How do you deal with attic bedrooms?
The 1928 cottage that sits on our property- lovingly called Bramblewood- was originally about 800 square feet. In the 90’s there was an addition put on the front of the house (dining room, entry and current playroom) and the back of the house (mudroom, bathroom and current primary bedroom). There was also an addition to…
The perfect Swedish Cottage Bathroom
Since we moved in 4 years ago, redoing the bathroom on the main level has been one of our priorities. Since we moved in 4 years ago, it’s actually been our only bathroom, as the upstairs one had so many issues, we simply bolted the…
Swedish Cottage: Dreams to reality
Four years ago, when we purchased this small, 1928 cottage on the side of seasonal lake, we decided it had a very Swedish Cottage sort of vibe. Within the first year, we painted it our version of the trademark “Falu red” color (Benjamin Moore Cottage…
The best plants for a Cottage Garden
Last Spring we finally finished what we call the “Cottage Garden” here at Bramblewood. What that means is we transformed the section of lawn in front of our house into a winding gravel path lined with stones, surrounded by large garden beds. Eventually, I hope…
Roses: How to plant spectacular bare root blooms
If the streets of heaven aren’t lined with English roses, I’ll be genuinely shocked. Old-fashioned, cottage-style, English roses are just otherworldly. This explains why I fell head over heels for David Austin roses a while back when they were introduced to me. This post is…
What we’ve accomplished in 4 years on our property
Every Winter, as we sit in our cottage with rain running down the front windows and wind whistling under the front door, I tend to struggle with seasonal depression and discontent. I mean, the reason we purchased this home was…not exactly the house itself. I…
