English Nation Residence & Tour Companion Information

Welcome, mates! At present, you’re invited to go to our dwelling for a full English cottage tour. This home was initially constructed within the Sixties as a typical brick dwelling, however over time, by way of price range updates, classic/vintage finds, and numerous DIY initiatives, we’ve created it right into a heat, cozy English cottage feeling on the within.

Notice: On the finish of this put up you’ll discover a room-by-room useful resource listing with hyperlinks for paint colours, {hardware}, lighting, and rather more!

Through the years we’ve realized {that a} effectively appointed English cottage dwelling that feels genuine isn’t completed shortly. It’s layered slowly with recollections, experiences, classic furnishings, handmade textiles, imperfect patinas, and backyard views that blur the road between in and out. We’ve embraced that mindset as the home advanced with us.

Consider your entry as a “story starter,” the primary hints of what’s to return in the remainder of the home. The welcome begins as quickly because the visitor steps from their car. When doable, an overflow of vibrant flowers is a sure smile-maker. Not solely do I like greeting mates this manner, however each time we come and go, and each time I do dishes on the kitchen sink our hearts are uplifted by the wonder.

“The English cottage is much less about perfection and extra a couple of heat welcome.”

The Entrance Entry

The primary impression units the tone. In our entryway, tongue-and-groove wooden paneling, the feel of the nice and cozy brick and the wealthy wooden tones of the buffet greet you with a delicate welcome. Nothing says “come on in” just like the gentle glow of a lamp. Imagine it or not, that beautiful vintage Jacobean buffet was discovered on the facet of the highway with an indication that mentioned: “Free to good dwelling.” Makes me smile. The blue and white umbrella stand was noticed when at a flea market with household.

This area is small, however hard-working. The buffet holds our video games and serves as a drop zone for our going library books, and donations. Matt made the peg rail for visitors to hold their luggage and coats. Sneakers are tucked below the buffet.

Takeaway concept: Start your cottage fashion with one thing purposeful however stunning proper by the door. A sturdy wood piece, a woven basket, or perhaps a well-placed hook can mix practicality with a way of ease.

The Kitchen

The primary room you enter in our house is the kitchen. This area has seen probably the most in-depth adjustments than every other room in the home. For a few years we lived with the unique 1963 kitchen, then as soon as we had the price range and the imaginative and prescient we utterly transformed high to toe! This builder grade, darkish and dreary Sixties kitchen has turn into the “dream kitchen” we like to spend time in each day and superbly depicts the English nation cottage fashion we have now come to like. Here’s a glimpse of the place the kitchen got here from.

Right here the kitchen has been pulled from 1963 to 2022.

Format and imaginative and prescient: From the start, we knew this room wanted to be each purposeful and exquisite.

Cabinetry & Woodwork: We had a really tight price range (which may result in probably the most fabulous creativity!), so we reused the unique cabinetry and repainted the cupboards ourselves. For coloration decisions we refreshed the cabinetry with paint decisions drawn from our cottage dwelling palette, creamy neutrals balanced with gentle greens, blues, and touches of a gentle purple. These colours give the room calmness whereas nonetheless feeling cheerful and private. The ivory coloration lightens and brightens the room, whereas the inexperienced provides distinctive private fashion and a traditional nation feeling.

Surfaces & Textures: To usher in conventional cottage texture, we’ve added beadboard and paneling particulars that immediately soften the area. For an outdated world contact we displayed my assortment of vintage blue and white transferware platters as a gaggle for biggest influence.

Lighting: The vintage-inspired milk glass pendant over the kitchen sink not solely illuminates dish washing, nevertheless it offers an old style feeling as if the sunshine was pulled from a pioneer schoolhouse. lighting overhead brings heat and a way of timelessness.

Private touches: No cottage kitchen is full with out handmade or collected particulars. From the handmade Zellige tiles shipped from India, to the vintage and thrifted paintings, the kitchen displays our each day life and our love for creating a house that feels each stunning and sensible.

