Cottage

Name: Mary Kate Fitzpatrick Location: St. Louis Hills — St. Louis, Missouri Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Mary Kate Fitzpatrick’s St. Louis shotgun apartment boasts many delightful characteristics, but perhaps most tantalizing is the bedroom view: just feet away is Ted Drewes, serving the city’s famous frozen custard. But temptation begins to melt away as you make your way to the opposite end to a living room bathed in sunlight.

Name: Christine and Gabe Bridger, Emelia and Jenson Location: Evanston, Illinois Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned During long summer walks, the Bridger family would peer into the windows of this 1920s cottage. When it finally became available, they purchased it without even stepping foot inside. The home was not period correct, nor was the space very functional, so they opened up every wall possible without losing the historic charm.

Name: Julie Pointer Adams and her husband Ryan Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 200 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting Choosing to live in a small home—paring down your belongs and living more minimally—isn’t always easy. And sharing a small home can be even harder.

Name: Danielle and Ely Franko Location: Tannersville, New York Size: 1,529 square feet Years Lived In: Every weekend for the past two years, owned “We purchased our home two years ago, somewhat on a whim,” begins Ely Franko. He and his wife Danielle love living and working in New York City, but after five years of a hectic urban life, they had started to yearn for “greener pastures.” The couple weren’t very familar with Tannersville, or the Hunter Mountain area.

Name: Steve and Nikki Carlson Location: Encinitas, California Size: 544 square feet Years Lived In: 4 months, owned Our home, which we named “Cottage + Sea,” is a tiny 544-square-foot beach bungalow studio steps from Moonlight Beach in the quaint surf town of Encinitas near San Diego, California. We never knew we could live tiny.

Name: Kaitlyn Shimazaki Location: Belmont Heights/ Belmont Shores — Long Beach, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Kaitlyn has one of those quintessential beach cottages we all imagine landing when we move to California. Her small home is technically the guest house to a larger home, but she gets all the perks of a “standalone” building.

Name: Lauri Carleton, husband Bort Carleton, kids Kelsey and Ari Carleton, Buoy the Aussiedoodle, Zorba the Yorkshire mix, and Jake the orange tabby Maine Coon cat. Location: Lake Arrowhead, California Size: 2,300 square feet Years Lived In: Owned, renovations for 7 years, lived in for past 5 years Our family planted their roots in Lake Arrowhead in the 1940s. Lauri grew up spending an extensive amount of time with her grandparents that had built a family lodge in Lake Arrowhead.

Name: Layla and Kevin PalmerLocation: Prattville, AlabamaSize: 1,910 square feetYears lived in: 2 years Documenting their journey of home renovation, Layla and Kevin Palmer have set out on a mission to create a beautiful, functional, comfortable and inspiring home. Located in Prattville, Alabama this home perfectly blends antique/flea market finds with a subtle nautical style all under a neutral color palette.

Name: Julie and Andrew Puckett, Starbuck the dog, and Mr. Butters the cat Location: Stone Mountain, Georgia Size: 200 square feet Years lived in: 4 months; Owned The American dream seems to change with each generation, and with the high cost of living these days and the longing to simplify, many young Americans are skipping the white picket fence and jumping straight into the tiny house movement.

Name: Grace, blogger of Grace Happens and Collin SorensenLocation: San Diego, CaliforniaSize: 1,200sq ftYears Lived In: 2.5 months All month long, we’ve been sharing Home Hacks from small projects like caring for teak furniture and dealing with stripped screws to bigger challenges, like how to cover up an ugly AC unit. But how’s this for the ultimate Home Hack?

Name: Rachel PittsLocation: Footscray, Melbourne, AustraliaSize: 82 square meters [882 square feet]Years lived in: 3 years >> Rachel and Leigh’s home has a really open, genuine and fresh feel to it. One of the first things they did after purchasing their 1900’s weatherboard home, was tearing down the wall in between the kitchen and living room.

Name: Adriana Neumann Location: Italian Market; Philadelphia, PA Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented We all strive to create a home that is highly personal, and Adriana’s small one-bedroom apartment is exactly that. Filled with hand-me-down furniture from family members, collected items from her travels across the country, and unique pieces that Adriana has made herself, this home is packed with memories and meaning.

