HI! I hope you are well. I am so happy to be sharing the remainder of the Coastal Grandmother Cottage with you from the One Room Challenge in the past; the exterior and the living room. Because sometimes, things are better late than never. If I’m honest, I had an entirely different design for the living room and it was admittedly boring. It didn’t feel like a reflection of my style or my mom’s and it wasn’t a version of the room that I felt proud to put my name on. I spent a little more time analyzing inspiration living room photos that I adored. What I found was as a common theme was color and architectural details, both of which the living room lacked.
The Exterior
We made very few changes to the front of exterior of the house. A freshening of the door and shutters to a crisp Hyperlink Blue by Clare Paint and new Refuge exterior lighting went a long way to perking up the facade of this salt box cottage. We also topped off the door with the cutest brass Nantucket lightship basket door knocker from Michael Healy designs. This basket is the absolutely cutest and has a little cup inside of it to give water to flowers! It’s from the same maker as our bumblebee in our new home so you know the quality is good and it will get rave reviews.
The Living Room
The Layout
I have to say, living rooms are my least favorite spaces to design. Coffee tables are often ugly. Couches can be difficult to buy online without trying them and a good curtain refuses to come my way. Pair that with the fact that we had soooo much trouble with this room when we actually lived here and you have a recipe for a headache. It’s got a bit of a bowling alley situation going on- long and lean. With a window and a door on each end and a fireplace and entryways into the room on the perpendicular walls, I remembered why we had built ins when we lived here. None of this stopped me from putting together a room my mom loves.
I chose this sofa from A Facebook marketplace post (as usual). It’s an old school Ikea with a washable slip cover in a size that fits the room with ease. It’s very comfy and feels like a lived in charm. Paired with these adorable reupholstered barrel chairs that I found on Facebook marketplace for almost no money, and I was in business.
The Introduction of Texture
I chose a limited color palette from the very start for this room. Blues, natural and blush. Whenever I choose a minimal palette, I amp up the texture big time. This natural fiber jute rug served as the perfect foundation for the space. It grounds the room and is surprisingly soft for a jute. I chose it for the low pile, necessary when you plan to age in place. Don’t want those tricky corners.
I pulled in similar natural texture with this rattan lamp, the wicker console and the boho tray. All the same color palette calling back to each other and adding depth to a space that does not have much by the way of color. I also sprinkled in a few lived in pieces like the L.L. Bean Boat and Tote that I swear has been in my family for the last twenty years and a collection of baskets on the cabinet that has lived equally as long.
Meaningful Touches
Every space needs meaningful touches. I left plenty of room for my mom to decorate as she wants but wanted this place to feel immediately like home and not an airbnb. Photos of my mom and here children, her sisters, our broader families welcomed her home and made the space feel like she already lived there.
Photos on the walls of my (local) siblings and I completed the space. We surprised my mom last fall with a photoshoot of the four of us that I rapidly printed out and added to the walls. My siblings and I chose a loose color palette that mimics the room and Marcus took them one sunny day. If you are struggling to figure out what to get your mom for mother’s day this year, might I suggest a session with your siblings? My mom loved it and was so surprised by the prints in the room. I chose a simple black frame to add dimension from the white walls and for the subject matter to pop.
I balanced out a few of the more personal prints with a few good pieces of art from Artfully Walls like this French Riviera beach umbrella print and this lighthouse that happens to be in North Carolina. Felt like the perfect Easter egg for Mom’s new home.
Okay, friends. That’s a wrap on a home that took forever and a day to post. I completed this space in fall of 2023. Since then, my mom has lived and loved in it and it’s evolved into a space of her own. I am so happy to put a bow on one of my favorite projects of all time and so grateful for the amazing partners and brands who came along to ensure this space happened in record time. I can not thank them enough! And I can not thank you enough for being here for all iterations of this space and iterations of me.
Want to see more of this house? Please do!
Full List of Sources including partnerships
- Nantucket Lightship Basket: c/o Michael Healy
- Hyperlink front door color: c/o Clare Paint
- Outdoor Lantern: c/o Progress Lighting
- Chunky Jute Rug: c/o rugs.com
- Jute Stair Treads: c/o rugs.com
- Column Side Table Lamps: One Kings Lane
- Gingham Curtain Panels: Wayfair
- Barrel Chairs: second hand but these are similar
- Rattan table lamp:c/o Serena and Lily
- Lighthouse art: c/o Artfully walls
- French Riviera art: c/o Artfully Walls
- Chinoiserie stool: sold-out but this one is similar
- Garden art above mantle: public domain by Claude Monet
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