Tour of an American Cottage at Emory Grove
A couple of years ago, my in-laws bought a little cottage in a community just north of Baltimore called Emory Grove. The Grove, as we call it, is a collection of tiny - and I do mean tiny - cottages set in a woodsy area just north of Baltimore. It started out in the late 1800s as a church camp of sorts, a place where members of the nearby church would camp out for the summer. Over time, tents gave way to more permanent structures and eventually, Emory Grove evolved into its current state.
It's still strictly a summer place and there are quite a few rules designed to preserve the historic feel of the community (like no air conditioning). In my in-laws case, it's only a daytime place, too - their cottage doesn't have any bedrooms (we all live close enough that a sleepover's not really necessary).
When they bought the place a few years ago, it was divided into several very small rooms, but they did a bunch of renovating designed to open up the entire cottage, making it one large room where people could hang out.
After a lot of work - both structural and decorative - the cottage is pretty great. They were able to preserve most of the original wood and windows and my mother-in-law's personal sense of style mixes with a few country touches to create a space that's a great example of non-cheesy "Americana."
Over the weekend, my husband's cousin and I took these pictures of the space. The tour starts on the front porch and makes its way through the cottage - which is small so it doesn't take long!
It's still strictly a summer place and there are quite a few rules designed to preserve the historic feel of the community (like no air conditioning). In my in-laws case, it's only a daytime place, too - their cottage doesn't have any bedrooms (we all live close enough that a sleepover's not really necessary).
When they bought the place a few years ago, it was divided into several very small rooms, but they did a bunch of renovating designed to open up the entire cottage, making it one large room where people could hang out.
After a lot of work - both structural and decorative - the cottage is pretty great. They were able to preserve most of the original wood and windows and my mother-in-law's personal sense of style mixes with a few country touches to create a space that's a great example of non-cheesy "Americana."
Over the weekend, my husband's cousin and I took these pictures of the space. The tour starts on the front porch and makes its way through the cottage - which is small so it doesn't take long!
Both outside and in, the cottages are unassuming, to say the least. I think this is a perfect spot for my MIL's American flag made of painted branches (on the right).
This is the view from just inside the front door. When they renovated, my inlaws kept all the original windows and all the wood, which was "refreshed" - rehydrated using a sort of stain.
The ceiling is where the old character of the wood is most noticeable.
Just out the front door, there's a big pavilion with picnic tables and a stage.
My MIL decorated the cottage using a lot of things she already had. These snowshoes and the taxidermy had been sitting in my attic since I moved in with my husband (our house now is fairly modern, but his pre-Kit decor was, well, "rustic.")
I don't think this old car radio works, but it looks great in the corner, perched on an orange table. The off-white and orange are a nice respite from a wood-heavy interior.
My MIL has a thing for antique portraits, which she indulged over the fireplace. She keeps the portrait from looking overly fancy, though, by matching it with a set of oars.
Across from the fireplace, an old mirror echoes the mantle. If you look closely, you can see my husband and father-in-law.
Throughout the cottage, bookcases and shelves hold a variety of stuff - in this case, a collection of books related to the mid-Atlantic region.
And this glass case holds a combination of books and knicknacks.
More taxidermy, rescued from our attic (it came to us from an uncle, I think), along with a globe and a few hats to lighten up the palette.
I love these old cooking tools.
The kitchen table is necessarily small and is mostly used as a holding place for keys and sunglasses.
The vintage red refrigerator is one of my favorite things in the cottage. It was in rough shape when my MIL found it, but my husband and his dad cleaned it up with friends and repainted it the same glossy red it was...then discovered that it actually works!
I also like the hammered copper countertop. We don't do much serious cooking, so there's not much risk of damaging the counter, and it looks great.
I also like the hammered copper countertop. We don't do much serious cooking, so there's not much risk of damaging the counter, and it looks great.
Open shelves keep the space a little less crowded and all of the "ugly" stuff is hidden behind the under-counter grapes.