Modern Neutral Decor: A Lake Cottage Makeover for a Fam + a Full House of Guests
Hi there friend! Ohhh, it has been awhile and I feel so guilty I haven’t posted or shared here in forever. Today I wanted to jump on here to share a fun project: A Cottage Makeover full of modern neutral decor that will keep the guests flowing all year round.
But, If this is your first time here, I’m Kristin, I’m the owner of Postbox Designs Interior E-Design where I do “Real Designs for Real Life”…all via Online Interior Design. Know that I’m still busy designing for my fabulous clients all over the country AND chasing around three kiddos of my own. Of course these days it is more like chauffer driving, short order cook and lacrosse-cheering Mom, and I have never been having more fun with THREE teens/pre-teens in my house. Which is why I haven’t been posting much over here!
So while I have been remiss to share all of these fun projects, you can catch them and I throw them up on Instagram in between car drop off and work appointments. 🙂 But as an introvert, my favorite place to still hang around is over on Pinterest, where I’m posting ideas for every room of the house.
Modern Neutral Decor: The Living Room
When I think a lot of guests, I think a big ole comfy sectional sofa! So we started this Cottage Living Room makeover with a big neutral light gray sofa from West Elm, covered in a Performance Fabric (“Dove” is one of my favs, as is “Oatmeal Linen”. Then I layered on all of these subtle, patterned pillows full of texture. I’m mixing velvets, linens, stripes, and dashes to create a neutral look that still has some personality to them. These are all sourced from Etsy shops (I love supporting these talented artists).
I’m actually not showing the coffee table here, as we were using one my client already owned (and yes, I get that question quite a bit-I definitely can incorporate existing pieces you already have!), but I did show her how to style the whole coffee table with these fun and inexpensive pieces, mostly sourced from H&M and Target.
These black terra cotta lamps hail from Pottery Barn and these sleek light wood side tables keep things light and airy.
I’m not showing it here, but my clients all get:
Floor Plans with everything labeled so they know exactly how to style everything (such as all of that coffee table decor)
Shopping List with quantities, sizes and clickable links to everything
Modern Neutral Decor: The Bedroom for Mom & Dad
Raise your hand if you were once a little girl who would have loved a canopy bed in her bedroom! Canopy Beds aren’t just for kids, this modern metal one makes Mom and Dad feel like royalty, especially when we loaded up the bed with a down duvet (perfect for those summer nights) and piles of soft Belgium linen sheets and a duvet cover.
I love having a bench at the end of a bed (found at Burke Decor) and it plays off these modern-yet-cozy Pottery Barn side tables.
Again, throw pillows = my love language. These pillows are muted colors that are sophisticated and gender neutral, yet are still light and airy for the warmer months of this lakeside cottage.
Modern Neutral Decor: Taking It all the Way to the Spa, I Mean…Bathroom
So you may not know this, but I’m actually a Kitchen & Bath Designer by trade, and I’ve designed hundreds of bathrooms over the years. BUT if a full bathroom renovation is not in the cards this year, you can take it up a notch, closer to Spaaa-ahhh like levels with just a few items:
Style a tray with a plant, some perfume, room spray, and a candle
Splurge for some soft, luxe towels
Or at least splurge on a new handtowel-maybe even a monogram?
Gorgeous hand soap is the gift that keeps giving
Update your bathroom hardware (hooks, towel bars, etc.)
Modern Neutral Decor: For the Guests
And finally, the Guest Bedroom of this modern neutral cottage. I wanted the same luxe and light feelings as the Master Bedroom, so we kept the same feel with this Serena and Lily rattan bed (look at those gorgeous little brass feet!) and a Loloi area rug. More casual Belgium linen bedding, crisp white sheets, and an armful of neutral pillows finish off the space.
Leave little luxuries like linen spray, a basket for dirty linens, a charging station, and snacks, and they may never want to leave.
More Modern Neutral Decor Ideas (& More!)
A huge thank-you to my client to allow me to share their custom cottage design with you all today! If you want to get more ideas on this style, check out my BLOG for ideas for every room of the house. And if you would like to see more about how this whole Interior E-Design thing works, check out HOW IT WORKS and my ROOM PACKAGES & PRICING I would love to chat more with you on your projects!
Cheers,
Kristin