This unforgettable Tudor cottage on HGTV’s Fixer Upper with design by Magnolia (Chip & Joanna Gaines) known as the Scrivano House (Episode 4) inspires with an understated palette, mix of vintage plus modern, and original architectural charm. Tranquil and Timeless Tudor Design Details from this house tour may calm your spirit and quiet your mood.
If you thought Chip and Joanna never ventured beyond a modern farmhouse look, let this project inform you otherwise!
Tranquil and Timeless Tudor Design Details From a Serene 1920s Texas Cottage
1. Parisian Grey Exterior Trim
You need not be forced to live with chocolate brown Tudor trim, cottage lovers. This painted trim is reminiscent of a Parisian grey with enough warmth to keep the exterior feeling calm and traditional.
Need an idea for a tranquil grey paint color like this? Look at SW Uncertain Gray or Dorian Gray. See THIS for more ideas.
2. Warmth from Natural Wood & Beams
Don’t you love the magic happening between whispery light grey woodwork and rustic, patina-ed beams and old doors?
The decision to paint over brown stained trim and doors in an older home is highly subjective, and here we see a compromise to bring harmony. So many folks are shy about pairing stained wood doors with painted trim, but the look can be attractive and traditional yet freshened.
Speaking of traditional yet freshened, if you care to learn a little more about a design trend many Millennials embrace, see this story I contributed on the topic!
3. Airy Greenery in Lieu of Dense Florals
Colorful floral arrangements have their place in plenty of interior and more formal contexts, but a simple single stem, branch, or frond can be magically calm and life-giving.
4. Unadorned Windows
When painted window trim is this pretty and you desire to capture the maximum amount of sunlit splendor, skipping the curtains is an easy call.
BONUS DETAIL: Also inspiring me is the way Joanna Gaines freshens traditional style rooms with more modern succulents and plant choices. The rustic cement pot with greenery above keeps the mood lighter, organic, and airy.
Here’s an everlasting succulent option I own and never tire of:
An everlasting succulent like the Agave from Nearly Natural is perfect for freshening a traditional room and reinforcing the “chic” in “granny chic.”
5. Turn Down the Volume
There are so many ways to quiet a room including: a whispery color palette, uncomplicated vignettes, and gestures as simple as reversing the direction of books on a shelf to minimize the busy factor.
(And I am well aware a ton of folks think turning books around on a shelf to keep things less fussy looking is an ignorant move…but kids, vintage books shelved here were incorporated for visual texture, not to show off literary breadth!)
6. Choose Light & Sculptural Seating
While chunky farmhouse dining tables work well for function and style in serene spaces, ruggedly heavy wood chairs aren’t the best complement when you’re going for a serene mood. These oval-back, modern, Louis-style dining chairs look light as a feather and sculptural. The addition of the cushions improves their function and keeps the look from crossing the line into austerity.
7. Don’t Underestimate Clear Glass Beauty
8. Create Movement Creatively
9. Play Up Bygone Features Like a Butler Pantry
10. Celebrate Existing & New Built-ins
See More Design Ideas from a Shotgun Cottage by Chip & Joanna
11. Paint Kitchen Cabinetry With Tranquility
12. Live, Sleep & Dream on a Cloud
13. Symmetry to Soothe
14. Timeless Bath Design Elements
15. Get the Look of This Beautiful Home
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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Love everything about this house! It’s a similar vibe that I’m going for in our new home. This gives some great inspiration for me now that we are getting moved in and I’m starting to think more about the interior decor. Thanks, Michele!
Author
Thanks so much for reading, Amy – can’t wait to hear about how you approach the interiors of your lovely new home! Have a wonderful week, friend.
Great post, I love the arched front door. the use of a door in the pantry is very chic, as well. Adding the wooden doors really makes the room.
Author
Thanks, Jason. I just love that butler pantry too! 🙂
What are the colours you’re showing?
Author
You will probably find paint color ideas in this post about that project: https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/2019/01/get-the-look-fixer-upper-tranquil-cottage-decor.html Hope this helps and thanks for reading. 🙂
I love the oval-back black metal dining chairs. Where can I find them or something similar?
Author
Hi there! I love those chairs too and haven’t found the exact chair yet. In fact, the lookalike in a leather version I found is almost never in stock or available in black. They come in cream and gray which is less popular so easier to find. So if you like them, I suggest buying the black immediately: https://rstyle.me/+2r98_hzlimdC7-VSSUnG4Q Also find more shopping resources for this home in this post: https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/2019/01/get-the-look-fixer-upper-tranquil-cottage-decor.html
Author
oops! that link to chairs is for the brown – I read the word ‘back’ as ‘black.’ Sorry about that. The black seems to be discontinued.
Could anyone tell me the exterior colors used?
Once again, the pop up ads are covering the left third of the content of your blog, and they can’t be closed, that I can find. I have followed your blog for years, love your content. These ads should be moved to right side of your blog.
Author
Thanks, Debbie. Workin on it and will message them again. Sorry about the annoyance.
I have watched that episode several times, and never fail to love everything about that darling cottage. It is just perfection. And the cute couple that lives there is adorable too. I hope they are enjoying their lovely home.
Author
I wonder if they still live in this house!?! It’s such a timeless house, and I just love that they made changes for modern living so the house can last at least another 100 years. 🙂
Hi! What color is the trim in the house painted?
Author
Even though it wasn’t revealed, the color looks almost identical to two colors I have used time and time again: BM Revere Pewter and SW Agreeable Gray. I recommend sampling them here: https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-8751877-15496318?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsamplize.com%2Fproducts%2Frevere-pewter-hc-172-12×12