Cottage Charm
Jul 12, 2016 04:13PM ● By Deborah BurstynCOTTAGE CHARM
Turn your home into a private paradise with pops of color and DIY style
By Deborah Burstyn
Photography by Jessica Freels
Luxury name brand appliances in the kitchen meld seamlessly with vintage windows and doors whose quaint details are amped up with fresh paint. Sky blue paneling on the kitchen ceiling, accented with schoolhouse light fixtures, plays well with a green tile backsplash and a mix of granite and marble counters. The kitchen’s white cabinetry and trim paired with a classy black and white color scheme make it an inviting space for lingering. It’s no wonder the Bernals' home and garden is the setting for family graduation celebrations, birthday parties, wedding and baby showers, and luncheons for Joan’s garden club.
The kitchen opens to a living area where French doors and sunny
windows create a direct connection to the landscaped garden. Outdoors a gracious
retreat beckons. Here trellised walls and a flagstone terrace create a romantic
European-style courtyard. Its handmade old-world fieldstone sheds echo the storybook
architecture of Carmel, a favorite vacation spot for the Bernals. “We use all
recycled water for watering the garden” explains Joan, who plants her flower
beds with traditional cottage garden flowers like hollyhock, larkspur,
foxglove, sweet peas and snapdragons.
“We did most of this before the internet,” says Joan. “I looked through magazines and showed my husband pictures of homes that made me happy.” She confesses that Dennis’s aesthetic tends to Victorian while hers is more farmhouse rustic. One glance at their cheerful indoor/outdoor living space shows they have found the perfect balance.
TIPS FROM THE
BERNALS:
Take pictures. Dennis photographed architectural details he admired – even in a gothic church – to later copy for his home.
Paint. The Bernals opted for a clean look that unifies the old and the new with fresh paint on old pieces.
Expect blood, sweat and tears. A tumble from a tall ladder while working on a skylight destroyed some all-ready completed work, and sent Dennis to the emergency room for stitches.
Keep your eyes open. A building being torn down yielded a treasure trove of old bricks for the Bernals’ garden walkways.
Plan on compromise. In order to use old windows, the Bernals had to increase the walls’ insulation to meet building code standards.
The Bernals’ Sources: Urban Ore, Omega Salvage, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Ballard Designs, Home Depot, Restoration Hardware, Alameda Flea Market, and Annie’s Annuals for plants.
Take pictures. Dennis photographed architectural details he admired – even in a gothic church – to later copy for his home.
Paint. The Bernals opted for a clean look that unifies the old and the new with fresh paint on old pieces.
Expect blood, sweat and tears. A tumble from a tall ladder while working on a skylight destroyed some all-ready completed work, and sent Dennis to the emergency room for stitches.
Keep your eyes open. A building being torn down yielded a treasure trove of old bricks for the Bernals’ garden walkways.
Plan on compromise. In order to use old windows, the Bernals had to increase the walls’ insulation to meet building code standards.
The Bernals’ Sources: Urban Ore, Omega Salvage, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Ballard Designs, Home Depot, Restoration Hardware, Alameda Flea Market, and Annie’s Annuals for plants.