When the Daily Beast website featured this charming Hamptons house recently, I knew I had seen it somewhere before. It was featured in House Beautiful back in 2008, but I was excited to see some new photos of it. It belongs to designer Tom Scheerer, who gave it elegant country-cottage style…

The Daily Beast article says, “A brick path lined with low box hedges leads to the front door of this 18th-century cottage. It may look simple from the outside, but the inside is true East Hampton. No, not the new Hampton of lavish marble and four-car garages, but the old elegance of blue-and-white nautical patterns and an open, breezy layout.” (My favorite kind!)

Scheerer explained, “There’s an 18th-century tavern-like vibe to the house,” he says, “and I wanted to play to that.”

Scheerer created wraparound scenic wallpaper for the dining area by enlarging a Currier & Ives print of Newport Harbor:

The decorating was inspired by a childhood friend’s grandparents’ house where Tom used to spend his summers.

Love this sunroom:

For more photos and information, check the August 2008 issue of House Beautiful by Mimi Read and the slideshow on Daily Beast. Photos by Simon Upton. You can learn more about Tom Scheerer on his website.

Hooked on Old Hamptons Houses? This one’s for sale:

This “coastal cottage” featured in Better Homes and Gardens belongs to an active family of four. They wanted to create some vintage beach style with “a fresh-squeezed color scheme,” starting with the tangerine front door…

The colors they used were inspired by the painting over the mantel.

The dining room has coral and white-striped curtains that steal the show:

Outside the dining room is a cozy built-in bench:

Although the house is clearly bigger than what you’d usually think of as a cottage, they were aiming for that kind of charm and style in the rooms.

Visit BHG for all the photos and details.

The house looks so bright and cheery, doesn’t it? It’s been rainy and cool here in Ohio–wish we could get some of that warmth and sunshine today! -Julia

P.S. Hooked on Coastal Cottage Style? Check this out:

Welcome to Hollyhock, “a classic Moody Cottage with a steep, pitched roof situated on a storybook lane in Montecito.” The listing says it was given “a modern twist during a recent eco-friendly remodel.” Take a look:

If you’re not familiar with Moody Cottages, there’s a nice article about them in the LA Times. Sisters Harriet, Mildred, Brenda and Wilma Moody built about three dozen of them in the 1930s and ’40s. They usually look more eccentric and whimsical than this.

As the article notes, “The Moody sisters made full use of windows, beams, doors and other house parts salvaged from large homes being torn down after the Depression to save on property taxes. These recycling efforts only lent their already fanciful creations another charmingly random dimension.”

The property has a lavender garden, “private meditation pond,” and a “signature Moody play house.”

It’s on the market for $1.795 million. Want it? For more photos and information check the listing presented by Kelly Knight of Village Properties.

Hooked on Cottages? Click here to see more I’ve featured, like…

When Tricia sent me this photo of her kitchen for my contest, it took me a minute to realize it was the before shot and not the after. It looked pretty good to begin with! Everything was nice and new, but it just wasn’t her style. She wanted more of a cottage kitchen. Here’s how it looks now:

She writes that it took them only 7 days to transform the room into something more cottage-y: “We tore out the existing upper cabinets and added open shelving. We built and installed two new, deeper cabinets to flank the stove.”

Here’s a photo of her current table and chairs that she just sent me:

Even the adjoining laundry room has a little cottage charm:

“We love our kitchen because it really reflects our style and how we function in that space. We didn’t let the oh no, it’s brand new stop us!” Visit Tricia’s blog to see more of her beautiful home: The Little Cottage on the Pond.

Thanks to Tricia and all the other readers who submitted their kitchens for my contest. To see the other entries I’ve featured so far, visit my Kitchen page.

