Molly English - 11 Jun

Contemporary Cottages

Molly Hyde English

Photographs by Ryan Garvin

Contemporary Cottages

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2019 Molly Hyde English

Photographs 2019 Ryan Garvin

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 978-1-4236-5138-3

A s I contemplated a final bookthe last in a trilogy of Gibbs Smith books dedicated to the American cottageit was a call to action by a fellow merchant, Laurie Alter, founder and owner of the ever-popular Tuvalu Design, that led to Contemporary Cottages. Laurie had stopped by my store, Camps and Cottages, to say hello and peek at a gallery-framed U.S. forty-eight-star vintage flag that I had just installed. Laurie and husband, Jeff, had recently completed work on a contemporary cottage and she noted that there was a perfect place in the cottage for the flag. Intrigued, I asked her if I might visit what was at one time a half-century-old ranch which had been given new life as a contemporary cottage and new home for Laurie, Jeff and son, Cody. I dropped by a few days later and she was right. The flag was a perfect fit but more importantly their work on the cottage convinced me that a third book had to be done! If the inspirational visit were not enough, Laurie suggested I contact photographer Ryan Garvin who jumped at the opportunity and who has worked so professionally and diligently on the project. Thank you, Ryan!

Many of the owners have asked to remain anonymous. To all of you, its my hope that the photos have pleased each of you and more importantly I wish to thank you for sharing your thoughts, insights and ideas with readers. You may very well inspire others to give new life to their cottages in the future.

Stories about several of the cottages were shared with me by their designers. To Raili Clasen, Kelly Nutt, Shannon Wilkins, Mindy Laven and Ashley Clarkmy sincere appreciation and best wishes to each of you for continued success with your design businesses.

A special acknowledgement and thank you to Michele Graham, founder and owner of Juxtaposition Home, one of the West Coasts great stores, who suggested candidate cottages and worked with me on a number of project photo shoots.

Finally and most importantly I wish to give a very appreciative acknowledgment to Madge Baird, managing editor at Gibbs Smith, for her patience and perseverance in putting me to the test to ensure that we crossed the finish line.

Change is not merely necessary to lifeit is life.

Alvin Toffler, Future Shock

W ith the publication of both Camps and Cottages in 2000 and Vintage Cottages in 2007, I became increasingly aware that the concept of cottage, one of many types of structures Americans call home, was at the cusp of a back-to-the-future stage of its life as a distinct architectural stylea style born for the most part in the early twentieth century. Unlike the grand homes of that period, followed by the craftsman-inspired bungalows of the 1920s, the ranch homes of post-WW II suburbia, the glass and steel curations of the early 1960s, stuccos of the 1970s and 1980s and the ever-popular McMansions of the early 2000s (a style that has receded due partly to the Great Recession of 2007 and partly to a return to realistic scale), the cottage has maintained its form, fit and function with a focus on charm, beauty, uniqueness, human scale and relative affordability. In fact, community leaders in my hometown, a town known nationally for its environmental focus, historic preservation and respect for the arts, have chosen for many years to focus upon its cottages with two annual eventsThe Charm Tour and The Garden Tour.

That having been said, as we approach the end of the second decade of the new century, cottage owners (and those who yearn to be) have begun to lend imaginative touches to the traditional image of an American cottage. Though, understandably for professional designers, there may be some very distinct differences between what is defined as contemporary and what is understood as modern, its apparent from the projects undertaken by the owners of the cottages featured on the following pages that one school of design is as equally attractive to them as the other, while others have worked to marry a contemporary and modern look with touches of traditional and vintagea true juxtaposition of styles linking the past, present and future. The owners featured in Contemporary Cottages have burnished traditional features with fresh and modern appointments, responsible landscaping, magical entryways, updated and repurposed rooms, open ceilings, custom floor plans and unique lightingall without disturbing the timeless charm and scale that defines a cottage.

Contemporary Cottages is more than just a tour of handsome cottages; it welcomes you, the reader, into each home as if you were on a walking tour with a personal guide, including insightful conversations with each owner as they share the dreams, thoughts and imagination that went into the design or redesign of their cottage. Note the personal description of each cottage and how it reflects the owners personalities and lifestyle, the inspiration for the cottages design, the unique characteristics or features, the owners experience with the builder, interior designer or architectwhat they learned from their experience working with outside professionals and what led to the owners choice of color schemes seen throughout each cottage. A particularly interesting feature within the cottages is the presence of artwhether in the form of paintings, artistic photos, object dart or sculptureinside and outside the property. Owners of cottages in cultures and countries much older than ours have for years traditionally and tastefully appointed their cottages in an artful way and it appears that this practice is growing in the U.S. with an increasing willingness by homeowners to pursue tasteful and original art in place of reproductions and manufactured appointments. It is a practice similar to the world of fine dining where it is not unusual for a respected chef to suggest the accompaniment of her award-winning 2019 cuisine with wine(s) that have been carefully maintained in temperature-controlled cellars for years or decades, waiting for the perfect pairingthe perfect moment.

A wise person once noted that the hallmark of a measured and balanced life is ones ability to draw together the dreams of the past with the thoughts of the day and images of the future. It appears that each owner has achieved that balance and it is my pleasure to welcome you into their worldthrough the magic of Contemporary Cottages .

Molly English

2019

Laguna Beach, California

Toffler, Alvin, Future Shock, New York: Random House., 1970