Storytellers throughout the centuries have left humans with an
innate desire for cottages – by telling us about the happy times of characters like Snow White, living in the Dwarves’ forest cottage; or about the simple life of Peter Rabbit, “underneath the root of a very big fir tree,” surrounded by caring family and “onions [strung] from the kitchen ceiling with the bunches of herbs.” The romantic,
“fairy-tale” aura of childhood calls to us throughout adulthood, causing an undefined longing that finds expression in
cottage styling.
As children, we fulfilled our longing for the fairy-tale aura in blanket forts draped over dining room chairs, in the hollow of a low hanging weeping willow, in a creaking tree house nailed and tied into sweeping oak limbs, in the top bunk of a triple-decker bed snuggling close to the ceiling. Those memories bring
feelings of comfort and security, helping to define our adult sensibilities and lay a foundation for habitat decisions in the adult mind.
As adults, we retain these desires for comfort and security to buffer us from an outside world that screams for more attention; and at the end of our days leaves us stressed, over stimulated, and dis-eased. Connecting with this narrative, you know the appeal of square footage that doesn’t just deliver dry space out of the rain, but an almost
personable shelter, holding you in a warm,
soothing environment, while holding the demands of the world at bay. Once Upon A Cottage understands the desire for a place to lay on the rug in front of a flickering fire with a good book, or to sit in a sunny window seat and drift off to a nap.
There is a desire within our busy, demanding, workaday life for a “simpler, more elegant, values-oriented lifestyle.” (Jeffrey Thomas, Rejuvenation House Parts).
Fairytale styling needn’t mean silly, lightweight, Disneyfied design; there are
true architectural foundations for your “cottage.” At the same time, your
cottage reality need not be obscured by real pictures of real houses that real estate agents label “cozy” (postage stamp sized rooms), “quaint” (lacking in modern amenities), and the related picture of “updated” (hopelessly remodeled, all character removed thirty years ago).
The
simpler lifestyle embodied in a
fairytale cottage is absolutely achievable today, and these
story book elements can find reality through a set of
Once Upon A Cottage blueprints. Cottage design entails scrupulous
maximization of space, natural light, and traffic areas, thus saving money that can be applied toward
rich volume –
artful attention to details and materials. These practical expressions of cottage life’s appeal really are easy – to maintain, to live in, to love; expressive – of who you are, why you’re here, how you intend to move forward; and encouraging – of attention to detail, of relationships, of stewardship.
A cottage supports your
pursuit of life, rather than things. Sarah Suzanka describes the paradox well: “Our productivity has given us the wealth to acquire whatever we desire materially, but we are finding that material alone is an insufficient vision.” For that paradox, Once Upon A Cottage designs are at once
whimsical and practical -
perfect with which to live happily ever after.