Hooked on Kitchens? Click here to see more, like…

Maribeth’s Inspiring Makeover on a Budget

This one-bedroom gingerbread cottage is so colorful and quirky that it made me smile. You don’t see houses like this very often! It was built in 1871 and is on the market in the Historic Mount Tabor neighborhood of New Jersey for $299,900. Take a look…

The listing says, “A stunning gingerbread cottage in Historic Mount Tabor! Decorative ironwork, ornate woodwork and whimsical details throughout.”

“Double door entry to living room with amazing plaster ornaments, stained glass in bay window nook and beamed ceiling with antique pendant lights.”

“Wood burning stove. Hardwood floors throughout first floor. Gingerbread arch into dining room and kitchen.”

A niche carved into the top of the staircase:

“Wide plank heart pine floors on 2nd level. MBR with sitting area and space for possible 2nd BR. Ornate gingerbread arch with glass details between rooms.”

“Remodeled bath with antique oversize pedestal sink & claw foot tub.”

“MBR features loads of light from cupola skylight and double doors to the beautiful balcony.”

“Serene yard with iron gazebo, perennial plantings.”

This cottage could really be a gem in the right creative hands. What would you do with it? Check the listing for more photos and information or take the virtual tour. (Thanks to Kim for telling me about it!)

Hooked on Cottages? Click here to see more, including…

Old Fox Cottage in the Cotswolds

Since the final movie in the Twilight saga premiered last year, readers have been begging for photos of Edward and Bella’s sweet little honeymoon cottage in the woods. I finally got around to watching it myself and getting the pics for you, and I have to agree with everyone who said, “It’s the best thing about the movie!” Take a look:

The exterior of the cottage in the movie looked kind of fake to me. I thought maybe it was just CGI (like baby Renesmee in the movie), especially since we never get any real closeups of it. However, a fansite posted photos of the cottage being built in February 2011. I’m guessing it was in Vancouver, where they filmed exterior scenes for the movie.

The interiors were most likely created on a separate soundstage (they filmed at Raleigh Studios in Louisiana).

Here’s how Bella describes the cottage in the book:

“There, nestled into a small clearing in the forest, was a tiny stone cottage, lavender gray in the light of the stars…. Honeysuckle climbed up one wall like a lattice, winding all the way up and over the thick wooden shingles. There was a little path of flat stones, amethyst in the night, that led up to the quaint arched wooden door.”

Esme and Alice fixed up the run-down old cottage behind the Cullens’ main house as a 19th birthday gift for Bella.

Alice makes sure Bella’s walk-in closet is fully stocked with clothes and shoes. Who wouldn’t love a sister-in-law like that?

The only photo I could get of the bedroom was this one, of Bella in front of the fireplace. Made me a little crazy that the camera didn’t give us a better look at it! You can see them walking into it, and a glimpse of the headboard, in this clip.

Renesmee’s nursery:

4/13 Update: Joni wrote a wonderful post about the cottage and how they created it for the film at Cote de Texas.

Renesmee grows so fast that the next time we see her room, there’s a big-girl bed in it instead of a crib:

My only complaint? They didn’t spend more time in the cottage! I thought they should have had the rest of the movie take place in it. Ha.

P.S. If you love cottages, click here to see my favorites. If you’re looking for a house from one of your favorite movies, check my TV & Movie Houses page.

Hooked on Twilight?

• Pics of Bella’s House in Forks
• Pics of the Cullens’ Contemporary House
• For Sale: The House from New Moon
• Bella & Edward’s Honeymoon Hideaway in Brazil

This little white house for sale in Santa Barbara, California, has a bit of history behind it. It was designed in 1919 by the notable architect Wallace Neff in “English farmhouse style” as a vacation cottage for his parents. Take a look:

Love the Dutch Doors.

How lucky would you be as parents to have an architect like Wallace Neff for a son? “Hey, Mom and Dad, I built you a vacation cottage in Santa Barbara…”

When my son was about 5 years old he told us he wanted to be an architect when he grew up. I kind of got my hopes up when I heard that. But kids have a way of bursting your bubbles…

I said, “That would be great! Someday you could design a house for me.”

