Small Updates For The Cottage

Things are progressing here at the cottage...slow and steady. A little pruning, a little gardening, some cleaning and sorting and overall puttering. Unlike our past homes, we have no plans to move in the future, so we feel no need to work at a break-neck speed to get it all done. That's not to say that I don't want to paint the entire main floor TODAY. I do! But I know we will get to it soon enough.

We've been swapping out some things that just didn't fit with our idea of turning this modern-ish ranch into a cozy cottage. Take, for example, the lighting fixtures. This one in the office looked way too modern for me. The previous owner was a big fan of all things swirly.

We swapped it out for this lovely vintage-looking fixture from allen + roth at Lowe's.

These amber colored Heritage light bulbs give it a nice finishing touch.

Aaah. That looks better! The light fixtures also go well with the curtain rods. I can't help it. I'm a matchy matchy girl.

And speaking of matchy matchy, I knew I wanted the light fixture in the foyer to match the other allen + roth fixtures we'd purchased for the kitchen and office.

Here's the fixture that originally hung in this space. It was big., at least eighteen inches across. It just felt heavy and weighty and cumbersome in this small space.

Here's what we replaced it with:

When the old fixture came down and the new one went up, it felt as if the foyer had gone on a diet and lost fifty pounds! I love this lantern style. And one of the best features? No dead bugs collect in it. Yay!

We used the same amber Heritage bulbs. It gives a nice soft glow with pretty shadows on the ceiling. Yes, the dreaded popcorn ceiling. For some odd reason, the foyer and great room have the popcorn ceilings, but every other ceiling in the house is smooth. I'm thinking of covering the popcorn with white bead board in the future.

That front door is on my To Be Painted Soon list!

This feature foyer wall? Also on the list!

Paint chips, propped and examined and moved around on a daily basis. LOL!

Jemma photo bomb!

You may wonder: what do they do will all of the stuff they remove from houses?

I try really hard not to be a wasteroo. If I can repurpose something, I do. And if something is in good working condition, I will find it a home. Occasionally, we sell items on Craigslist. Recently, I've been giving away a lot of items on a site called Nextdoor.

Have you ever heard of Nextdoor? I really like it. Think of Facebook for your town, where only locals can see your postings. Need a good plumber recommendation? You can ask on Nextdoor. Lost dog? Selling a bike? Giving away light fixtures? This is the place to do it! I have used it often. It's a great way to connect in my new community.

Blessings, cafe friends!