About this item
The mere thought of "cottage" puts the mind at ease, as a cottage is where life is simple, comforting, and true. Cottages are an informal, often hardy subset of small houses, generally possessing a visceral grab on homeowners' imaginations. The New Cottage explores how our favorite home is changing to suit living today. Even in the face of technology's expanding scope and speed, and the resulting nearly ubiquitous reach of social media, today's new cottage appeals to our increasing need to balance transience and durability, togetherness and solitude, the high tech and the home spun. Ten design strategies that characterize captivating cottages are introduced. 25 case study examples showcase today's updated take on the classic cottage, with visual icons throughout to serve as a reminder of which strategies are in use where.
About the Author
Not long after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design 23 years ago, I branched off to focus exclusively on the design of residential spaces and buildings. I connected with the scale and intimacy of home design and became deeply enmeshed in the design of projects ranging in size from a high-end bathroom renovation for a small firm in Newport to a new 6,500 square-foot home on Martha's Vineyard that I collaborated on with an architect friend on the Cape.
In the years since, I've found myself increasingly drawn to the challenges and rewards of designing smaller spaces and houses that live comfortably, connect with their site, and have a positive impact on their neighborhoods and the environment. I've come to understand that the houses we value and appreciate most are those that are sensitive to human scale, provide a satisfying variety of spatial experiences, delight our senses, and don't unnecessarily stretch our resources.
A smaller, meaningful house affords the opportunity for a simpler life. It's the path I've chosen in the small house I share with my husband in a former summer community on the shores of a bay and river.
