Blue Shutters by the Shore

[walkercopeland@aol.com]

I would love to hear from cottage lovers and designers/artists who can help me breath new life into my seaside cottage.

Its a turn of the century cedar shake two story home on the Massachussetts coast. I want to update but keep the vintage charm.



Any ideas?

Thanks

[Jilliebean]

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, has a fantastic two story cedar shake house in East Hampton. I tried finding pictures online but couldn't. They show it in every episode so you may want to take a gander. It's gorgeous.

[aVintageCottage]

I have redone a couple of old seaside cottages in North Wildwood NJ and absolutely loved every minute of it. Like you, I wanted an updated kitchen but really needed to keep some vintage charm. So the first order of the day for me was new floors. This cottage was A turn of the century Norwegian Fishing cottage, it had the original hardwood so I had that refinished and it came out gorgeous. The walls were old plaster covered with paneling so we ripped out the paneling and sheetrocked. For a vintage look here you can paint with a venetian plaster look by smearing the entire wall with a thin coat of joint compound and paint it with two shades of the same color, whatever color you like.
Now the tough part was the kitchen, it was expensive so it had to wait about 2 seasons but now it is fabulous. I chose all new cabinets in the white "cape cod " look with brushed silver pulls. The new floor looks like slate, which I picked because the rocks beyond my house that hold back the ocean are all a grey slate, and I loved bringing that scene closer.
I took an antique door that was from an old pantry and I distressed painted it and added just a touch of the same pale blue, which I used on the kitchen walls, and used that old door for a small closet we created in the kitchen.
For an added touch of vintage to my old seaside cottage I always have a crisp clean vintage tablecloth to flip onto the kitchen or dining table. Because of my addiction to all things vintage and to fabric, collectable glass and vintage tablecloths are always near in my home.
Whatever you do have fun and enjoy the cottage life. I love seeing people redo a small cottage and keep the charm. I'm tired of the Mc Mansions and million dollar condos you see all around now. It used to be little vignettes here and there of old fishing cottages by the bay. That is becoming a very rare site today.