Impulsively perfect
Above: Living room with oversized sofa and modern accent chairs to pull in for cozier conversations. Benjamin Moore, Cake Batter does a complete flip on the former dark panelled walls.
How to transform a spur of the moment decision into the best idea ever BY NATALIE OWENS PHOTOS BY BRUCE MURRAY, VISIONFIRE
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o, don’t be mad. But I bought a cottage today in Chester.” “You, did what?” “I fell in love with this place, and I think you’ll love it too, but I had to put an offer in quickly and it was accepted, so now we own a cottage on the South Shore.” I wish this were a made-up story, unfortunately, it’s the truth about how my husband impulsively bought an 84-year-old home without telling me and thus began an unwanted labor of love of a home that was ready for a coastal update. At the time I was just launching my own business as a personal styling and interior design consultant and you can also throw in there learning how to be a new Mom. My husband thought nothing of the timing and was only focused on spending the summers in our new
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SUMMER 2021
cottage in Chester—a home exactly as he purchased it: dark and dated. When I asked him how we would furnish the four-bedroom, he told me to just look on Kijiji for temporary furniture, given he had already blown most of the budget on the purchase price. Luckily, we had been married long enough that I paid absolutely no attention and got to work sourcing fresh paint, new furniture and about six local handymen who would help me transform the space into my (our) new summer escape. Dark brown paneling spanned throughout the entire main floor, heavy trim and stucco ceilings, called for a serious paint job in order to lighten things up and give each room a more expansive, bright feel while keeping it cozy. The light fixtures had a nautical, gothic theme throughout each room that felt heavy, so we swapped in some beachy, brass fixtures