He paused and then screwed up his little face. “You’re pretty old, though, Mom. By the time I’m an architect, you’ll probably be dead.”

Now he wants to study software engineering. So I’m not dead yet, but my dreams of having a cottage like this designed by my son are.

The listing says: “Set on .21 acres, located on the East edge of the lower Riviera with city and ocean views, while also being close in to shops and restaurants of downtown. The heart of the home centers around the large English fireplace in the living room with wood beamed ceilings and wide plank wood floors.”

It’s on the market for $1.695 million. Check the listing at Village Properties for more photos and information.

Hooked on Cottages? Check out my Cottages page to see some of my favorites!

 P.S. Reese Witherspoon is selling Wallace Neff’s Libbey Ranch in Ojai…

This charming home may be fairly new and big, but it was designed to have the warmth and patina of an old French country cottage. I love the details that Barnes Vanze Architects put into it, from brick floors to beamed ceilings.

The architect describes it as a new country French cottage: “The clipped gables, engaged dormer and belvedere tower connect with their inspirational rural examples in France from Normandy to the Dordogne.”

“Reclaimed wood, tiles, stone, natural stucco and interior plaster offer patina and familiarity, while wrought iron details and handmade tile add fine-scaled detail.”

One of my favorite spaces is this living room with its wood and tile fireplace and built-in bookshelves:

But what really grabbed my attention was the kitchen:

This is the first photo I saw of the house (below) and was the reason I had to see more:

I was excited to find not only the kitchen but the rest of the house in Barnes Vanze Architect’s portfolio at Houzz. Head over there for more photos and info, or check out the Barnes Vanze website.

Principal Designer on the project was Anthony “Ankie” Barnes. Photos taken by Anice Hoachlander of Hoachlander Davis Photography.

Hooked on French Country style? Check out Designer Suzy Stout’s farmhouse:

Chania submitted these before and after photos of her kitchen in Ontario for my contest and I love how she gave the space some much-needed personality. She says that when they bought this tiny cottage, “it showed like a dog with fleas. The kitchen was so ho-hum, it was crying out for a makeover.”

Chania says, “I painted all the cupboards, changed the hardware and added lots of authentic collections that I found in the Grey Bruce region of Ontario where the cottage is.”

“My favourite part is the island. It was a horrible laminate with green counters. I found 2 old doors and had a neighbour friend panel the island with them. He then covered the counters with authentic barnboard that he got from a farmer who was tearing his barn down….part of why I loved this kitchen.”

They have since sold the cottage–you may recall that I featured her new kitchen in Florida. For more photos and information about this makeover, visit Chania’s blog Razmataz.

All week I’m featuring kitchen makeovers readers submitted for my contest. Miss any?

Poppy’s Kitchen in Greece

 6 Dramatic Kitchen Renos

We’ve taken a lot of house tours together on my blog over the past 12 months, so I thought it would be interesting to see which ones were the most popular, getting the most comments, clicks, and shares. I think it tells a lot about my readers that more cottages than mansions made the list.

With a drumroll, please, here are the Top 10 Houses of 2012: 

10. A Beach Hut where Kate Winslet Vacations and Demi Moore Filmed a Movie

9. Brooke Giannetti’s Romantic Shingle-Style House

8. Suzanne Kasler’s English-Country Style in the Mountains

7. A New House in Cape Cod Built to Look Like Grey Gardens

6. Croatan Cottage: A Beautifully Restored Kit House in North Carolina

5. Fig Tree Cottage For Sale: White Picket Fence Included

4. A Storybook Tudor in Oakland

3. An Old School House Becomes a Cheerful Cottage in the Catskills

2. A House Built with Turn-of-the-Century Details in Ocean City

1. The Story of a 1925 Craftsman Cottage in Mississippi

Did any of your favorites make the list? Several of mine did. I’m always partial to houses that belong to my readers, like Fig Tree Cottage, and to fellow bloggers like Brooke.