If you read the story with white house paint color ideas, then you may have spotted this charming 660 square foot home in Beaufort, South Carolina. Built in 1889 as a working kitchen for a larger house in the neighborhood, the little low country cottage was renovated by its owners in 2015 and is now a vacation rental. (Yep, you can stay here thanks to airbnb.) It was featured in Southern Living because it’s both adorable and sensible. Let’s peek inside.
Little Low Country Cottage Renovation
1. A Smart 660 sf Floorplan
This sweet renovated Southern cottage didn’t just catch my eye because of its sweet simplicity. You may remember we also own a wee little house (567 square feet!) across town where our son lives.
With space at such a premium, I am always looking for ideas to make the most of every inch of our little house. When we bought it in 2020, the kitchen and bath had been updated so we let they were just fine for a twenty-something bachelor. Here’s what we DID do: painted interiors and exteriors, covered bedroom walls with beaded board, upgraded the flooring, and added a driveway. Believe it or not, our 1950 home in a residential neighborhood did not have one! Oh, and there were lots of little things we added like new address numbers to the porch, and ours are very similar to this one:
But this adorable cottage has an amazing wide Southern porch…8′ x 28′ which is so very smart for a house pressed for living space. I would love to do this at our little house too.
2. Add Warm Cozy Pine Boarded “Shiplap” to Walls
What a difference it makes to add shiplap or in this case, #2 tongue-and-groove pine flooring material to walls to suggest age. We opted for the same material for walls in our basement renovation a few homes ago when we created a cozy, warm, established vibe in a massive space.
There are all sorts of benefits to adding wood boards to walls when you’re a DIYer. No drywall dust to contend with, and you get this cabin-cozy effect with the natural material. (In our own renovation, I painted the boards white in one of the guest bedrooms and the bath but otherwise left them natural.)
3. Choose an Atmospheric Paint Color
The homeowners chose to paint the interiors Benjamin Moore Pebble Beach 1597 (cut at 25%), and it feels so calming.
So often folks browsing online for interior inspiration think they are looking at white paint colors when in reality, it’s just photography or lighting washing the color out. Here’s what Pebble Beach looks like as a swatch:
Such a nice cool contrast with the warm red of the wood floors:
Need a few other color names to sample? It is always smart to take the time to consider a handful to land on the best option. This one’s a bit lighter (and maybe close to how Pebble Beach looks when you cut it by 25%):
Here’s another gorgeous tone to try if you love a little aqua in your gray:
Be sure to search my archives for paint color ideas since this is an oft-addressed topic on this blog. And should you need a starting point for a cozy cottage-y bedroom, here are some ideas:
Psst. I was one of the first customers to use Stikwood’s White Hamptons peel and stick wood panels (above on the mood board) in our former home. Remember it?
I still love the look so much that I’m thinking about repeating it here at the Georgian. My first choice is a gorgeous pale stone wall behind our bed, but that’s a much more complicated treatment than a 3-hour installation of beautiful reclaimed pine!
4. Bedroom Wall Sconces Free Up Floor Space
If you have tackled space concerns in a tiny bedroom, then you know! In our own tiny house, one of the small bedrooms became an office and the other needed to accommodate a queen size bed. You can see below how sconces on the wall become essential!
There’s still room for a little side table, and just look at how both the sconces and curtains on the bed canopy soften the look with all of the linear interest and straight lines happening.
5. Wardrobes Built With Plywood
When every little inch matters, you need smart solutions like this one. The built-ins were created with plywood since it is a thinner material.
And isn’t the window seat a lovely bridge which offers even more storage beneath?
6. Simple Molding Materials
No fancy moldings and baseboards here. Instead, simple poplar 1 by 4s cut and nailed to the walls, imparting a historically appropriate and humble look.
In this bedroom, the built-in wardrobes don’t reach the ceiling, offering an airy look and space for dresser-top items.
7. Smart Sized Shower & Storage in the Bath
Did you know you you’re allowed to create a custom-sized shower? This one is more narrow since the bath is on the small side, but it doesn’t at all look cramped.
Looks like calacatta gold marble for the shower floor which is such a timeless choice that will make sense now and forever.
I love how the homeowners chose an old spice rack for storage of towels and toiletries in this bath. Since it is only 6 inches deep, it’s perfect for the tight space and is still able to hold a ton of essentials.
8. Streamline the Kitchen
The kitchen in this low country cottage is a wonder, don’t you think? No wall cabinets to box you in, and such smart looking shelves which float on the shiplap.
There’s a timelessness to the design, and since they hid the dishwasher behind a cabinet door panel, you truly don’t feel the year it was renovated.
Ready to stay here on your next visit to Beaufort?
Learn more details about the renovation at Southern Living.
Photos: Lauren W. Glenn and owner (Josh Gibson)
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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