By CHERYLL GILLESPIE
Is there is any better way to enjoy the summer than to spend it at the cottage with family and friends?
Imagine relaxing on the dock, watching the kids swim, curling up in a favourite chair, reading a good book during a rainstorm, barbecues and fun in the sun. Enjoying the outdoors, getting back to nature - this is what life is all about!
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This year, design your cottage's decor to give you and your family "sunsational" summer surroundings, designed to make life at the cottage more enjoyable, with minimal maintenance.
One of the challenges of cottage decorating is combining style and creativity into a home that is designed for easy living - and is only occupied for a few months a year. No one wants to be inside cleaning when everyone else is outside enjoying the sun.
Keep in mind that, during winter months, most cottages are unsecured, making them easy targets for burglaries. We must keep this point in mind when determining our decorating budget - and before we relocate any prized and valued treasures to the cottage.
When designing a cottage or summer home, think easy care, minimal upkeep and low-maintenance. Water, sand and mud are constantly be tracked through the house - therefore, choose products and finishes that have been designed for easy clean-up and minimal maintenance.
Using natural or natural-looking products in a home designed to celebrate the outdoors is a good option. For floors, laminate hardwood flooring is water-resistant, hardwearing and the clean-up is easy with a broom and damp mop. Slate, porcelain and roughly-textured ceramic tiles are also excellent hardwearing and low-maintenance options for the floor. The use of inexpensive area carpets over these hard surfaces will add colour, texture, and warmth.
Cottage walls provide the perfect opportunity to add colour and personality to your summer home. A gallon of terracotta-coloured paint will cost exactly the same as a gallon of beige paint - but will add a lot more personality to the room. Cottage walls are a canvas begging to be covered with texture and colour that has been inspired by Mother Nature herself. Keep the colour palette naturally inspired: moss greens, earthy browns, spicy terracottas, watery blues, brick reds, rich burgundies and straw yellows. These are colours that radiate natural warmth and personality.
Add texture to the walls with simple faux-finishing techniques. Check with your local paint store for faux-finishing supplies and ideas. There are many prepackaged faux paint kits that make faux-finishing quick and almost as easy to apply as regular wall paint.
Textured or faux-finished walls are low-maintenance. The textured surface will hide fingerprints and any flaws in the drywall much better than flat paint. Remember, your ceiling is the fifth wall in your room - it also deserves colour and style.
Furniture must be comfortable and easy to live with. Think, shabby chic - oversized and overstuffed. Slipcovers are an excellent design tool for the cottage. They can give a collection of mismatched upholstered furniture and hand-me-down pieces a uniform look, in addition to being easy to care for. Inexpensive, ready-made slipcovers are available in a variety of patterns, fabrics and colours.
When choosing case goods (coffee and end tables, etc.) think about easy summer living - glasses set on the table without coasters - and being able to relax with your feet up on the coffee table.
Window coverings should be designed to celebrate the view. Valances should frame the window and draw the eye into the view. Think simple! Curtain rods can be as simple as a tree branch or a twisted piece of wrought iron. Ready-made fabric panels can then be casually looped over the rod or tied across the top with tabs. If you prefer blinds, two-inch venetian blinds are less obstructive to a view of the lake than one-inch venetian blinds.
Two-inch venetian blinds are available in a variety of PVC (plastic) and natural textures, such as wood. Alternatively, wooden shutters or grass cloth roman shades give you a Mediterranean or beachfront feel.
Accessorizing the cottage is the final step in the decorating process. It is at this stage that our personalities and creativity really gets to shine. When accessorizing, think of a theme for your cottage. Do you want a seaside beach house or a rustic fishing lodge? For a beach house, accessories could include a collection of wooden seagulls and frames that have been covered in white sand. A piece of driftwood set on top of the fireplace mantel, and flanked with a pair of whitewashed wooden candleholders, completes the look.
If you prefer a rustic fishing lodge, try throw cushions or chair seats upholstered with plaid "lumber jacket" fabric. Frame a collection of vintage fishing lures; hang some fishing rods above the fireplace and old traps or snowshoes on the wall. A collection of old brown jugs, tin cans or wicker baskets will add interest when grouped above the cabinets or a window. A wooden bowl or plate filled with pinecones or river rocks makes a great centerpiece for the dining room table.
The secret to creating outstanding cottages is to pick a theme and stick to it: early Canadiana, a "lodge" look, Native American, seaside beach house or Mexican adobe. Be creative and inspired by summer activities that your family enjoy.
A cottage designed for easy care and summer fun is the most rewarding space. Have fun, be creative and feel free to go a little "overboard" on the home's decorating theme. It is the free spirit of creativity that will make your cottage - and your summer - simply sensational!
Illustration: photo courtesy of Lexington Furniture Industries
Cheryll Gillespie is a writer, featured guest speaker for home and lifestyle shows, television personality and host of Interiors by Cheryll, the national radio feature. Send your questions to askcheryll@shaw.ca or visit her website at www.cheryllgillespie.com.
