Cottage Style Interior Design

From the special online feature Design Styles

A colorful, comfortable look characterized by painted and/or decorated furniture with graceful lines, textural elements like baskets, beadboard walls and natural fiber rugs, weathered finishes and colors taken straight from a lush flower garden.

 Color - This palette is purely botanical. Light apricot, dusty pink and shades of green are set off with brighter spots of color like fuschia and sunflower yellow.           

Furnishings - Make iron and wicker furnishings comfortable and stylish with cushions covered in floral fabrics. Give secondhand wood furniture a fresh look with white paint and new knobs.

Fabrics - Floral fabrics are paired with stripes and solids and trim and fringe for layer upon layer of visual interest.           

Finishes - Surfaces show wear and tear of age without looking overly rustic. A combination of surfaces and sheens coexist casually, like this piece of glazed pottery paired with a weathered tin planter.

Designer Marlene Goodman has decorated her home with affordable antiques and store-bought pieces that when combined, evoke the look of a modern 1920s Victorian style. In the living room, colorful chintz and simple ticking are combined on the furnishings and throw pillows. A frame covered in seven different kinds of seashells brings in interesting texture and soft colors that complement the aqua walls.

To transform the dated kitchen, Goodman had the cabinets refaced with beadboard and painted a crisp white. She handpainted spring flowers, fruits and vegetables on 4x4 tiles and had them installed in the backsplash. Glass inserts in the top cabinets allow her to showcase some of her collectibles and also repeat the rectangular shape of the many built-in leaded-glass windows. The adjacent eating area and sitting room contain an array of her favorites, including wicker furniture, vintage tablecloths and porcelain. The vintage tablecloths are used for seat cushions and throw pillows; porcelain plates act as a valance over the windows.

Chenille is the focal point in the guest bedroom where it's used on both beds as coverlets and on pillows. Additional patterns include quilts draped on the bed and vintage tablecloths used for window treatments. All of the furniture is made of white wicker.

The master bedroom is a repeat performance of the rest of the home, however a few structural changes were in order to include her favorite pieces. She removed the sliding glass doors and built a wall to accommodate an 1840 refinished mantel she had in storage. She inserted an electric firestove in the opening to make it functional and borded it with leftover tile. Yet another change was removing a window to make room for a door-size piece of stained glass. Pieces of all of her collections accent the space, including handpainted porcelain light fixtures, chenille pillows, needlepoint cushions, wicker furnishings, a cross-stitched tablecloth used as a window treatment and new and old needlepoint rugs.

Beadboard continues on into the bathroom and even around the tub, which creates a seamless look around the perimeter of the space. The bathtub looks vintage but is new and outfitted with Jacuzzi jets. Rose-themed accents make an introduction in the wall border. She also cut out the design to accent the window, which adds detail and color to an otherwise plain window frame.