Yesterday, we looked at cottage style from Michigan. Today, we're heading overseas to Ireland, where tiny cottages are a time-honored tradition. Humble and often handmade from whitewashed walls and thatched roofs, these traditional homes in County Donegal make the most of their small footprints...
This bedroom adheres to a classic small-space rule: limiting the amount of furniture in a room keeps it from looking cluttered.
This Galwolie Cottage kitchen uses brightly painted trim to draw the eye towards the window and the landscape beyond.
Small homes don't need much heat to keep them warm. A central fireplace heats the living room on cold nights.
Many Irish cottages, like this Teachín Róise home, come equipped with turf-burning stoves that generate heat from earthen bricks.
This kitchen from Dougherty's Cottage is spacious enough to include a dining table and washing machine, all under a gabled roof. Many Irish homes skip the laundry room, including washing machines and drying racks in the kitchen.
This bedroom from Coastguard Station Cottage uses a classic small space solution: a large mirror that reflects light from the window.
This kitchen from Graham's Cottage is a classic Irish cooking and dining area, centered around a hearth.
In this bedroom from Ray Thatched Cottage, a large four-poster bed nearly reaches ceiling height. Just because a room is small doesn't mean it can't handle one large piece of statement furniture.
The boarded ceiling in this kitchen from Annie Clare's Cottage reinforces the horizontal lines of the room, making it appear longer.
For more traditional cottages from County Donegal, click here.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
It's nice to see simple, rustic cottages on AT (though a couple of them aren't at all small). Lots of people think that "rustic" automatically means an excess of cow-shaped pitchers and wallpaper borders. But it's possible to be simple without being sleek MCM.
view Lisa Hunter (Montreal)'s profile
I love that Dougherty kitchen, and that plain, almost monastic bedroom. I'm surprised there isn't a cross over the bed.
view Forestdweller's profile
I love the mix of creamy cream and white in the coastguard cottage. So fresh and inviting!
view yojmac's profile
Thanks for showing those lovely cottages! My grandfather was born in Donegal and it was great to see what some of the homes were like.
view suzy8track's profile
Wow! That ugly gold turf box in picture three brings back so many memories. Thousands of Irish families in the 1980s must have owned one, including mine. Thanks for making me smile on this cold grey Irish morning AT;)
view electrolad's profile
I think they are all lovely but definitely do not look small to me.
view sassydo's profile
Well spotted electrolad, I'm Irish too and yes, my family had one of those!
Also have to agree with other posters, these are not small cottages - that first bedroom is huge
view idontdobeige's profile
Poverty chic!
These cottages are very quaint, and they make me feel better about not having anything on my walls.
view jooly's profile
"Poverty chic"? Are you serious?
On another note, I visited some family in Ireland a few years ago and they had a lovely cottage. It was roughly 3-4 rooms (living room, kitchen and 1 or 2 bedrooms -- I didn't go into any of the bedrooms) and it was very quaint. They actually had a second stove in the living room.
view Doug in DC's profile
The small apron sink in the Galwolie kitchen is great. Wish I could find one that small here.
view Shawn's profile