Name: Christina Birch and Lars Fynbo and their two sons Location: Zealand, Denmark Size: 39 square meter (420 square feet) Years lived in: 8 years; Owned When Christina, a photographer, and Lars, a sociology professor, decided to continue living in central Copenhagen with their two boys, they knew they’d also need a place in the country for peace and nature.

Project by: Alex Location: German Village — Columbus, Ohio My girlfriend and I recently purchased a 1885 brick cottage in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, OH. While the house had great bones and needed nothing major, it was very outdated and needed a lot of cosmetic work. We renovated the entire first floor, including drywalling all of the walls and ceilings, refinishing the original old growth pine floors, and redoing the entire kitchen and layout.

Name: Lesli DeVito Location: Greenwood — Charlottesville, Virginia Size: 3624 square feet Years lived in: Owned 12 years Lesli, a painter, and her family first rented this Charlottesville home—originally built in 1880. But after only a year of living in the space, they bought it from the owner. They are only the second family ever to own the house. Lesli, who runs the blog My Old Country House, has put a lot of heart into this home for the past 12 years.

It can take time to settle in and create your perfect family home. Lesli has spent the last 12 years pouring herself into her 140-year-old Virginia home. With a little help from her shopping resources you can get to work today on a classic and colorful space of your own!

Name: Violet (singer/songwriter) and Cracker Jack Location: East Nashville — Nashville, Tennesee Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 8 months Violet is a Los Angeles native living in Nashville Tennessee. While in graduate school she fell in love with the works of Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris and decided to make the leap into a full time musician. She moved to Nashville in 2013 to follow her passion of singing and songwriting.

Name: Julie and David Holdsworth Location: Lake Forest, Illinois Size: 3,948 square feet Years lived in: 20 years, owned From its architectural design to pristine English gardens to the artists that have made this a home, this cottage is truly magical.

Name: Alee Ruggieri Location: Greenwich Village — New York City Size: Roughly 200 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years Alee Ruggieri is a film director, editor, writer and photographer living in New York City’s bustling Greenwich Village. The neighborhood is filled with things to see and do; coffee shops, restaurants, vintage clothing stores and more.

Name: Louise, husband Brett and three kids Location: Camp Mountain, Australia Size: Approx 4413sqft Years Lived In: 3 years, owned Louise and her family have the best of both worlds: a lovely old home on a large block with gumtrees and only a 30-minute drive to the city. The old house suits Louise’s style perfectly, as her home is full of furniture from her grandparents, and finds from antique shops, thrift stores and local makers.

Name: Natasha Location: The Annex, Toronto Size: 190 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting A historic mansion in Toronto is a book and history lover’s dream and for Natasha, it’s also home. Well, one small bit of it is home: Natasha rents a 190-square-foot studio apartment in the building. And though teeny, she finds her living space less congested now than when she lived in a house full of roommates.

Name: Steve Schappacher & Rhea White of SchappacherWhiteLocation: Shelter Island, New York We bought this 1904 fisherman’s cottage 5 years ago. Originally planning to use the home as a weekend retreat from NYC, we now spend most of our time in the 1,100 square foot house, a block from Cockles Harbor.

Name: Michelle Grayson and family Location: Brisbane, Queensland Size: 2,874 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned Atop one of the highest residential streets of Brisbane grows a huge fig tree, and beneath its leaves is a nearly 100-year-old home. Inside this house, behind its stained glass front door, is the cozy and inviting home of Michelle Grayson, one half of the genius behind Sprout Gallery.

Name: Shawna Smith, her husband and two sons Location: Downers Grove, Illinois Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 7 months, owned “Myself, my husband, and our two little boys lived in Chicago for years before deciding to take the leap and move to the ‘burbs,” writes interior stylist Shawna Smith. “We chose Downers Grove for its small-town appeal and outstanding schools.

Name: Tara and Thierry Broucqsault, their son Henri, dogs Lola and Junebug, Maverick the cat, and Bobby the Gecko Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 11 years; Owned Set high above the street, Tara and Thierry’s charming cottage is a place where family, pets and guests can truly feel at home.

