A COTTAGE CHRISTMAS

December is here, and the decorations are going up at the cottage. As a bit of an anglophile myself I’m overjoyed that the English Cottage aesthetic is full blown this year. I love the natural elements, the coziness, the colors and patterns and textures. I love the idea of Christmas decor being an extension of your home and yourself (but don’t get me wrong if I didn’t have cats my tree would be covered in vintage glass ornaments). Some of the key elements are natural materials, handmade decor, crafts, and even recycled materials.

If you want to lean into the look yourself I’ve gathered some of my favorite pieces (and some I’ve bought for myself already!)

First Row:

I’m absolutely enamored with this giant bow from Piglet in Bed. In case it sells out as it frequently has… I found two great options from makers on Etsy; one in gingham and one in satin should your taste run a bit more refined.

I bought this Afloral wreath three years ago and the faux Norfolk Pine is beautiful - I added some colorful drapey satin bows this year. Not to mention it’s held up beautifully.

Talk about a GREAT Etsy find - could you get more English-Christmas-authentic than William Morris stockings handcrafted in England? Yes, I did buy two of these stockings.

Second Row:

These bells would be perfect hanging in the center of your wreath, solo on your front door, or off the corner of a fireplace garland.

Wish I had seen these tapers sooner! Candles are cozy, and I love this shade of french blue with the brown ribbons I have tied to anything that doesn’t move. You can always find vintage brass candle sticks at thrift stores and vintage shops - keep your eyes open and you’ll have the perfect collection by next Christmas.

LIttle bell garlands add sparkle and magical sounds to your tree, your greenery garlands, hung around your doorways.

Third Row:

Is it even christmas until you make dried oranges? This has been a tradition in my household for the last few years. They’re gorgeous - especially backlit by twinkle lights - and compostable at the end of the season! There are so many wonderful tutorials online but the basics are heating your oven to 200°F slicing the oranges about 3/8” thick, patting them dry, laying them out on a baking sheet with parchment. You’ll want o flip them every hour until all the moisture is gone. It typically takes me several hours so it’s the perfect activity for a cold, cozy, weekend day at home.

These faux Norfolk branches match the wreath - I’ve used them layered as a garland (about 3 make a pretty full 5’ garland) and in a vintage vase.

• And finally this dark brown and medium brown ribbon made plenty of bows for my 7.5’ tree. I love the subtle difference in tone and ordered extra to tie on as bows on my gifts and at the corners of my doorways.

Tell me below what your Christmas aethetic is. Are you a colorful maximalist? All childhood ornaments and paper garlands? Rainbow colors or disco balls?

ON THE BOARDS: THE REDWOOD RETREAT KITCHEN

Would you believe I had written this entire post just before quarantine? I was going to release it the following week knowing that in just about a month I would be flying back to San Jose to shoot this kitchen with Madeline and revealing the finished product to you shortly thereafter (we were planning to shoot this brand new bathroom too!). Instead, as we all know now, all of our flights were cancelled and life was put on hold. This project was one of my favorites from the last year not just because it has come together beautifully but because on the surface it appears we kept the original footprint of the kitchen. In reality there were a ton of seemingly small changes made in plan and in function that completely transformed the way this family can cook, enjoy and entertain in their home.

1 | Over the window sconces 2 | Chelsea Fly painting one & painting two 3 | New wood flooring 4 | New quartzite counters 5 | Benjamin Moore Classic Gray 6 | Cabinet Pulls 7 | Demijohn Pendants 8 | Storage Canisters 9 | Faux Piliea 10 | Delta Trinsic Faucet 11 | Farmhouse sink || Beautiful inspiration image credited to Park & Oak Design

As with any functional space, the real genius shines through in the floorplan. We swapped cabinet doors for drawers everywhere we could. At the peninsula we added an extra foot of countertop in both directions - adding bar seating on one side and book shelves on the end. We traded a standard depth fridge for a counter depth, and got rid of a weird shallow closet in the master bedroom hallway to add an extra foot to the kitchen overall - a seemingly small addition of square-footage that made a huge impact. Previously the homeowners kept a dog food container, a trash can AND a recycle bin out in the walkway - we tucked them away, each with their own cabinet.

S H O P K I T C H E N F A V O R I T E S

LLD REVEALS: REDWOOD'S EQUESTRIAN BATH

Design: Lauren Louise Design | Photography: Madeline Harper

I first wrote about the plans for this bathroom all the way back in MARCH 2019! (See the post about our design plans here.) I held off on photographing this space until the kitchen was finished too (so I was only flying my amazing photographer Madeline Harper out to the middle of nowhere once!). The kitchen finished up in the Spring of 2020….and we all know what happened then. Seven months later…

October 2020 things had started to feel….ok again. We risked a flight out to California to get the finished spaces in this house shot. I was not disappointed. It’s hard to say what my favorite thing in this room is…the spacious shower, the perfectly delicate lighting, the gorgeous leather wrapped mirror. OK, it’s the mirror. Ya’ll this thing was the jumping off point for the whole design. The subtle nod to the homeowners equestrian roots is honestly everything. I hope you enjoy this space as much as I do and for even more images head over to my portfolio!

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SHOP THIS BATHROOM

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We carved this generous bathroom out of what was previously a bay-of-the-garage-turned-formal-dining-room that just didn’t work for the way the family lives in their home. In my previous On The Boards post about this room you can see before photos and floor plans for how we broke up the large open room to give them not only an extra bathroom, but a spare bedroom/office and a much needed wine closet! I’m so sad the floor tiles we used throughout are no long available but I linked a very similar look from Bedrosians Tile & Stone above in the “Shop this Bath” carousel.