The Distinctive Cottage

Month: November 2012

Rooms To Love: Rustic Dining Charm
Dining Rooms & Kitchens

Rooms To Love: Rustic Dining Charm

Balance and symmetry are key elements in this lodge dining room, not only in the architecture, but the furnishings as well. Symmetrical vaulted beams set the tone for a dramatic dining room and give the opportunity for additional natural lighting. Sconces flank the large central window to frame the over-sized wrought iron chandelier perfectly, and all three lighting elements are made of heavy duty materials adding to the rustic charm.

First Impression Entryway
Cottage Style

Design Tip: Organize Your Entryway

Today’s front and back entryways seem to be a source of clutter, extra “stuff”, and disorganization for most homes! It is a natural drop off station, a place for reminders as you are coming and going, and where hats/mittens/coats/shoes stack up all year round. It is no wonder clutter and chaos can quickly occur in a busy household. Here are a few helpful hints to create a practical, organized, and aesthetically pleasing mudroom.

Dining Chairs: Think Outside The Box
Articles

Dining Chairs: Think Outside The Set

Your dining room is probably the most popular room in the house during the holidays when families and friends gather around the table for festive feasts. And, if you are planning on doing some dining room redecorating, now is the time to think out of the set. The traditional dining room table and chairs ‘matched set’ is giving way to a more creative ‘mix-and-match’ approach.

Top Cottage Home Trends of 2012
Coastal & Beach House

Color Board: Coral & Aqua

Stimulate, revive and rejuvenate. Modern coral is enlivening and warming, great for a bath or shower room. Fresh and invigorating, this vibrating palate of corals and turquoises is a contrasting mix of brights. Even if every other room is calm and natural, go to town in a bathroom with decorating ideas and colors you simply love.

Staff Picks: Linda's Bedroom
Bedrooms

Staff Picks: Linda’s Bedroom

A coastal inspired bedroom inspiration board featuring soft blues and whites. #coastalbedroom #beachhousedecor #coastalstyle #inspirationboards https://cottagehomfurn.wpenginepowered.com

Cottage Home Design Guide 103
Coastal & Beach House

Design Guide: Area Rug Sizing

Area rugs usually come in a range of standard sizes. The ratio of the length to the width for standard sizes is similar to the “Golden Ratio” of 1.6, which is a popular, visually-pleasing design parameter. Size availability will vary by manufacturer and specific rug design. Custom area rugs tend to cost twice as much as a similarly sized standard area rug.

Due to the variability of room size and shape, furniture arrangements, and limited standard area rug sizes, the best way to select a specific rug for a room is to use an interactive computer layout. As a general guideline, an area rug should be sized to either have all of the furniture off the rug, all of the furniture on the rug, or to anchor the front legs of all the furniture on the rug. For living rooms and family rooms, the best option tens to be having the front legs of the furniture on the rug to anchor the furniture to a cozy seating area.