Christmas 2023 - Winter 2024

The Cottage Journal

Style with Fresh Charm

The Cottage Journal1 min read
The Cottage Journal
EDITOR Katie Ellis MANAGING EDITOR Bethany Adams ASSOCIATE EDITOR Elizabeth Czapski ASSISTANT EDITOR Holly Seng EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Claire Pool SENIOR COPY EDITOR Meg Lundberg COPY EDITOR Adrienne Davis CONTRIBUTING WRITER Hannah Nance SENIOR PHOTOGR
The Cottage Journal2 min read
Editor’s Letter
Merry Christmas, friends! We are thrilled to have you join us as we celebrate the splendor of the season in this special double issue of The Cottage Journal. This year, we’ve added even more pages packed with inspired holiday ideas to help extend you
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Christmas Magic
Celebrate the holidays in cottage style with inspiration and ideas from Christmas in the Cottage. The editors of The Cottage Journal bring you their selection of treasured stories and beautiful décor to evoke a sense of home this Christmas. Throughou
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Cherished Memories
As we celebrate the beauty and joys of the holiday season, we also reflect on the year gone by. Gathered with friends and family amidst the warm glow of holiday lights, it’s easy to recall our favorite stories and shared experiences—both highs and lo
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Heartfelt Festivity
A fixer-upper wasn’t exactly what Jenny and David Brooks had in mind when searching for a home in the Lexington, Kentucky, area. However, when an older residence in a highly sought-after neighborhood offered an expansive yard and was conveniently loc
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Pastel Tidings
When Courtney and Nathan Davey discovered their charming 1979 Cape Cod-style cottage in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Courtney, the designer and blogger behind Tuft & Trim, immediately saw its potential for their family. Though the home was dark and date
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A Homestead Holiday
The Gilliam family had only completed their whole-home renovation two months before the Christmas season. “We spent about a year renovating,” says Karissa Gilliam, who had the pleasure of creating a dream farmhouse from the blank canvas that was thei
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A Season of Sentiment
“I’ve never really been attracted to new things,” says Kris Allison, proprietor of K. Gray Interiors and Gardens and owner of a country cottage that she’s filled to the brim with secondhand treasures. Having been largely raised by her grandmother and
The Cottage Journal4 min read
Vintage Tradition
When interior designer Ellie Christopher bought her historic home in 2017, she had her work cut out for her. Built in the 1940s, the home was originally developed as apartments that were turned into condos in the ’80s. The electrical wiring was not u
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Nature Inspired
Anna Jacobs has always had an affinity for natural elements in design. The texture of rough-hewn wood, subtle blue and green hues against a neutral palette, floral motifs—it’s all welcome in her home. So, it’s not a surprise when you walk through the
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A Dash of Delight
Flour-coated countertops, plates piled with gingerbread and sugar cookies, and the scent of sweet cinnamon floating throughout the home—that’s how you know it’s Christmastime. Having a kitchen that accommodates preparations for family feasts while al
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Imported Inspiration
As a former buyer of designer clothing for a popular department store, this homeowner gathered inspiration for her English-style cottage while traveling across Europe on business, spending early mornings at the flea markets in London before work, fin
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Styling a Festive Fête
Best known for their paper place mats and table runners, the Tennessee-based company provides a vast assortment of products—available in more than 3,000 stores worldwide in addition to their own brick-and-mortar stores. View their full collection of
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Winter’s Wonderland
“It’s always been a dream of mine to have a solarium or conservatory type of space,” says homeowner Natalie Kelly. Growing up in Pennsylvania, she fondly recalls trips to Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory as well as the historic home of Henry Clay Fri
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Historic Garden Aglow
While temperatures in the South fluctuate unpredictably during the holiday season, the Bellingrath Gardens & Home in Mobile, Alabama, celebrates a constant state of bloom. During the winter months, guests of this esteemed botanical garden can enjoy m
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Needlepoint Nuance
Beth Nagle has spent the last 50 years painting and needlepointing across the East and West Coasts, but it all started across the pond with her first job at age 15. “My needlepoint journey began in London, England, around 1971,” she recalls. “My fami
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Open to Change
Prior to her wedding in 2015, Christina Wade had envisioned a different path for her life. “I was actually in grad school in Puerto Rico for marine science,” she recalls—but an abundance of grain sacks left over from the wedding decorations brought a
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Stowe Away
If your ideal winter getaway includes sweeping scenic views of snow-covered hills and a historic downtown with a delightful main street, delicious eats, and plenty of things to do, then this charming Vermont town is the place for you! Known for its a
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Credits & Resources
Pages 19–20—Sashes by Fig & Dove. Pages 35–44—Interior designs by Jenny Brooks, Bloom Interior Designs. Pages 45–54—Interior designs and Christmas decorating by Courtney Davey, Tuft & Trim. Pages 49–50—Christmas tree from Balsam Hill. Velvet embroide

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