Hey everybody! I know it's been awhile since my last blog post but I'm excited to share my latest project with you guys! I was contacted by the Cottages of College Station in early January to revive their model unit. The Cottages is a student housing option for Texas A&M students ranging from one, two, three, four and five bedroom cottages, duplexes, manor homes and lodges. The model unit I was asked to style was a five bedroom cottage that consisted of the five bedrooms, plus a living room, kitchen and breakfast bar. This "cottage" was in desperate need of some TLC. After all, it was the unit that visitors walked through when trying to find a place to live. It needed to be fresh, clean, and fun so that students could actually envision themselves living there.
One thing that's great about the Cottages is that you have the option for the house to come furnished. Therefore, when I was decorating the rooms I wanted to leave most of the furniture that came with the house (think dressers, headboards, sofa, desks, etc). I did bring in a few accent chairs and other items to show the visitors how to make their cottage more unique.
I hope you enjoy the series of before & after photos I posted below. Get comfy, because there's quite a few of them! My goal for this cottage was to keep things simple and clean, while also creating some fun focal points in each room. Take a look and let me know what you think! Your tour begins now...
One thing that's great about the Cottages is that you have the option for the house to come furnished. Therefore, when I was decorating the rooms I wanted to leave most of the furniture that came with the house (think dressers, headboards, sofa, desks, etc). I did bring in a few accent chairs and other items to show the visitors how to make their cottage more unique.
I hope you enjoy the series of before & after photos I posted below. Get comfy, because there's quite a few of them! My goal for this cottage was to keep things simple and clean, while also creating some fun focal points in each room. Take a look and let me know what you think! Your tour begins now...
When you walk in the front door, you enter into the open concept living/kitchen area. This space is quite large with plenty of room for your roommates and friends to gather. This is what it looked like before...
My initial thoughts were that there was a lot of red and a lot of wall decor. I decided to switch it up with some cooler, blue tones throughout. Here is their new living room...
I am in love with these blue chairs! They are definitely statement pieces in the room and I got a lot of great feedback from people during the install. I added some new pillows and a throw blanket to the couch to make the room feel more comfortable and inviting. I also ditched the old rug that had a square pattern and brought in this natural rug. I love the texture this rug adds to the room!
One of the reasons this project was so fun is that I got to play around with patterns and color. You can see in the picture below that I mixed patterns using a geometric print (curtains), small scale print (table runner), and something organic (cowhide ottoman). This is a great rule to follow if you are wanting to add some prints to your space but not quite sure how to do it!
Moving on to the kitchen and breakfast bar, the cabinets and countertops are very dark so I wanted to brighten things up. Here are the before pictures...
Not very appealing, right? Well check out the after...
The new place settings actually make people want to sit down and eat (which is important because it is the only dining area in the cottage). I layered them with place mats and chargers to add more texture. And I love this tiered stand from Pier 1! It adds some height to the counter, and the copper trim really ties in with the copper mugs on display. I filled it with some rosemary and fruit as a natural way to brighten up the room.
Now we enter the bedrooms, and remember there are five of them! I decided to give each room a different style so that students can easily identify with one of them. What's nice about the Cottages is that each bedroom has a private bathroom and walk-in closet. However, these spaces needed some freshening up as well.
Our first room is off the kitchen and was a mix of gray, geometric bedding with canvas butterfly prints. The closet was sloppy and the shower curtain had plastic rings. Not a big deal, but for for a luxury living apartment, these items needed to be addressed ASAP. Check out the before pictures...
Our first room is off the kitchen and was a mix of gray, geometric bedding with canvas butterfly prints. The closet was sloppy and the shower curtain had plastic rings. Not a big deal, but for for a luxury living apartment, these items needed to be addressed ASAP. Check out the before pictures...
I call this the "sorority" room and gave it a pink/navy color scheme with gold accents. I know flamingo prints are trendy right now, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate them throughout the room. Take a look at the after photos...
The next room is off the front entryway and I immediately noticed the mirrors hung awkwardly above the bed. I wanted to make sure the wall decor was hung correctly in the new space. Take a look at the before photos...
This is our new "rustic" room, but it's actually a mix of rustic and industrial style. The art above the bed fits perfectly now and the cage pendant light adds so much charm. I used layers and layers of pillows and blankets to make this room feel cozy and inviting. Here are the after photos...
Next up is one of three bedrooms located on the second floor. Scroll down for the before pictures...
I gave this room a "farmhouse" style by adding some distressed pieces like the vanity mirror and farmhouse chair, and by using some cozy, white bedding. Also, the Cottages is pet-friendly so I wanted to emphasize that in this room. Check out the new room...
The next room turned out to be one of my favorites! When I first saw it, there didn't seem to be a plan for the decor and it feels very random. Check out the before pictures...
I called the this the "eclectic" or "hipster" room. You can see it's had quite the transformation! By adding a mirror and large piece of art above the bed, I've created some focal points to look at. I love the unique shapes and patterns of the pillows, vases, rug and even the mirror! Scroll through the after pictures below...
Last up is a room that was very dark and brown. Here are the before pictures...
This is now my "bold and beautiful" room. It has a gorgeous plum color throughout the room but I toned it down with some fun gold arrow sheets and a neutral faux fur pillow. I also placed a few personal touches in the room like a yoga mat, hand weights and water bottle to make it feel like someone actually lives here. There's even an upholstered headboard that needs to be installed that will make this room feel even brighter and inviting. Check out the after pictures below...
Well that's it for the bedrooms! I told you there were a lot!!
The last area of the house I touched was this deck upstairs. This deck is actually pretty cool because it looks over a common area outside full of string lights and a fire pit. It was a little plain before...
The last area of the house I touched was this deck upstairs. This deck is actually pretty cool because it looks over a common area outside full of string lights and a fire pit. It was a little plain before...
And by adding a few pillows, lanterns and a rug it's now a fun place to hang out. I love easy updates like this! The rug is from Ikea, and the pillows and lanterns are from Target. Here is the deck now,,,
Whew! That was a big project!! To say that I am exhausted would be an understatement. I had a lot to do in just a few short weeks, but I'm so happy with the way it turned out!
Leave me a comment below...I'd love to hear which room is your favorite!
Leave me a comment below...I'd love to hear which room is your favorite!
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