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Check out these simple tweaks and bright ideas for updating a cottage while preserving and celebrating its unique charm
Jo Simmons7 October, 2014
Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several books on design and numerous features for glossy homes mags over the years. For Houzz, I cover decorating ideas and trends and interview designers and professionals for their insights. My favourite pieces to write, though, are Houzz Tours, as I love exploring and learning about real homes. Call me curious — or nosy!
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Think of a cottage and you might imagine a rural home with an idyllic mix of thatched roof, exposed beams and enormous fireplaces. But, strictly speaking, a cottage is simply a small house. From the classic chocolate-box countryside version, to the rows of neat, small-scale homes that sprang up in the Victorian period, these homes are compact, unassuming, but often packed with interesting original features. Cottages typically come with low ceilings and little windows, too, making organising the space and pulling in enough daylight key challenges. But what these homes lack in square footage, they more than make up for in character and, with thought and care, you can preserve the cosy, intimate vibe and big-up the original details, while also bringing a cottage up to date.
Celebrate the bones…
A cottage often has interesting architecture or was built with characterful materials, from local stone to thick wooden beams. Exposing these details and paring the property back to reveal its interesting fabric is a contemporary approach that also respects and celebrates the integrity of the building.
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…or lighten the beams
Ceilings can be low, with protruding beams that draw attention to the lack of height, so one solution is to paint dark beams white to encourage them to blend in and feel unobtrusive without entirely removing the character they bring to the space. Set against a white ceiling, they ‘disappear’ into it, helping to boost the feeling of height.
Nicola O'Mara Interior Design Ltd
Tweak tradition
This cottage kitchen has many classic, country-style ingredients, such as Shaker-style units and tongue and groove, but it looks fresh and contemporary thanks to little details. Metro tiles with black grout are very on-trend, and introduce a modern industrial feel to the splashback. The marble worktops are another stylish, contemporary addition. There is a play on scale at work here, too, that bends tradition: check out the oversized stone floor slabs, which give a strong, solid feel to this space.
Decorate with vintage finds
Vintage pieces have the character and age that suits a period cottage, but thanks to our ongoing passion for pre-loved objects, vintage finds also look very ‘now’. Battered and distressed old pieces bring a little grit and a lot of personality to a space, but are light years away from trad country cottage style.
How to use distressed and weathered pieces
Bohler Builders Group, Inc.
Choose a fresh white scheme
With their small windows and low ceilings, cottages can be dark, so take the Scandi approach to maximising light and choose an all-white scheme. Easy and inexpensive to pull off, it will also bring your cottage into the 21st century, since bright white throughout feels fresh, stylish and contemporary.
A McIntosh Photography
Fit a new fire
Cottages and open fires go together like peaches and cream, but a contemporary stove nicely updates this traditional combination. Wood-burning stoves throw out masses of heat and do not necessarily need to be fitted within an existing chimney or fireplace. So long as a flue can be installed in the apex of the roof, you can position this kind of fire anywhere, to bring warmth and atmosphere to any room.
Expert advice on choosing the right fire for your home
Whitstable Island Interiors
Install the latest fittings
We may love the atmosphere of a cottage, but that doesn’t mean we have to forgo modern comforts to live in one! Mod cons such as central heating and sound electrics are essential in a 21st century home, but you can go beyond simply modernising a cottage by seeking out highly contemporary items that work efficiently and bring little blasts of up-to-date design to your home. This vertical radiator is a great example. It makes excellent use of the narrow wall space and provides plenty of heat for this living room, while also introducing a shot of modernity.
Cuppett Kilpatrick Architecture + Interior Design
Mix in strong tones
Dark paint colours on walls can make a room feel smaller and darker, but that doesn’t automatically mean they are a no-no for a compact cottage. Teamed with plenty of white, the latest rich, moody tones – black, deep grey or mossy green – can give your space a contemporary edge when used as an accent without making it feel gloomy.
Nicola O'Mara Interior Design Ltd
Splash on luxe materials
Combining traditional cottage ingredients, such as this handsome roll-top bath, with materials that might be found in a luxury boutique hotel or highly contemporary home will bring your cottage up to date. Here, polished Carrara marble tiles have been used on the floor and walls to add a touch of luxe to this cottage bathroom.
Sonya Kinkade Design
Update classics
Weave in contemporary takes on traditional country cottage patterns, such as florals, for a look that both respects the property’s age and style, and updates it, too. Source floral prints in bold black and white rather than trad pinks and yellows, or look out for up-to-date versions of classic toiles. Team with lots of fresh white to keep the look sharp.
TELL US…
Have you updated a cottage? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
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