Coronary heart of the house: That is the room the place we collect, cook dinner, share lengthy conversations, and start and finish our days. It’s not only a kitchen; it’s the backdrop of so many moments, Saturday breakfasts, night cups of tea, and conversations that linger lengthy after the plates have been cleared.

Cottage touches: Beadboard paneling, corbels, a white farmhouse fashion sink from Market, traditional handmade brass {hardware} from Etsy, and the nice and cozy glow of copper all contribute to the sensation of deliberately blended textures, metallic finishes, and practicality. I like how the blue and white Zellige tile performs off the transferware platters!

Takeaway tip: A cottage kitchen doesn’t should be excellent or brand-new. What makes it particular is the best way it feels, layered, heat, and private. By mixing outdated and new, sensible and fairly, you may create a kitchen that serves your wants whereas telling your story.

• View on a regular basis objects (mugs, bowls, wood spoons) as a possibility to pick out enticing décor
• Add herbs or potted vegetation on the windowsill for all times and coloration
• Herald heat and handmade textures with pure wooden slicing boards or stoneware mixing bowls
• Think about open shelving, or a glass fronted cupboard to show purposeful but stunning items

If you’re taken with a full drawer and cupboard tour then take a look at our “English Nation Kitchen Tour & Group weblog put up.”

Only for enjoyable, right here beneath are a favourite pair of earlier than/after footage from reworking our Sixties kitchen.

While you spend a lot time, on this important area, creating meals for household and mates it’s price each penny to make it purposeful and wonderful!

The Eating Room

The kitchen opens into the eating room the place bot the vintage eating desk, and matching buffet, handed down from Matt’s grandpa, anchor the room with heat and historical past. This area is small so we scaled the furnishings to suit the room permitting as a lot area for eating as doable. Our eating room is the place household meals and celebrations happen, and it’s additionally one of the private areas in our dwelling. Round it, we’ve layered in particulars that make the area inviting and enjoyable.

Recent backdrop: We painted the partitions and added a Laura Ashley wallpaper that brings in timeless cottage appeal. The gentle sample creates a chic backdrop with out overwhelming the room.

Furnishings with historical past: To enhance the inherited buffet & eating desk, we paired it with vintage eating chairs, from Market. The mix feels collected fairly than matched, which is on the coronary heart of cottage fashion.

Connection to the kitchen: One in every of our objectives was to create a pure move between the kitchen and eating room. Each areas share the identical English cottage fashion and complementary coloration palette, which implies they really feel related visually whereas additionally working effectively collectively in each day life.

• Put money into a easy, sturdy wood desk because the centerpiece
• Combine chair types for character and informality
• Use heat, gentle lighting (lamps or a dimmed chandelier) fairly than harsh overhead gentle.

Preserve contemporary flowers or a seasonal centerpiece on the desk to make meals really feel particular

Takeaway: A eating room doesn’t must really feel formal or “completed.” By mixing heirlooms with classic finds, grounding it with traditional wallpaper, and carrying design decisions from the kitchen, you may create an area that feels prefer it’s at all times been that method ~ inevitable.

The Dwelling Room

Our lounge is the place English cottage fashion actually involves life. This small area has been a sluggish evolution. It’s so cozy that it might simply be referred to as a “comfortable” because the British name their small residing rooms.

“Cottage fashion is constructed on collected comforts, not coordinated units.”

Bookcases instead of built-ins
As a substitute of high-priced customized built-in cabinetry, we selected a pair of second hand bookcases for $85 from Market and painted them ourselves. The bookcases give the look and performance of built-ins and assist add a homey presence to the room. They’re crammed with well-loved books, and picked up treasures. Bookcases are one of many best methods so as to add each sensible storage and character with out main building expense.

This area has advanced slowly, over the area of a few years. We’ve waited to buy lots of the bigger furnishings items till we had the price range, and the precise items got here alongside. The English rolled arm couch was found on Market after 14 months of looking out and it changed a hideous, saggy brown sofa that we’d been given over ten years in the past!

