Germany. Each side was a mirror image of the other, so we opened up the wall, making a doorway to join the two sides. Each side had two bedrooms, a loft, a kitchen/dining area, a wood stove, a bathroom and a living area. We took out one kitchen and sold the cabinets to buy a stackable washer/dryer, which replaced one of the bathrooms. So we have a much bigger living area now on one side, and a bigger dining area on the opposite side.
The bedrooms have remained largely untouched, until now. The floors are just plywood that's been varnished, and there is vinyl flooring in the kitchen and bathroom. They need updating. I've been busy designing, sketching and dreaming up what I think it should look like when all is said and done. I've decided to go with a Coastal/Nautical theme. The past few months I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas. I've been sourcing and snatching up second hand items to paint and repurpose, fabric shopping and sewing, duvet covers and window treatments, spray painting and gluing, a whole host of projects. This is a dream come true for me. Click here to view my Pinterest board.
My poor diningroom table has been home to all the stuff I've been accumulating. I've since divided things by room, and have been storing them in plastic tote bins, until I can get out there. With all the snow we've had lately, it's been impossible to get out there.
First order of business is removing wallpaper border. Thankfully it's only in two of the bedrooms and the bathroom. Then, a fresh coat of paint is next. I believe we'll go with the creamiest creamy paint I can find. I'm thinking Farrow and Ball's Pointing throughout most of the rooms, and a light aqua blue in the bathroom and one bedroom. The kitchen, dining and living areas have knotty pine planks on the wall, which will stay the same.
Below are some pictures of the items I've acquired/repurposed for each room, along with a theme.
The bedrooms have remained largely untouched, until now. The floors are just plywood that's been varnished, and there is vinyl flooring in the kitchen and bathroom. They need updating. I've been busy designing, sketching and dreaming up what I think it should look like when all is said and done. I've decided to go with a Coastal/Nautical theme. The past few months I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas. I've been sourcing and snatching up second hand items to paint and repurpose, fabric shopping and sewing, duvet covers and window treatments, spray painting and gluing, a whole host of projects. This is a dream come true for me. Click here to view my Pinterest board.
My poor diningroom table has been home to all the stuff I've been accumulating. I've since divided things by room, and have been storing them in plastic tote bins, until I can get out there. With all the snow we've had lately, it's been impossible to get out there.
First order of business is removing wallpaper border. Thankfully it's only in two of the bedrooms and the bathroom. Then, a fresh coat of paint is next. I believe we'll go with the creamiest creamy paint I can find. I'm thinking Farrow and Ball's Pointing throughout most of the rooms, and a light aqua blue in the bathroom and one bedroom. The kitchen, dining and living areas have knotty pine planks on the wall, which will stay the same.
Below are some pictures of the items I've acquired/repurposed for each room, along with a theme.
The three Mason jars will turn into a Pottery Barn inspired light fixture. I found the round mirror at a second hand store and covered it in rope, it was blue plastic beforehand. I tied the nautical knots and framed them.
These are some sketches I did of what I want the nautical room and the beach room to look like.
I think this may be my favorite room. I already had the sunburst mirror. When I bought it on clearance a few years ago, it was gold. I painted it white and it hung at my back entry for awhile. I wasn't loving it, so took it down and stored it in a closet. When this project started to take shape, I knew this mirror would be a perfect fit in the beachy room, so I sprayed it a sunny yellow. I found the fabric for the pillows at a discount fabric store. These fabrics will also be made into a duvet cover for the bed. My sister-in-law gave me the starfish and little sailboat. I bought the coral at WalMart in the pet section, and sprayed it orange. Thanks to Pinterest for that little idea, as well as the burlap seahorse print. I have five of these, all different beachy objects, to hang over the bed. I bought burlap, dollar store frames and sprayed them. I painted them with Martha Stewart fabric paint in wedding cake. I found silhouettes I liked, printed them off on freezer paper, and painstakingly cut out the detail with an exacto knife. Then ironed them onto the burlap, and painted. I'm so pleased with how they turned out. As for the chandelier, I found that on the side of the road during fall cleanup. I was going to use it in my laundry room at home, but felt it was a good fit here. I sprayed the candle sticks, and spent a few hours covering the chandelier in jute, while I watched Lost.
I found the the lamp and shade separately at a second hand store. I plan on spray painting the lamp a different color. The model ship also came from a second hand store. I ordered the jolly roger flag from amazon and found the world map fabric at a discount fabric store. I plan on turning it into a roman shade.
My sister bought this bed last year, for one of her girls. Unfortunately it wasn't working for her, space-wise, so I offered to buy it from her. I love it. I plan on painting it navy blue and distressing it a little. This bed will go in the Shabby Chic
I love the curtains we found on sale at Wicker Emporium. We bought five, four to cover the two sets of patio doors, and one for the kitchen window and to cut up to make pillows for the couch. I ordered the life preserver from amazon, got the lobster fabric at a discount fabric store, and followed the same procedure as in the beachy room for the little lobster print. I had some wooden candle holders that were just sitting around, so I covered those in jute. My mother-in-law picked up the lobster tray, and the seagull frame came from my sister-in-law. We plan on getting navy blue slipcover for the couch and love seat that are currently in the livingroom.
My sister-in-law gave us this canoe bookshelf. I love it. It'll fit in great with our theme. I plan to put it in the living room and store some novels, board games and little trinkets on it.