the cottage, part two

For the biggest impact, I always say that most spaces really only need three simple things:
- a good clean
- fresh paint
- strategic styling (play up the good, downplay the bad).

The cottage was no exception. Once we cleared it out and it had been freshly painted, it began to feel like a totally different space. It was bright and clean and fresh!

In the last 'cottage' post, I showed our inspirational pics that we used as a starting point. Once the project really got under way, we were able to lock down more of a game plan.

Behold our mood board...

For the walls we chose one of my favorite colors, Benjamin Moore Gray Owl in Semigloss, which is a soft blue-gray. Everything else was painted a custom white in flat to get that chalky, old world finish.

We also "beefed" up some architectural elements like the mantle. It you remember before, it was a scrawny piece of wood that couldn't even hold a vase let alone the layers of fabulous art/objects I envision for it.

The bookcases were relocated and were also "beefed" up with some crown moulding. After a fresh coat of white paint, they now balance out the visually heavy fireplace on the opposite wall.

Now the fun part begins (who am I kidding, it's all fun!) of bringing in the furniture and then we start to style it up. This is when having a shop really does come in handy, I'm already eye-ing a few pieces that I want to bring in!

--> See Part One here.