Thrifted Artwork
Each wall tells a narrative. We’ve collected artwork slowly during the last seven years, piece by piece, a lot of it thrifted or discovered at vintage outlets. The great thing about this method is that it’s reasonably priced and distinctive. Artwork is without doubt one of the absolute best methods to place your private stamp on your property.

Mismatched Marketplace & Inherited furnishings
Nothing right here got here as a set. Every chair, desk, and couch has its personal historical past. By procuring secondhand, we’ve created a room that feels heat, approachable, and lived-in, not staged. This additionally means the look is attainable for anybody, no want to purchase every little thing new, or all of sudden.

Classic lighting
Do you like the nice and cozy cottage-y glow of lamplight? Me, too! Lighting is usually ignored, nevertheless it makes an enormous distinction. We swapped out builder-grade fixtures for classic finds from FB Market, vintage outlets, and thrift shops. Lamps are a good way so as to add that heat cozy glow that’s irresistible in a cottage. Classic and vintage lighting is without doubt one of the greatest methods to share your character as every one may be so very completely different. I like stout brass lamp bases, blue and white chinoiserie, and French bouillette lamps. A small change through a lamp or brass and crystal chandelier can utterly shift the ambiance.

• Use textiles to melt the area (linen, wool, cotton)
• Layer textiles like throws, pillows, and rugs in pure materials
• Layer in classic finds
• Embrace mismatched/inherited furnishings
• Combine furnishings types/eras
• Add stacks of books, candles, or a log basket by the fireside
• Show fewer significant objects

Takeaway concept: Select items you like over matching furnishings. Embrace inherited items and in the event that they aren’t actually “you,” then take the time to re-imagine them in a distinct end, upholstery, or paint coloration. It’s price taking the time to place your contact on a bit and typically it’s discovering the precise cloth and so on. that provides that ugly factor new life and appeal. The magic lies within the combine. Add softness with textiles, throws, pillows, or curtains that make the room really feel welcoming.

The Visitor Bed room

Design aim: When visitors come to remain, our predominant focus is at all times consolation. Will they be heat? Have they got a alternative of agency or gentle pillows? Is there someplace for them to cost their telephone, to verify themselves in a full-length mirror, or to hold their garments? This visitor bed room is small, however cozy.

Furnishings: We used a mixture of classic and vintage finds that really feel timeless and strong, but welcoming. The vintage cannonball mattress we discovered on Supply Up, the little tufted chair from Good Will, the marketing campaign facet desk from Market. The layered historical past offers the room heat.

Paintings: One portray on this room was sourced from Etsy, the remainder of the artwork was discovered at thrift shops over a number of years. It takes time to amass good artwork and it’s stunning how a lot a home can devour! Thrifted artwork brings character and appeal to the partitions, and since every bit was found over time, the room feels personally curated.

Window therapies: DIY curtains topped with a home made pelmet add a contact of conventional cottage appeal, whereas additionally being a budget-friendly answer.

Shade palette: A cohesive palette ties every little thing collectively, retaining the room calm and intentional. as you’ll see after we attain the main bedroom, every bed room carries its personal distinct look but stays tied to the entire home. Tender floral patterns, layered bedding, and a mixture of vintage and handmade items create areas that really feel restful and private.

A stack of handmade quilts are prepared for a cold evening.

Takeaway concepts & greatest advise: Keep in your personal visitor bed room for a number of nights. You’ll uncover the sunshine bulbs which can be burnt out, the blind that doesn’t fairly shut out the sunshine at evening, the closet door that squeals each time you open it. Caring for these little particulars to your visitors will guarantee they’ve the pleasantest keep doable. Prioritize consolation, layered bedding, gentle lighting, and set the tone. You don’t want an enormous price range to create a visitor room that feels particular. A tidy, clear area with considerate gestures (like contemporary towels and a brand new bar of cleaning soap on the top of the mattress at their arrival), will create a retreat your visitors will love and wish to return to!

