Vintage apron art

 

A big part of Modern Cottage design is that subtle nod to the past - using vintage items in a modern way to add character, personality and a little sense of history. We love incorporating vintage pieces into our decor in creative ways. We've used old crates as wall art, transformed a weathered wood A-board sign into mirrors for two bathrooms, and most recently framed a delightful vintage lumber yard apron - a bit yellowed with age and slightly out of square - in a clean, white frame. The ties were tucked neatly behind the mat so the apron would remain intact. We especially liked the lettering and details on this apron, which we found at Daily Memorandum on Etsy. We put this piece together as a gift for a client, but really, really wished we had one to keep, too. I guess that's a sign of a great gift!

ombré for baby

Gorgeous blanket from Land of Nod. Also, this book caddy.

Original cards

 

These days I make all my own cards - for birthdays, holidays, announcements, thank yous, and gift-giving in general. It became too time-consuming hunting for that "just right" card when I had a clear sense of what I wanted and of course it simply didn't exist.

I found this great vintage hammer artwork, and used just a crop of it slightly askew on a fold-over card made from an 8.5x11 cut in half and then folded. (By the way, I recently discovered the most amazing matte photo paper and it makes fantastic cards, too since it feels nothing like photo paper, yet prints like photo paper. It's by OfficeMax and it's their Matte-Professional).

This card was for a builder client and to me the personal, handmade quality makes it more special than anything store bought. And they are so easy to make!

Little garden friend

 Adorbs.

(at West Elm)

Modern Cottage for kids

 As mentioned, Santa brought a couple cool items for the little guy. He got some help from Land of Nod and we couldn't be more pleased. First up, this darling retro car which is the kind of big toy you really don't mind sitting out in the middle of the living room.

And this comfy chair in a lovely charcoal grey solid fabric (sans personalization of course). Kudos to LON for understanding not everyone wants polka dots and contrast piping. This one is juuuuust right for our Modern Cottage :)

PVC shingles. Really.

Sounds wrong, we know, but did you see how they look on HGTV's 2013 Dream Home? Exactly like real cedar, from the texture and sheen to the variation in color across the individual shingles. I couldn't believe it. Now, I haven't seen the product  in person, but on camera it really looked like the real thing. We've used cedar shingles quite a bit and the thing we love most about them is how each piece takes the stain a little differently so the overall look is never perfectly uniform - and clearly they've figured out how to replicate that. Real wood is a great thing, but zero maintenance is certainly intriguing. We are not sure who supplied the shingles for the Dream Home, but found some here if you'd like to learn more.

Island house

This summer rec home on an island in the Netherlands is breathtaking isn't it? The saturated brown/black exterior with the crisp white and all that glass ... I find it mesmerizing. Such a dreamy setting, too.

It was constructed in 2011 and the shower, kitchen, etc. are built-in/concealed quite efficiently within the tall cabinetry. A whole section of the exterior opens up to enjoy the lake and views in summer.

Stunning.

(via 2by4 architects)

New year, new life

We are very excited to be breathing new life into this 1900s fishing cabin. Here's how it's looked in recent years. We'll have the after later this year once the remodeling and addition are complete!