A Sweet Looking Cottage with Coastal Charm + Quilt Set Giveaway
When This Old House (yes, that This Old House) asked us if we wanted to help out with their Cottage on the Cape Design Idea House, we jumped at the chance. The “cottage,” a just-right 2,495 square-foot house in Eastham, MA combines all the charm of a cozy 1920s seaside retreat with flexible, space-efficient design that makes the home feel a lot bigger than its footprint.
Inspired by a prototype from a team of young, award-winning architects at Union Studio Architecture & Community Design in Providence, RI, the house was built around the core of a two-story rectangular box with two bedrooms, two baths and a combined living/dining/kitchen area. The architects then added three potential income generators: a garage workshop, a basement home office and a 432-square foot auxiliary dwelling unit (ADU) – a studio apartment with its own kitchen, living and sleeping areas, full bath and laundry.
Photo Credit: Jared Kuzia for This Old House
To add more interest to the master bedroom and ADU, they added a vaulted ceiling to give the space more lift. The guest bedroom is paired with a hall bathroom on the second floor where a loft gives the space a more open feeling.
Interior Designer Denise Enright worked with Lush Decor to choose bedding and window treatments for the guest bedroom, guest bath and ADU sleeping nook. Enright wanted an eclectic but calm look for the guest room saying, “I chose the guest room items based on creating a coastal bohemian decor, keeping the textiles natural, neutral and soft with details like the lace edging on the Rosalie window panels and the aqua pattern on the Tear Drop Leaf Quilt contributing to the eclectic look I was going for.”
Photo Credit: Lukas Scott for This Old House
Enright layered the quilt over the Ravello Pintuck Comforter Set in ivory to add to the neutral palette and adding a pop of fun with the electric pink Elephant Parade Sherpa throw which brings out the pink in the rug and artwork. Soft paint colors adorn the walls, casing and ceilings, giving the bedroom both a sense of tranquility and energy.
The guest bath holds the home’s only bathtub – and a perfect place for Lush Decor’s Striped Yarn Dyed Tassel Fringe Woven Cotton Shower Curtain. The grey stripes of the shower curtain mimic the driftwood-like grain finish of the vanity and looks right at home against the stunning blue glass tile.
Photo Credit: Jared Kuzia for This Old House
With home costs exceeding household budgets in many areas of the country, the idea of an ADU apartment is not only an added benefit but a growing trend in new home building and renovations. In this Idea House, the apartment’s connection to the house gives way to many possibilities – a rental space for extra income, a first-floor master suite or, more traditionally, as an in-law apartment or dwelling for adult children.
The open plan living/kitchen area features a bold blue accent wall that livens up the space facing the sleeping nook, with its high ceilings and white walls. While the colors of the apartment echo the coastal cool theme of the rest of the home, the designer made a stronger statement with color and prints in the sleeping area. According to Enright, “The funkier tie-dye pattern in the stronger shades of blue created the edge and contrast to the tall white space which was decorated using bolder blues and accents."
Photo Credit: Jared Kuzia for This Old House
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