Corridor/Visitor Tub

The corridor tub is the one area in our dwelling the place we’ve accomplished the least when it comes to reworking, nevertheless it’s additionally an incredible instance of how one can make the perfect of what you have already got. This room got here with a full set of classic pink fixtures: the sink, the bathtub, and the bathroom. As a substitute of a pricey renovation, we leaned into the classic appeal and simply utilized some elbow grease!

What we modified: We stripped away the dated blue floral wallpaper, re-textured the partitions, and painted them a mixture of a gentle beigy-pink and a creamy white to enhance the prevailing fixtures and brighten the room. This easy makeover immediately freshened the room amplifying the retro vibes whereas erasing the dated wallpaper.

The impact: What might have felt like a dated area now reads as intentional, nearly like stepping right into a preserved cottage tub from one other period.

Finest Advise : Not each room wants a intestine renovation now. In the event you inherit a “time capsule,” take into account working with it. Spotlight what’s particular, soften what feels dated, and selected a timeless coloration palette, and benefit from the quirks!

Takeaway concepts: Even should you can’t rework straight away, swap in classic mirrors or sconces for fast character. A restricted price range doesn’t imply you may’t have fashion. Generally the neatest alternative is to pause, embrace what’s there, and let classic quirks shine till you’re prepared for greater adjustments.

The Grasp Bed room

For our personal bed room, the aim was a serene retreat. This area is probably the most minimal space in our dwelling. As we’ve moved in the direction of minimalism and gotten rid of over 3,230 objects (on the time I’m scripting this put up) we’ve have loved our dwelling a lot extra! We each have capsule wardrobes and few beauty wants. Because of this we don’t want a lot storage within the bed room or the lavatory and every little thing stays tidy!

Palette: A method we created the calm feeling in our room was to color the partitions, trim, and ceiling in the identical coloration. Whereas we did select differing shades of white, which is extra conventional) this method known as “coloration drenching” and is efficient in lots of colours (as you’ll see as soon as we attain the solar room).

Paintings: This impartial backdrop just isn’t solely calming, however offers the best backdrop to set off our assortment of brightly coloured authentic oil work. These work are bigger, making an even bigger assertion and serving to to set the design fashion. Pops of a gentle, gentle blue seem within the ornamental mattress pillows, handmade pleated lampshades, and vintage transferware dishes. Unique colourful artwork anchors the partitions, panorama scenes deliver peace and a contact of nature indoors.

Furnishings: We’ve stored furnishings minimal, which permits every bit to shine. The few we have now are assertion antiques, beautiful Market finds with wealthy, darkish finishes that floor the room superbly. Vintage assertion items, chosen sparingly, present presence with out overwhelming the area.

Window therapies: To maintain the room from feeling too formal, we paired informal bamboo blinds with relaxed white linen pinch pleat drapes. The result’s a stability of magnificence and ease.

Suggestions for a serene cottage look:

• Preserve décor easy to create a restful ambiance
• Select a neutral-ish coloration palette
• Layer bedding with quilts, throws, and pillows for coziness
• Combine patterns in scale, depth, and design
• Incorporate classic or handmade items for character
• Select fewer, bigger deocr items

Takeaway concept: A restful master suite doesn’t should be crowded. Selecting fewer, well-crafted vintage items and balancing them with relaxed finishes permits the room to really feel each subtle and cozy. Goal for coziness above all. Layer your mattress with quilts, combine patterns in light colours, and permit every room to have its personal character throughout the bigger story of the house. The gentle blues from our bed room move seamlessly into this area.

Grasp Tub

Design aim: Our grasp tub is small, really tiny, however we see that as its biggest energy. The goal on this area was to maximise the area each when it comes to storage and visually. Due to the scale, we had been in a position to splurge somewhat extra on supplies and particulars, reworking it into an environment friendly little blue jewel field.

