Sometimes, your cottage needs a little more love than you can offer by just cleaning away the cobwebs. Faded pillows and sad-looking decor can take the shine off your getaway, but that can be easily fixed.
Here’s a look at 10 simple and budget-friendly ways to refresh your summer digs.
Entrance
First impressions count. So the No. 1 place to start is the entrance. If you have a lawn, mow it. If the front yard or driveway is overgrown, cut it back. Brush off any stairs or decking areas and give them a good wash. Update your cottage’s street number to something more modern and upbeat; it’ll lift the spirit of the place.
Get rid
Get rid of your clunky old coffee table , but don’t replace it. Freeing up the living area in your getaway pad creates a more easy, breezy feel and encourages you to get outside, which is why you’re there in the first place.
Welcome mat
Investing in a new welcome mat does double duty: It’ll help keep your cottage clean indoors by giving people somewhere to wipe their shoes, and it will and instantly refresh the entrance, given the huge number of fun prints, colours and designs out there.
Pillow mania
The easiest and most budget-friendly way to refresh your cottage decor is by investing in pillows , cushions and throws for your sofas, chairs and outdoor furniture. You can inject colour, pattern and memories into your getaway cabin with cushions you’ve collected from your travels, or by makers you admire. Be sure to donate, store or sell any that no longer inspire you.
Temporary
For those not wanting to commit the time or money for major renovations, there are a number of impermanent decor options out there. A great one for getaway cottages is peel-and-stick wallpaper , says Wayfair.ca spokesperson Alexa Battista. They come in a range of beautiful textures and patterns.
Bedding
Switching out your bedding for lighter colours and more natural textures and materials is a great way to update your getaway cottage’s interior, says HomeSense design expert Tamara Robbins Griffith. Cottons, linens and raw hems are proving very popular at the moment, she says, and can give your cottage a retreat or spa like feel, which is what vacations are all about.
Lick of paint
For maximum transformation within minimum costs, you can’t go past a lick of paint. Getaway cottages offer the opportunity to have some fun with paint as they’re often more casual in feel than your permanent residence. Try painting the bunk room a fun, restful colour, or even the floor .
Personalize
Personalization is all the hype in home interiors and your getaway cottage is a great place to experiment with this. Artwork on the walls is the simplest way to transform the feel of a space, and adding in decor elements that reference where you are is also a great idea — think canoe paddles , vintage water skis and cool mugs .
Go green
Getting away to your vacation spot is usually about switching off and connecting with nature, so why not have the interior of your cottage mirror what’s going on outside, with pot plants and hanging planters . You can also work nature into your decor and accessories through materials like rattan (think mirrors, hanging planters, chairs) landscape artwork and floral cushions, says HomeSense’s Robbins Griffith.
Have fun!
Getting away is all about letting your hair down (and maybe not blow drying it for a day or two?) so carry this over into your home decor and accessories, says Robbins Griffith. Melamine plates and acrylic glasses are hard wearing and come in a crazy range of colours and prints that will make meal times more festive, she says, while also updating your table scape.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
