This past spring, I completed the first phase of a cottage refresh near Peggy’s Cove. The homeowner contacted me last winter about replacing built-ins in the master bedroom, and was also interested in hearing my ideas on how he could update the overall look of his 150 year old cottage.
The property owner lives in the UK, so with an address, and a passcode, and my snowshoes in hand (yes… you read that right!) I headed out towards Peggy’s Cove to take a look.
Well, as we all know, the Maritimes practically disappeared under several massive snowfalls last winter. When I arrived, the snowbanks came half way up the door, the locks were frozen, and I couldn’t get in! I’d have to come back in the spring.
When I returned, and got to take a look around, I was struck by the rustic charm and beautiful location of this cottage. The colours and fabrics were really outdated, but there was certainly lots of potential. Purchased over 15 years ago, and never painted since, it was time for a refresh!
The homeowner wanted a Scandinavian modern feel, so I decided that the whole interior should be a wash of creamy white and the trim, a pale soft grey.
We kept all of the furniture, but added new chairs in the kitchen eating area, and an antique hutch that I found at Finer Things in Halifax. The eiffel style chair in the photo below is from Attica.
The window coverings also got an update- I tore out all of the old curtains throughout the house, and replaced them with roman blinds for a nice clean look.
We injected colour and interest by adding new bedding and lots of new toss cushions on the sofa and beds. The beautiful seaweed-like patterned cushions above were commissioned by local textile artist Marilyn Smulders.
Contemporary fixtures from Living Lighting and West Elm helped to pull together this clean and modern look.
As for the built-in sink, we debated taking it out altogether, but I felt that it was kind of charming to have a small sink in a rental property master bedroom. So, we kept the sink but tore out the old vanity and added a new wardrobe for extra storage.
Right next to the vanity and sink, I reupholstered the window seating with fresh new fabrics. It went from a very retro orange to a bright and modern blue and white stripe. A great little spot for reading.
Now onto phase 2- installing an open and airy Scandi-inspired custom kitchen, re-finishing the floors and selecting some new furniture and art. In phase 3, we will tackle the exterior, including paint, lighting, and a new front deck!
I’ll be sharing it all here on the blog, and on Instagram and Facebook so keep following along! You can subscribe here to get our latest blog posts in your inbox.