Here’s a (fairly blurry) {photograph} of the grasp tub from the property itemizing. The wallpaper was so vibrant and busy it appeared to vibrate! You’ll be able to see on the left the (impractical) shallow glass cabinets for storage over the bathroom, and the dropped ceiling over the bathe. I’m unsure why these had been common – they simply make the area really feel claustrophibic. The sink self-importance was basically the one storage and it gave little clreaance for the bathe door to open…

Right here is the after. Generally I neglect how far we’ve come on this renovation journey till I see footage. I simply love the character of this little area!

Fixtures: As a substitute of a cumbersome self-importance, we discovered a chic pedestal sink on the ReStore for simply $40, a budget-friendly discover that appears like a luxurious. As a result of we saved on the self-importance we had been in a position to splurge on the faucets. The classic vibe of the polish chrome faucet suits with the fashion of the pedestal sink. We carried the polished crome all through the remainder of the area within the gentle fixture, glass shelf over the sink, towel bar and holder, and bathroom tissue holder.

Storage: This gorgeous tall, wicker basket appeared on the thrift store and it slides completely below the sink for storing rolled up tub towels. I sewed a French blue toile to the highest of the liner for a home made contact. For added storage, Matt constructed a customized cupboard field over the bathroom and repurposed the unique self-importance cupboard doorways, mixing perform with thrift.

The addotion of this cupboard gave us the storage we would have liked! to the again of this cupboard I added a blue French toile wallpaper discovered on Etsy. Whimsy that makes me smile!

The final little bit of storage is within the authentic drugs cupboard. Right here we changed the wobbly wood cabinets with glass (reduce from the cabinets that had been over the bathroom), papered the again of the cupboard and gave it a contemporary coat of paint. This tiny cupboard shops necessities for preparing each day.

Tilework: This room was the primary area the place we did true reworking (vs a makeover) in our dwelling. Till this level Matt hadn’t accomplished a lot tilework and we actually bit off loads on this area with the “wainscotting” and pencil trim tile! Within the bathe we added a strip of shimmery blue mother-of-pearl quatrefoil accent tile that not solely echoes the blue paint, but additionally attracts the attention upward, creating the phantasm of extra peak. A customized area of interest behind the bathe retains soaps and shampoos tidy and accessible.

Ambiance: The mix of white tile, blue accents, and thoroughly chosen fixtures makes the area really feel serene and refined, whereas its scale retains it intimate. Each sq. inch was thought of, making this little room one of the satisfying transformations in the home.

Takeaway concept: A small lavatory may be a bonus. Fewer sq. toes imply you may put money into higher-quality finishes with out breaking the price range. Intelligent storage options and repurposed parts stability practicality with magnificence, creating an area that feels each considerate and splendid.

Butler’s Pantry & Laundry Room

Tucked right into a slender hallway behind what was once the storage, this area is without doubt one of the hardest-working areas of our dwelling. Initially it was bland, darkish, and purely utilitarian, the type of area you go by way of with out a lot thought. At present, it’s vibrant, environment friendly, and surprisingly homey.

Right here is one other darkish, grainy authentic itemizing image. Not a really inspiring area…

Right here is similar angle of the laundry room with the makeover in progress ({hardware} was on the best way). A lot brighter and alluring!

A contemporary begin with coloration: We had enjoyable right here experimenting with a brand new paint coloration for the cupboards and woodwork. It’s nonetheless inside our dwelling’s coloration palette, however completely different sufficient to really feel distinct. That little threat paid off, giving the area character and life.

Decluttering and reimagining: After a deep purge, we had been in a position to reconfigure storage and make room for one thing sudden: a butler’s pantry. Two cupboards now maintain our tea celebration china and particular serving items, which aren’t solely simple to entry but additionally superbly displayed.

Type meets perform: What might have stayed a back-of-house utility space is now certainly one of my favourite elements of the house. It’s proof that even sensible areas deserve consideration and appeal.

Takeaway concept: Don’t overlook your utility areas. With contemporary paint, decluttering, and considerate storage, even probably the most purposeful corners of your property can really feel particular and related to the general design.

