Cottage Peek & Decorating Dilemma
Hello everyone! I thought I would give you a glimpse of our little cottage in Maine. It's our Shangri-La if you will. It's not very big, as I've mentioned before, all the lots on our street are 40 feet wide by 100 feet long.
My next door neighbor, a full-time resident and local attorney refers to her home as her "double-wide." My other neighbor is my brother - my oh soooo meticulous brother! He's cut his grass twice this week . . .
We are a 7-10 minute walk to the ocean which is just under a half-mile, and at night when it's quiet we can hear the pounding waves while we're sitting on our porch!
Above is the family room. I've got color going on in here which I love at the cottage. The colors seem to be primarily yellow (end tables, Duke's ball), blues (walls, coffee table, chair cushions, dog bed) white (slip covers and window trim - soon) red (accents) and hints of green. We've had some crazy mad checkers & chess games on that table too!
Those walls used to be a dark pumpkin stain . . .
This is the other piece of slip-covered furniture. It was purchased by my husbands parents when they were newlyweds and is still amazingly firm and comfortable. It's where my husband likes to read in the evening. The lighthouse lamp was a gift from my husband's cousin and the comforter was a gift from his cousin when we got Duke 9 years ago. Gee, I guess this truly is the husband's corner!
We purchased this little gem for about $100.00 (the top alone is worth three times that!) and I want to paint it fire-engine red, it will become our new television stand! My husband has started to modify it already. He'll be adding a shelf to hold the DVD player on one level and a computer charging station on the other level. This piece will replace what you see in the photo below! What do you think?
Oh, take a look at that little table to the right & keep that in the back of your mind for another question.
I'm thinking of mounting the television to the wall because of this beautiful carrera marble top. I don't want to hide it.
I also have a small side table next to the white slip-covered chair (see above) that I'd like to paint too. Do you think it should be fire-engine red too? Or am I insane to paint those pieces red? What are your thoughts?
I have another room of furniture to deal with too, but I'd really like to hear from you on this decorating dilemma!!! I'll post the other decorating dilemma later this week!
Once again, thank you for your comments and thank you for following, I truly appreciate your friendship!
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Its the cottage, it is supposed to be fun. I say yes to the fire engine red!!
ReplyDeleteHow charming! And red is perfectly fine if you're going for that nautical look!
ReplyDeletePaint it! If you don't like it, paint it again. I love your cozy cottage. We are headed "out east" tomorrow to visit our son in Rhode Island.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
Red is good!! A great accent color for the cottage!! Love that marble top piece, so much better than the old stand you have...I think everyone has some of that fiber board furniture somewhere in their past! Happy Summer!!
ReplyDeleteThat marble piece is gorgeous! I'd gladly pay $300 for that marble slab and then you can go crazy with several colors of paint. It must weigh a ton!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with both pieces being red but I'd probably pick two different reds so they don't look like they came out of the same can. Maybe a deep red for the piece next to the slipcovered chair (which I love) But I kind of agree with Kim; it's a getaway, do what you want.
The painted paneling is great too!
He doesn't mow your lawn, too? Oh it looks very cozy and comfortable there. You have plenty of seating for guests and so close to the shore...perfection. You seem to be building a nautical look and red fits in...I see some hints in the lamp, the pillows, photo frame...have fun painting!
ReplyDeleteI think it will looks great no matter what you do ! You little;e cottage is cute and homey ! Oh Papa and I love anything blueberry ! YUMMY! Thanks for sharing . Looking forward to your decorating and final decision . Have a good day !
ReplyDeleteI think your cottage is looking great. The piece that you have to hold the electronic stuff is a HUGH improvement over the tiny old table. The marble is amazing & worth far more than what you paid. It is also very hard to find it without cracks or chips from frequent moves over the years. I think the new piece will actually make the room look larger when it is in place. So many people believe you should only have small furniture in a small home, but I don't believe that is true at all. A few decent scale furniture pieces can actually make a space look bigger & more open than it really is. If you want to paint the cabinet red, then do it. It's only paint & you can always repaint if needed, but I bet you'll love it. I like the idea of mixing a very traditional piece & combining it with the unexpected punch of red. I agree with Kim - this vacation home is a place to have fun and do anything that you don't dare do with yourprimary home. I grew up vacationing at a family cabin at Lake George. It was part kitchy, part tacky and always fun to stay at because it was so different than our very traditional home. I don't think a vacation home should have any rules other than everything in it should make you feel comfortable, make you smile & feel happy. I also love that you kept the slipcovered chair & still find it very comfortable. My mom always told me that it was usually best to look for older hardwood furniture that had good bones and was made well and then spend the money to have it recovered, rather than buy new cheaply made pieces that would fall apart in a couple of years. I didn't appreciate that way of thinking when I was in my 20's, but now that I am in my 50s I am sold on looking past the shabby upholstry when I buy key furniture pieces. The slipcovers are perfect for beach living. If you are a sewer they are easy to make. Always save the existing covers to take apart for pattern pieces should you want new ones made.
ReplyDeleteYou & your husband are so lucky to have a Shangra-la.
Can't wait to see how the paint job turns out. Don't forget to purchase a quart of red tinted primer or you'll end up having to paint 20 coats of red to get the sideboard the color you want it. I speak from experience & I would hate for anybody else to make the mistake I did a few years ago. Even with the tinted primer you may have to give it a few coats to get the right shade of red. Red is my favorite color, but I was horrified that no matter how many coats of dark red I painted over my white walls, it became a sickening shade of dark reddish paink. I didn't know that without first applying a dark tinted primer you will never get the color of red you selected. You probably knew this already, but I in case you didn't, I want you to always love red & associate it with good times.
