The Cottage Journal

When interior designer Mary McCollister Finch began her full-scale redesign of this Alabama home, her client provided only one stipulation: for the interiors to be a blend of traditional and contemporary styles. Opting for more relaxed furnishings wi

Enjoy the joie de vivre of an afternoon spent alongside friends inside a dreamy French-inspired hideaway. Imagine a gentle breeze as you sit surrounded by European ambience, with an easygoing vibe and carefree conversations taking place. While the su

When Kim McDivitt and her husband moved just outside their hometown of Houston, Texas, they were eager to incorporate the French ambience they both enjoyed from their years living abroad. However, the couple’s 2006-build home was dark and dated and d

Situated amongst the rolling hills of bucolic Brenham, Texas, a beautiful farm found its way back to a Houston couple whose family had owned it from 1968 to 1999. The current homeowners were high school sweethearts when the husband’s parents purchase

For Sharon and Gary Avants, this Château-inspired new build in Athens, Georgia, was designed to be their forever home—and with a long list of enchanting architectural details, it certainly fit the bill. But once the contractor’s work was finished, it

Francie and Ogden Deaton’s ranch-style house might appear to be a classic American abode from the outside, but as you cross the threshold, you’ll find yourself transported to a modern European retreat. Decked in neutrals and accented with vivid color

When Elizabeth and Christopher Frost decided to renovate their kitchen a few years ago, they didn’t have a specific style in mind. “We wanted something lighter than what we’d had,” Elizabeth recalls. One thing was certain, though: it would be tailore

Bethany O’Neil discovered the home on her daily walk through her neighborhood in Naples, Florida, when she happened to take a different path. “One of the things I loved about it was that it had French doors off the back when just about every other ho

Melissa and Tyler Smith moved into their 1980s home in 2016 and spent the next three years giving it a French-country face-lift. From improving the exterior landscaping and adding shutters to refinishing the floors, removing a few walls, and overhaul

After moving into this charming cottage-style abode more than 25 years ago, one of the most important aspects for this family was creating an additional outdoor room. What started as a large, sloping hill of a front yard was reimagined and reconstruc

Breathtaking landscapes enhance the striking architecture of Cindy and John Wise Jr.’s 1929 Georgian home, located in historic English Village in Birmingham, Alabama. With six distinct outdoor spaces surrounding the home—from a terraced garden overfl

Often found in luscious French gardens, emanating a delicate fragrance into the air, lilacs symbolize memories of home and mark the transition of spring to summer. A favorite garden perennial in the 18th century, the flowering shrub, once thought of