Blurring Indoor/Outside Dwelling

Integral to cottage residing is the outside. Behind our home, a big image window in the lounge frames the yard and backyard drawing your eye outward.

The Patio, Backyard, & Yard

Our terrace has undergone one of the dramatic transformations on the property, turning a colorless, uninviting out of doors space into a comfortable extension of our dwelling permitting us to dine open air through the nice months of the 12 months. It has taken three seasons to get to the place we’re right now, however each patio DIY venture as a part of the entire patio makeover has been price it!

Hiding the sensible: One of many greatest eyesores, the out of doors A/C unit, we hid behind an open-frame trellis that Matt constructed and painted in the home trim. It blends in superbly now, changing into a part of the design fairly than a distraction.

For seating I discovered a set of 4 woven rattan patio chairs on FB Market. They had been an incredible value however in want of cleansing and a few restore. We cleaned, repaired, repainted the bases, and I recovered the seat cushions. This patio chair makeover was a bit time-consuming, however price it in the long run!

The primary season after we started engaged on the patio we began by constructing cottage-style shutters by hand. Painted in a wealthy, grassy inexperienced, they instantly set off the home windows and gave the home exterior heat and character. The unique Sixties display doorways had been changed with vintage-inspired ones, painted to match the shutters. We added cream-painted metallic gingerbread trim, full with whimsical fowl particulars, for a playful cottage flourish.

Listed below are one other enjoyable pair of earlier than/after photographs of the patio makeover transformation. If you wish to see the complete course of take a look at our ” DIY Patio Makeover” put up.

The start: the perfect place to begin was with a contemporary repaint of the home. Then over the following three seasons we tackled many various DIY initiatives, equivalent to: masking the ugly a/c unit, masking the wall meter, changing the display doorways with new cottage-y doorways, including gingerbread, including bistro lights, constructing handmade customized shutters, portray doorways and shutters inexperienced, portray the patio flooring to unify the various completely different surfaces, constructing a tree bench, and sourcing/recovering some beautiful woven patio chairs for seating

Spring patio

Summer season patio

Fall patio. We love this area in each season!

Outside areas deserve the identical consideration to element when it comes to perform and aesthetics as indoor rooms. With this in thoughts, we lined the ugly metallic fence poles with the identical pickets because the fence and stained them to match the fence. This was a seemingly small element, nevertheless it elevated our yard from the widespread again yard to with a park-like feeling

Tree bench: Matt constructed a spherical bench round certainly one of our timber, creating overflow seating and a park-like spot to pause. Our tree bench was impressed from Pinterest, and has been nice for internet hosting out of doors dinner visitor within the spring and summer season.

Pathways: Curved purple brick paths now edge the flower beds, including construction and storybook appeal.

Cottage backyard beds: The beds maintain cottage classics like roses and irises, giving us blooms throughout the seasons. There are potatoes tucked within the flower beds, and behind the yard is a raised mattress with tomatoes, Bok Choy, inexperienced beans, herbs, and peppers.

Remodeling a Sixties brick home into an English cottage has been a journey of layering story, appeal, and character one DIY venture at a time. My hope is that this tour conjures up you to see the potential in your personal dwelling, irrespective of the start line.

Extra Sources:

• Paint colours
• Throw pillow sources
• Vintage outlets or flea markets you like
• Favourite on-line sources for cottage-style accents
• Hyperlink to the cottage useful resource web page

Thanks a lot for touring our English cottage dwelling! Now we have loved share our journey with you through the years, from the thrift looking to the rework initiatives which have slowly formed this home into a spot that actually appears like dwelling. I hope these further particulars and sources encourage your personal journey towards an English nation cottage dwelling! Whether or not you’re dreaming of wallpaper and wainscoting, or just including a thrifted lamp or a pot of roses by the again door, each small step brings you nearer to creating a spot you like.

Till subsequent time, thanks for visiting, I stay up for seeing you once more quickly!

Rachel