I can't wait to see your next progress report.
Thanks for the peek at your cottage...it's warm, cozy and relaxed. Just perfect. I would definitely mount the TV, the marble top is gorgeous, what a great find! I think the tables will look fantastic in red, be daring at your cottage and do the things you always wanted to do at home. I like the nautical theme and more blues would look terrific, too. Oh, to be near the ocean! A big dream of mine. I'll have to settle for vacations there!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by today, sweetie!
XO,
Jane
what a great place! i love using red as an accent piece but since it is such a strong color, you have to be careful not to over use it. how wonderful to be able to hear the ocean!
ReplyDeleteIMHO, a little bit of red goes a long way and that piece will be such a focal point that it will dominate ... any more might just be an insult to it ... boy what a lovely spot you have! I'll be right over ... the heat in SW NH is intense right now ... not to mention the humidity. Killer!
ReplyDeleteI think the red will look great. I have been reading a lot about chalk paint and they say you only need one coat. You then have to wax but it is a beautiful finish. Will all this be done when I visit later this summer or is this a fall project? You know how much I love your cottage. You should take a few photos of the siding outside at the top. I love the uniqueness of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great space, and so close to the ocean too. The new cabinet is going to look great and I think red for the table would be great. You have the two yellow tables so why not two red. Another idea would be a blue like in your pillows, the quilted dog and the coffee table. Either way painted pieces are perfect for the cottage.
ReplyDeleteI love the pale weatherboard walls and little accents of colour in your cottage.
ReplyDeleteI would choose a dark grey, picking up the colour in your stripy cushions and the darker shade on the marble - mainly because I think bright red would interrupt my enjoyment of the image on the TV screen. (But maybe that's just me!)
I would definitely paint the little table next to the chair red, it will be perfect and pick up the colour in the patchwork and lighthouse.
I love hearing the ocean waves at night, and wish I lived nearer to the coast.
xx
Love the cabinet you'll be using at the place of the old television cabinet! Yes, fire engine red, why not!
ReplyDeleteMy choice would probably be limited to maximum three colours in the same room (yellow, blue and white would do perfectly for me), but using more colours can still look very good. It will be totally cheerful, that's for sure!
Thank you for letting us see your cottage!
What a charming cottage and you can hear the ocean? Perfect. I once had the chair railing, trim and the door in our dining room painted a dark colonial red. The painter almost died when he saw the color and called me to make sure before he started painting. We loved it, but I like colonial period colors and we had them throughout that house.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing what you decide. Hope you are enjoying your summer.
Sam
ooh ,for a charming little place like that to get away from it all :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and delightful cottage!
ReplyDeleteNo matter if it's small...I'm still jealous!
ReplyDelete:)
How fun to own a cottage by the sea!
My only opinion is yes, hang the t.v. :D
I like the idea of the red on the beautiful TV console and maybe the red chalk paint. I just had a thought that the small table would look great painted black. Just an idea. Your cottage is so warm and inviting.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the idea of the fire engine red!! I would paint the other piece a different color, but I love the cottage feel of the cottage....how appropriate!
ReplyDeleteHave you visited CArol at http://artandsand.blogspot.com ? seems just the style for your vacation home.
Red is a pretty serious color. I think I would go with a deep green, something to set off the mustard yellow ( is that mustard?)as a nice contrast. How nice to have a cottage by the sea!
ReplyDeleteWell, I definitely would go with paint. Although Jeri who commented right before me is right, red is a serious color, RED it should be. At the moment, I don't have a single piece of furniture in the house that is red and I am going for it next week. I have to get to the only store that carries Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.
ReplyDeleteI would hang the TV so you can see the marble. We are not TV watchers so we got rid of ours years ago and do not miss it. In our tiny house, we felt the TV was the main focus of the living room.
i can't wait to see what your other dilemma is.
I am probably too late to comment but I love that piece of furniture!... I would paint it like a lighthouse in blue and white stripes with one bright red stripe in the middle, much like your cushions... but then I'm a little mad! xxx (adore the throw with Duke on too BTW xx)
ReplyDeleteMary- Somehow you dropped off my reading list. Not sure how that happened. I LOVE your cottage in Maine. I like the idea of red and It will really give you a pop of color and make that marble stand out. However, I have a suggestion for you BEFORE you paint it- why not drape it with a bright red tablecloth and live with it for a couple of days. That way it will give you a "feel" for the color. If you HATE it you have spared yourself the paint job. I think I might wall mount the TV and not cover up that beautiful marble top-but that is just me.
ReplyDeleteOkay- as of now you are on my sidebar. I am sorry that you dropped off there before- xo Diana
I think that red would compliment the rest of the furniture perfectly. I love your cottage. It's so pretty!
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute cottage! I love that tv table. The marble is yummy!
ReplyDeleteYou had so many comments...it will be interesting to see what you decided to do. Lots of people thought I was crazy when I painted my kitchen walls with red milk paint but I love it...appropriate for our 1730 home. I would definitely mount your TV on the wall so that you can enjoy the beautiful marble top.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your right on with the red to me.... and diffently hang the TV, all that beautiful marble Mmmmmm.... I agree with you on the little end table too being red.. with the white chair cover between the TV stand and the end table it would look Lovely!!! Just my minds eye talkin here!
ReplyDeletenice pictures.......
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