It's All About the Details at the Storybook Cottage

We've made so much progress on the Storybook Cottage!  It's hard to believe how much it's changed.


Electrical, plumbing and drywall are all complete.  And a crisp coat of white primer makes the whole place look so fresh and inviting.    Can you believe the difference with the walls removed??

Starting Point

In Progress - Walls removed and new windows in place, look at the sunlight flooding the rooms!!

But that's just the beginning of the finish work -  it's all the custom work that really makes the house special.  And we have a LOT of custom projects!

Habitat for Humanity ReStore find - $30!!!!

First up - this corner cabinet that I found at Habitat for Humanity's ReStore for $30!!!  Amazing bargain and I knew it would look fantastic in the corner at the bottom of the steps.  It's one of the first things you see as you enter the room.  And with the arch and the serpentine shelves, it's a real 'wow' piece.




Kyle got it installed and it's really exceeded expectations.  He built a platform for it to sit up at the baseboard level, so it blends seamlessly into the wall trim.  Doesn't it look like it was always there, between the windows?  Such a charming use of space!

Perfect fit!!

But that's not the only special project in the open living space.  In the dining area, I wanted to add a custom banquette.  We've done a banquette before, but we wanted this to be a bit different, with lots of seating space for family get togethers.

Each of the banquette sections will open for storage (because who doesn't need more storage space!), but the overall look is clean and streamlined.  We used extra wide beadboard for a bit of New England styling on the back.  And once the floors have been finished, we'll add tall baseboard molding, to match the rest of the house.

Next up - replacing the old, unused front door with this original, wavy glass window. Isn't it a great feature? It was part of the rarely used porch next to the front door.



We moved it to the front of the house and now it lends such a vintage vibe to the room, while also looking good from the exterior!

And did you notice the interior molding?  There were so many different moldings in this house, reflecting the different additions and updates over its history.  After a bit of investigation, we realized that the 2nd floor molding was original - with classic casing and rosettes in each corner.  We did some searching and found molding to match and have installed it throughout the whole house, for a cohesive look and lots of vintage charm!

And what's the project that has kept me busy for the last week and a half??  Stripping all the paint off of the newel post and handrail.  It was a HUGE job, but what an amazing difference!   Once it was cleaned up, I used an oiled finish on the vertical grain fir and it positively glows!

What else?  Well, the bathrooms are in process, the floors will get finished this week and the kitchen is on deck after the floors are in.  Stay tuned!

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