The Lure of a Cottage

There were several things that won me over when I first looked at my little cottage.

One of them was certainly the black-and-white 1930s bathroom.
 

I fell in love with the large set in tub, the pedestal sink,

the vintage etched glass medicine cabinet,

and the step-up shower on the other side of the room

with its old-fashioned ripple-glass door.

Another aspect of the cottage that wooed me was the 'verandah'.

I call it a verandah but it's more like an old porch you find on a beach house.
It didn't have an exterior door, which I liked,
and you entered it through french doors from the dining room.

I immediately envisioned this little oasis filled with green plantlife

and white chipped wicker furniture.

It had enormous screens on three sides, offering a perfect view

of the rear gardens I was already planting in my mind.

I knew that once the fair weather arrived each year,

it would become my official thinking post.

A place to stand first thing in the morning to watch the birds,

a place to sit at at mid-day with lunch or a cup of tea,

and a place to curl up at night to listen to the crickets.

Even on chilly days, I could picture myself wearing a shawl or sweater

and taking my tea out there, just to feel nearer to my imaginary gardens.

And then there was the fireplace. Enough said.

It had a lovely mantle I could use to display family treasures,

and a hearth where I could enjoy fires in the autumn, winter, or early spring.

It would, literally and figuratively, become the heart of the house.

 

And perhaps at no time during the year is a fireplace more useful

- or more iconic - than at Christmas time.

 I would certainly put it to good use during the holidays,

with boughs of holly and festive candles.

 There were other things I loved about the cottage, of course.

A kitchen that reminded me of the one I adored in the film Green Card. 

A laundry chute with tiny doors in the upstairs hallway and the kitchen.

An ironing board that pulled down out of the wall in the kitchen.
A narrow pantry cupboard with lots of shelves.

Interior shutters throughout the house: on the side-lights by the front door,

on the windows on either side of the fireplace, and on the stair landing.

 But it was the bathroom, the porch, and the fireplace that sealed the deal.  

Odd things, perhaps, to inspire someone to buy a cottage,

but there you are.