Cottage Awning

Built during a poverty cycle, ca. 1930, this awning is wood. 

Yes, steps/terrace are bluestone.

 When the cottage was built, a century ago, this was the afternoon sun porch.

In love with the proportions (of all parts of this cottage).  They reek of age & fabulous.
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Garden & Be Well,  XO Tara
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Took the pics last month.

How To Open A Front Porch

Gravel to the walls, evergreens (few), no rails on the porch, & a fabulous light, below.

 Exactly how I described The Cottage project, below, to my contractor.  Before I ever saw the pic, above, via Greige Design.

 Porch rails will be removed, below, and stone steps added to all sides.  Foundation meatballs removed,

gravel spread, light fixture installed.  Bricks painted, shutters added to all sides (new color chosen) storm door removed and a potager nearby, it was requested and there is very little good light elsewhere.
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Love this type of work.  Tight budget, big impact, little input.  Ironically, the biggest improvement will be removing the foundation meatballs.  The gravel?  Huge impact, and laughably one of the cheapest ingredients.
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Garden & Be Well,   XO Tara
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No use at present for the iron rail.  Cannot wait to discover which project NEEDS it !

Cottage Inspiration: Dining Room Walls

The Cottage, ca. 1940, has wallpapered dining room walls, painted red, with little light.

Tiny budget too.  A few days ago, inspiration via Greige Design, a bead board wall with plates, above.
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The ANTICIPATION of creating the walls is palpable.  Using Benjamin-Moore HC Lancaster Whitewash with white plates and silver plated platters.
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Soon, The Cottage will have a neo-butler's pantry belonging to a much larger estate.  It's dining room where the 'help' dines.  (Rather obvious I watched Downton Abbey last nite on PBS.)
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Along with mission statement, narrative & back story inhabit this sweet project.
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Garden & Be Well,      XO Tara

A Florida Room

Florida room, below, looking toward the front yard of a 1940 cottage.

 Florida room, below, looking toward the backyard.

This cottage is The Velveteen Rabbit.  Life shows in her cracks & broken bits but it's obvious she's always been loved.
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Friend & peer Sandra Jonas gustily laughed at my reference, 'Florida room'.
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Whatever.
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I'm calling it a Florida room.  What would you call it?
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Garden & Be Well,     XO Tara
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Pics taken last week.  Still in the design phase on this project.  Honestly, Sandra dahling,  these pics are for YOU.  Ha, the rest of you have already painted & stuffed the Florida room with furniture, art, sisal, new light fixtures.......  I love this phase.  Total possibility.