Raya is inspired by natural materials, classic colors, found objects, and timeless modern design.

Name: Kersten & Kim McFarland and their children, Christian and Grace Location: Maylands, Western Australia Size: 170 square meters (1,830 square feet) Years lived in: Two years; Owned When Kim and Kersten first stumbled upon their 1950s cottage, they could see its potential right away. The location was enviable, boasting both a nearby river and views of the city, and they knew with some careful planning, they could turn the small, dark house into the light, bright family home that it is today.

Name: Rebecca and Gareth Smith and their dog, Penny, and cat, Bobby Location: Etobicoke; Toronto, Ontario Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned Rebecca and Gareth were a classic case of opposites attracting, but over the years they have learned to adapt to each other’s lifestyles and tastes—and it actually turns out that they have a lot more in common than they realized at first glance.

Name: Laura Evans and Blaine Perry and their cat, Honey Location: Asheville, North Carolina Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Historic divided-light windows, crystal door knobs, a brick fireplace, and picture rail molding are just some of the architectural details in Laura and Blaine’s all-white, all-natural 1920s-era home. Their edited decorating style leaves few layers to hide behind, imparting a meaningful weight to each element.

Name: Rachel (Peach) & Craig Woods and their three children Location: Dunsborough, Western Australia Size: 300 square metres (3230 square feet) Years lived in: 3 years; Owned When Peach and Craig first bought this house in the coastal town of Dunsborough, south of Perth, it had been seemingly untouched since the 1970s.

Name: Musician Jess Williamson, Mikaylah Bowman (co-owner of local Austin bookstore Farewell Books) and Frankie Dog Location: East Austin, Texas Size: Two bedrooms, one bath Years lived in: Renting, 1.5 years There’s a soft, quiet peacefulness to a home that embraces a “work with what you’ve got” attitude.

Name: Wendy Withers + Gavin Lester, their two sons Boots + Oscar, two dogs Olive + Bear Location: Mar Vista — Los Angeles, CA Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 3 years — own Wendy and Gavin share this incredible and cozy cottage with their two boys and two dogs. They have built a joyous home full of artwork and inspiration, designed with traditional and eclectic elements; an adorable family home. Raising a baby and toddler can keep you on your toes.

Name: Jess, Erio, Stella & Tiger Brown (& Shorty the dog)Location: West Petaluma — CASize: 1300 square feetYears lived in: 7 — Owned While some peoples homes speak pages about them, the Browns’ home is a vintage encyclopedia set. A set that is hued in the colors of the Sahara desert at sunset, with well worn tea stained pages that only the passage of time and care can create.

Name: Deborah Strauss, Lizzie the bird and Bentley the dogLocation: North Hyde Park — Austin, Texas Size: 1,570 square feetYears lived in: 5 — owned Who says you have to fill a modern architecture home with contemporary or Mid-Century Modern furnishings? We found an Austin resident who furnished her modern house with a medley of shabby chic, French-inspired decor and eclectic items in a careful mix that seems both exciting, relaxing and just perfect.

Name: Laurel HarringtonLocation: Mill Valley — CaliforniaSize: 1,800 square foot cottage with guest barnYears lived in: 10 — owned From the first day Laurel Harrington moved into her hillside Mill Valley cottage, she had her mind set on one thing: creating a space that was cheerfully chic. Laurel, an interior designer by trade, started her company, Harrington Design, in 2002 and has been creating lovely interior spaces every since.

Name: Alisha, Graham & Finley Irwin Location: Fairfax, CA Size: 320 square foot studio cottage with loft Years lived in: newly built guest cottage behind our home Rented or Owned: owned When Alisha and her husband were ready to renovate their tiny guest house they decided on two things: to keep it as low impact and green as possible and to infuse it with their happy, bright, vintage style.

Name: Tina, Matthew & Pablo Location: Port Douglas, QLD, Australia Size: 98 square meters [1060 square feet]Years lived in: 3 years, owned Artist Tina and her chef husband Matthew live in a beachside cottage in Port Douglas with their toddler Pablo. Living half the year in one of Australia’s most beautiful holiday destinations and the other half in Berlin, they make good use of their home by renting it out as a holiday rental when they’re not there.