When content creator Rose Adele, who runs a blog and decorating service, was looking for a new place to call home four months ago, she cast a wide radius in California for optimal locations. She wanted to be near family and friends, but not necessarily in her hometown. 

At the time, she had recently quit her full-time job and was pursuing freelance work full-time, making it tricky to get accepted for a rental home. However, when she stumbled upon an ADU cottage in the Monterey Bay area, she was grateful that the landlord welcomed her. 

“What first caught my eye was the ceilings of the little ADU/cottage,” Rose writes. “The walls and beams are a very bright, welcoming white, and they’re balanced out with this gorgeous natural wood ceiling and stone floor; it was shockingly similar to what I’d saved on my vision boards.”

Rose’s landlord, who’s a retired architect, actually built the home in the back of another larger home that’s also rented out. Even though there are some more modern details, like IKEA kitchen cabinets or stainless steel door knobs, it still feels cozy. “It still holds a lovely charm to it, I think, stemming from the natural wood ceiling and bright light streaming in from the large patio doors,” she shares. 

The cottage’s charm has had a larger impact on Rose than just being a gorgeous place to live. Throughout her 20s, she’s lived all over the globe, including Australia, Sri Lanka, Los Angeles, Colorado, and Oregon — but this home has made her want to stay for a while. 

“I’m a Sagittarius, so naturally I have the itch to explore the next place and the next adventure. However, it seems fitting that in the last year of my 20s, I’ve finally found a place that I feel settled in; that I could actually imagine staying in for a while and creating a more permanent life in,” Rose explains. Accepting the idea of planting roots somewhere is no longer scary to me, but welcomed and seen as its own next adventure.”

• Polar Bear, by Behr

• Wall decor — ​Shell mobile and decorative hand were handmade by myself, mini gold frame was thrifted, and the larger gold frame was from Target a few years ago (I dont think they’re selling it anymore)

• Thrifted sofa with linen covering — How-to
• Bigger throw pillows — Etsy
• Smaller throw pillows —Sezane
• Throw blanket — Brooklinen
• Rug — Etsy
• Coffee table & side table — Thrifted and restored
• Art — Thrifted, I made, or photos my friends took
• Bookshelf decor — Thrifted, handmade by me or my mom (she used to be a ceramicist) or my aunt (she’s a painter), or hand-me-downs from family members
• Bow vase — Made by my friend, Emily, available at cowgirlceramics.com (stock runs out fast!)
• Living room chair — Thrifted 
• Living room lamp — Thrifted

• Kitchen table/island — ​Thrifted
• Baskets — Mix of thrifted and random HomeGoods finds
• Pottery — Mix of thrifted or handmade by me or my mom
• Statement framed art — Thrifted 
• Little plate art — Thrifted
• Decorative spoons — I made
• Frame/art above stove — Thrifted frame; “print” is a postcard from a restaurant

• Bedframe — ​Birch Lane
• Decor and linens — Etsy
• Night stand, tall dresser, and armoire — All thrifted
• C’est Bon art — I painted; I sell prints on my website

• Frame/art — Thrifted frames; “print” is a postcard from a restaurant & photo is a picture my mom took from a day trip she and I took to the Bodega Bay when I was very young
• Shell mobile — I made

Thanks, Rose!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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